Nina Laakso: Expectations regarding sustainability play a key role in universities’ reputations
Reputational setbacks and crises are part of everyday life at educational and research institutions, just as they are at other organizations. The spirit of the times also dictates what is expected of universities. Since reputation is maintained through communication—and communication is, above all, about meeting expectations—universities would do well to examine their responsibility from an ESG perspective in light of changes in society.
There have recently been incidents at the University of Helsinki that have led the public to criticize the administration’s statements and actions. As we know, if allegations are not addressed immediately, someone else will fill the void. No university is immune to this, as the culture of public discourse in society has become increasingly heated.
Social media is both a good and a bad platform for public discourse. The heated debate taking place in these open forums puts pressure on an organization’s leadership and communications teams. Universities used to be largely spared from public scrutiny, but that is no longer the case. That is why they should plan their actions in advance and react quickly if something goes wrong. They should invest in reputation management, with a particular focus on ESG considerations.
Even a single bump can affect the entire industry
Having examined trust and reputation surveys of our universities for years, I have noticed that, on average, universities enjoy a very high level of trust in society in the eyes of the general public. This is also confirmed by data from Reputation and Trust Analytics (see figure below). The university sector is highly regarded, and universities are expected to go above and beyond the average in terms of ESG considerations, which encompass not only the environment but also economic, governance, and social responsibility.
Even a single reputation crisis faced by a university can affect the entire higher education sector. Reputation crises and other crises shake people’s beliefs, because reputation is not a static state.
As our research shows, trust and reputation can deteriorate or improve as a result of one’s own actions. A good example of this is the vague administrative process at the University of Lapland that led to the rejection of a dissertation. In my opinion, it was responsible and courageous to uphold the quality of research, even though the dissertation—which turned out to be questionable—had made it that far.
A good reputation requires new good deeds
Sustainability is a trend that’s here to stay—hopefully, at least in Nordic culture. We are, in fact, living in quite a paradoxical time, as the anti-responsibility sentiment sweeping in from the United States floods the news at the same time that citizens are demanding responsibility from absolutely every organization. Fortunately, we have time to prepare, as global trends often take a while to reach Finland.
ESG reputation consists of many areas, such as effective dialogue with stakeholders or, for example, employer image. Each of these areas must be underpinned by a consistent track record of positive actions in order to have an impact anseende .
Universities are essential institutions for democracy. They strengthen citizens’ trust in evidence-based knowledge and high moral standards. The reputation of universities is, in a sense, a microcosm of society. It is therefore by no means a trivial matter anseende country’s anseende as a whole.
The author is Nina Laakso, a Doctor of Business Administration specializing in management and a senior expert at the Nordic firm Reputation and Trust Analytics.
