Diversity in higher
education and research organisations is conducive to research innovation and
economic growth (EC 2012a; OECD 2012). Yet male dominated educational institutions
have been remarkably resistant to change. Little attention has been paid to the
identification of ‘best practice’ that
is, universities which in their gender profile at senior academic and
management level, their organisational culture, their formal and informal leadership and the
embedding of gender in their purpose, curriculum and research agenda, exemplify a new gender agenda. Building on the case studies,
this chapter focuses on definitions of success and on a model for change,
identifying key external and internal factors as well as specific interventions.
It provides important insights into a new gender agenda and how it can be
created.