Resonating Cycles- towards a holistic approach for evaluation and strategy development of engaged HEIs

​The production of knowledge and innovation no longer only happens in closed environments done by a limited number of people. Therefore, it is necessary for all actors in the innovation process to open up to two-dimensional knowledge transfer (inside-out; outside-in), so do higher education institutions have to do as well. In order to do so, higher education institutions have to fasten their strategy development process and implement a more agile management. This is necessary to fulfil the “new” task of social responsibility as higher education institutions have to interact more closely with society and economy, then they had several decades ago. In order to implement this new more fasten innovation process within the higher education institutions process and structures, higher education institutions are obliged to adapt concepts from actors of the innovation culture like the lean start up model, business model canvas and furthermore. St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences has transferred these concepts in its own structures and has develop the so-called “resonating cycles”. Resonating cycles describe the circular process which connects strategy development, implementation, evaluation and the adaption of higher education institutions strategy. The presentation will describe the main ideas and considerations on “resonating cycles”. Furthermore, it will give a summary of practical experiences of using the concept by St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences.