Higher education facilities and institutions are primarily focused on teaching, and as such, they offer valuable lessons from higher education that commercial entities can adopt. In fact, some higher education environments are for-profit, meaning they’re not meaningfully different from general businesses; they only do so in a highly measured framework with specific regulations and course options provided.
As such, many a new business can learn vibrant and vital lessons from higher education organizations, and how they run year on year. While the product and service offerings may not be a one to one match, the general principles, priorities and warnings can be of great benefit to any business looking to sustain itself, and even hoping to become a thought leader in their space.
Please Consider the Following Advice:
1. The Ease Of Onboarding
When you think of universities or colleges, you probably think of the big influx of new students each term period. Such institutions have to make sure those first few days feel smooth and welcoming to many people, perhaps from around the world, even.
That’s why many schools put a strong focus on onboarding. The basics are there, like a welcome pack, a detailed schedule, help booths around the campus, and staff on hand to guide people. In a business context, these same ideas work just as well, because clear orientation for new staff or clients, solid documentation, and friendly guides help people settle in quickly. It shows you care, and that you’ve thought this through.
One method that has proven useful in educational spaces is using digital signage in schools. This way you can update new staff, but also direct them, keep tours more focused, and even help during emergencies when people aren’t 100% sure of the protocols yet.
2. Culture Explanations & Welcoming
Higher education facilities are often defined by their culture. That’s why one campus can feel so much different compared to another, even if they teach the same subjects. That’s because every place has its own tone, its own values, and its own way of doing things. Usually, these cultural nuances, which are key lessons from higher education, become apparent early on.
This can help in business contexts, too. So, if you want your people to show initiative, collaborate, or take ownership of their projects, you need to show them what that looks like from day one. You can’t just hope it clicks later. It has to be built into your onboarding, your communications, and how your leadership behaves. Formal introductions, resource sheets (such as the staff trees), accountability measures, and resources available for staff to feel comfortable can be helpful here. Keeping your values clear and simple can be appropriate too, even if that’s just through a heartfelt visual design on a wall overlooking the office.
4. Planning Seasonal Shifts
Lessons from higher education highlight the strategic allocation of resources and time. Educational institutions don’t treat every week of the year the same, for obvious reasons, because there are events, exam periods when students are likely to be stressed, and study periods when buildings will be full to the brim. They also know when it’s quieter and they can do maintenance, training, or development work without disruption.
This is smart planning, and it works just as well in a commercial setting. If your business sees regular waves of demand, for instance, if you have a mainline buying season or a quiet summer stretch based on what you sell, then planning around that can make your operations much more efficient.
During high traffic periods, you should be focused on delivery. And conversely, you work on building back up, improving systems, and supporting your team when you have that lull period. You may not have a full summer break like some schools, and you might not have to revolve around a brand new market each year, but this is a worthwhile attitude to take.
5. Support Every Individual While Managing At Scale
Universities and colleges have to serve thousands of people at once, all while keeping individual needs in mind. Yes, it’s as tough as you expect, but good systems and scaling efforts can help make that plan a little easier.
Having appropriate management tools in place to help your HR manage each staff member’s needs, document concerns, and be mindful about where training resources should be allocated, no one has to feel left out.
Furthermore, lessons from higher education emphasize the value of fostering a supportive and inclusive environment. Implementing an open-door policy, investing in mental health and personal support services, and integrating a mentor system for training and onboarding can help your managers be more direct and focused. In other words, your view won’t only be systemic, but responsible for each member of the team. That can even help you understand when a department may need more than one manager, or when support needs to be given to particular staff members.
