Adopting a Dynamic Performance Governance Approach to Frame Interorganizational Value Generation Processes into a University Third Mission Setting

Abstract

In recent years, the literature on Higher Education policy and management emphasized an increasingly entrepreneurial role played by Universities in contributing to the socio-economic development of their regional and local areas. Besides Education and Research, this crucial role identifies a Third Mission to be fulfilled by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), which entails social engagement, networking and collaboration with other stakeholders to generate sustainable community outcomes. This chapter introduces the use of the Dynamic Performance Governance approach to analyze the academic network value generation processes underlying Third Mission activities in Universities. The emerging findings – supported by the exploration of an illustrative example focused on University-Industry-Government partnerships – suggest that this approach is particularly valuable in supporting academic networks to frame and evaluate the outcomes, and associated performance drivers, related to Third Mission activities.