Educational institutions as stakeholders and collaborators : perspectives of company leaders
Kostia, Silja (2021)
Kostia, Silja
2021
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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202104225434
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202104225434
Tiivistelmä
Collaboration between companies and educational institutions is needed to tackle the challenges of future working life like declining younger age classes and growing shortage of the competent workforce. This study analyzes relationships between companies and educational institutions.
The research context of the study is in the wood industry which has presented a legitimate concern regarding the availability of a competent workforce in the future, and a university of applied sciences which, in the past ten years, has been the only educator of wood engineers in Finland. The theoretical framework is based on the literature of the stakeholder approach and value creation in relationship. Also, stakeholders and partnerships of educational institutions is reviewed. An empirical study with a qualitative research strategy consisted of interviews with the executives of four Finnish wood industry companies.
This study found that the relationship between a company and an educational institution is always based on competence. Good personal and organizational relationships are appreciated as well as systematic partnership meetings and goals, which are agreed together. Companies have an important message to educational institutions: unofficial meetings, visits on a reciprocal basis, and initiatives and openness are needed.
Leaders of companies understand and pay attention to value creation in stakeholder relationships. In the competence development of companies, educational institutions could have a more important role in ensuring the competent workforce (e.g. talent and career development paths, continuous learning, cultural competence of international students).
This study visualized three stakeholder maps and showed that traditional stakeholder thinking places educational institutions in the outer circle of companies' stakeholder map, and clients and strategic partners in the inner circle. However, educational institutions have an important role in companies’ success and the concept of competence ecosystems between companies and educational institutions could be launched. Value is created in collaboration towards joint objectives. More research is needed on how to develop stakeholder relationships between companies and educational institutions in times of predictable and unpredictable challenges.
The research context of the study is in the wood industry which has presented a legitimate concern regarding the availability of a competent workforce in the future, and a university of applied sciences which, in the past ten years, has been the only educator of wood engineers in Finland. The theoretical framework is based on the literature of the stakeholder approach and value creation in relationship. Also, stakeholders and partnerships of educational institutions is reviewed. An empirical study with a qualitative research strategy consisted of interviews with the executives of four Finnish wood industry companies.
This study found that the relationship between a company and an educational institution is always based on competence. Good personal and organizational relationships are appreciated as well as systematic partnership meetings and goals, which are agreed together. Companies have an important message to educational institutions: unofficial meetings, visits on a reciprocal basis, and initiatives and openness are needed.
Leaders of companies understand and pay attention to value creation in stakeholder relationships. In the competence development of companies, educational institutions could have a more important role in ensuring the competent workforce (e.g. talent and career development paths, continuous learning, cultural competence of international students).
This study visualized three stakeholder maps and showed that traditional stakeholder thinking places educational institutions in the outer circle of companies' stakeholder map, and clients and strategic partners in the inner circle. However, educational institutions have an important role in companies’ success and the concept of competence ecosystems between companies and educational institutions could be launched. Value is created in collaboration towards joint objectives. More research is needed on how to develop stakeholder relationships between companies and educational institutions in times of predictable and unpredictable challenges.