Factors Affecting Sustainable Higher Educational Partnerships

The globally competitive environment of higher education is exemplified by many UK universities, private education institutions, and public colleges entering into collaborative agreements with partner organisations. No more is this movement seen than with private higher education institutions (HEIs) entering into collaborative arrangements with many stakeholders, including new partners once seen as competitors. Those entrepreneurial-minded executives leading and governing HEIs have thus seen partnerships as strategies for business sustainability in a collaborative economy, giving them competitive advantage and enhancing their strategic intent. This chapter provides a critical and useful review of HEI knowledge management (KM) factors that enable successful stages of collaboration. Within this chapter, sustainability practices in higher education partnerships are reviewed through examination of KM factors and discussions of a private HEI using case study examples from their sustainability journey.