The Collaboration Games: Play or Be Played?

Over the past few months, I’ve been in conversations with colleagues across the

sector, SU CEOs, Directors, and wider sector partners that work closely with

universities. These conversations were prompted following an article I wrote for

Wonkhe about mergers, and it has since become increasingly apparent that there is

so much more that needs to be said, prioritised, and explored in this space.

These are no longer future conversations. They have been happening for a while

and are still happening now within, and between institutions.

Scenario planning is an essential part of any strategy, in any organisation. The

difference is that this happens outside of the formal meeting and decision-making

structures and settings, and often in the case of universities, in spaces that Students’

Unions are not part of…

This is why, and still far too often, SU’s still find themselves responding to their

institution’s agenda as opposed to proactively and intentionally shaping it. This is a

pattern that I don’t think we can continue to ignore.

Students’ Unions are often:

• Brought in once direction is already forming

• Asked to respond, rather than shape

• Expected to adapt, rather than influence

Over time, that creates a culture where things are done to the SU, rather than with

the SU, and this responsive culture has been creeping more and more into UK

students’ union practice and behaviour over the last two decades.

The honest question we need to ask is this - Is that position and culture

sustainable?

If our default position is to respond and adapt, then that means we are always going

to be behind the curve in a landscape that is becoming more volatile, more complex,

and more fast-moving. As a society we are living in unprecedented, unpredictable,

and challenging times, and we should never lose sight of the vital role students’

unions and student leaders can play when it comes to shaping and changing the

narrative on a local, national and international stage. Our history provides the

evidence and a useful reminder of the power and influence that SU’s can wield, and

how SU’s are often associated with being ahead of the curve.

However, this level of influence can only be realised when it’s built on strong and

(pro)active students’ unions so as a starting point we should probably talk about risk,

before going one step further to explore our readiness for change. We spend a lot of

time talking about risk in Students’ Unions, but I think there’s something missing,

something that I think we need to look at collectively as a sector.

Where does institutional merger, partnership, identity, or structural change sit in your

SU risk register?

Whether we like it or not, this is now part of the operating environment and if it’s not

being actively considered, then we are implicitly saying that “We’ll deal with it when it

happens”. That’s not risk management, it’s reactionary, but as I said before we need

to go one step further, beyond risk because potentially this is about something

deeper – Our change readiness.

• How ready are we, structurally, culturally, and strategically for this kind of

  change?

• Do we have a shared understanding of what we would do if something was

  announced tomorrow, whether that be locally, regionally or nationally?

• Are we actively preparing for different scenarios, or simply hoping that they

  don’t materialise?

• Perhaps most importantly, what is our risk appetite?

• Are we prepared to engage early, even when things are uncertain?

• Are we willing to step into conversations that feel ambiguous or politically

  complex?

• Or are we waiting until something is announced, and then working out what it

  means for us?

These questions are fundamentally different leadership choices. Which ones can

your SU speak to?

There is another way, but we need to see it and embrace it. One of the most

powerful parts of a recent Coole Insight roundtable discussion was hearing what’s

already happening across the sector. Not theory, but what is actually happening in

practice such as:

• Students’ Unions merging and restructuring

• Shared services being explored and implemented

• City-wide collaborations influencing policy beyond education

• Strategic partnerships that go beyond survival and into collective impact

One of these examples exists at the University of Manchester Students’ Union where

collaboration isn’t just an idea, it’s being actively built into back office functions to

support consistent organisational performance across a group of SU’s in the area.

What’s clear from this example is that the opportunity is there, but the pathway and

the readiness isn’t always. This is exactly why we need to shift our thinking and

positions from reaction, to readiness, to strategic intent.

If we don’t create space to think about this proactively as a sector, then the trajectory

is relatively predictable, and in some cases more than others. Institutions will

continue to explore options privately, decisions will continue to emerge without SU

input and we will continue to respond, rather than shape.

If we can first shift our thinking, we can then shift our approach, together. In practice this might look like:

• Building change readiness into governance and leadership conversations

• Being clear about red lines and non-negotiables

• Exploring collaboration before it becomes necessary

• Developing confidence in navigating complexity, not avoiding it

This is an open invitation from Coole Insight; it isn’t about us having all of the

answers. It’s about starting an important conversation properly and doing it together

as there were some really important points raised in our roundtable discussion that

deserve wider input, particularly around preparedness, collaboration, and how we

build genuine change readiness across the sector.

Now it’s over to you as a sector and everyone working in or with a Students’ Union

right now:

• Is this on your radar?

• Is it reflected in your risk register or strategic planning?

• How would you describe your organisation’s change readiness?

• Are you engaging early, or waiting to respond?

The pace of change isn’t slowing down, and it isn’t a question of whether change is

coming. It’s a question as to whether we’re ready, and willing, to shape it. If there’s

appetite, I’d be keen to keep this conversation going both here in the comments, and

beyond at future roundtable discussions.