The impact of Dx goes far beyond our existing work. It also creates completely new jobs and requires a new set of skills and competencies across the institutional community. In this section, we’ll discuss what to expect from the effect Dx will have on the workforce and how those changes in workforce can support and enable Dx.
One hallmark of Dx is active institutional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), making it essential that leaders advance DEI practices within their institutions.
Leaders must prepare for changes to existing jobs and the emergence of new roles and necessary skill sets across the entire higher education workforce. You must ensure technical staff understand the “businesses” of the institution and are able to collaborate deeply and communicate effectively.
Leaders must prepare for changes to existing jobs and the emergence of new roles and necessary skill sets across the entire higher education workforce. You must ensure technical staff understand the “businesses” of the institution and are able to collaborate deeply and communicate effectively.
A workforce that enables Dx is characterized by greater institutional accountability for career growth and talent management, along with increased emphasis on work/life balance, flexible schedules, and work locations. This results in better workforce engagement and increased retention.
A workforce that enables Dx is characterized by greater institutional accountability for career growth and talent management, along with increased emphasis on work/life balance, flexible schedules, and work locations. This results in better workforce engagement and increased retention.
New leadership positions are being created as part of workforce shifts. In our 2019 survey, sixty-four percent of respondents said their institutions had hired new student success leaders. Forty-nine percent pointed to new leadership in data and analytics.
“We've seen cross-functional meetings that before were almost impossible to schedule. We've seen a different style of project management now because we've had to be able to turn on a dime. We're embracing rapid decisions and rapid action. And we're able to see a little bit of diversity because now we can reach out and expand—we can bring in people from all over.”
Institutions are embracing workforce transformation, resulting in a blending of roles and blurring of boundaries between IT and academic/administrative/research areas. Dx will bring about new jobs and roles and a reinvention of human resources.
Institutions are embracing workforce transformation, resulting in a blending of roles and blurring of boundaries between IT and academic/administrative/research areas. Dx will bring about new jobs and roles and a reinvention of human resources.
At the University of South Carolina, efforts to collaboratively manage data access started taking root with the leadership of a chief data officer.
New leadership positions are being created as part of workforce shifts. In our 2019 survey, sixty-four percent of respondents said their institutions had hired new student success leaders. Forty-nine percent pointed to new leadership in data and analytics.
“We've seen cross-functional meetings that before were almost impossible to schedule. We've seen a different style of project management now because we've had to be able to turn on a dime. We're embracing rapid decisions and rapid action. And we're able to see a little bit of diversity because now we can reach out and expand—we can bring in people from all over.”
At the University of South Carolina, efforts to collaboratively manage data access started taking root with the leadership of a chief data officer.
Transformation of Work and Skills
Institutional Workforce Management
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Transformation of Work and Skills
Institutional Workforce Management
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Dx is a journey with multiple paths and many stages. It is not a single transformative initiative but a process of increasingly consequential transformations. Regardless of where higher education might be on the Dx journey, though, we can all work together to better understand Dx, to share and learn from our collective experiences, and to build better models and stronger capabilities for Dx in the future.
Learn more about these topics in the following articles.
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