Developing a framework for analysing the sustainability of innovation in higher education

This conceptual paper presents a framework for analysing innovation sustainability. Located in the literatures of educational leadership, change and complexity, it contends that such an analysis needs to consider how innovations develop in relation to the contextual layers in which they operate, and how this relationship impacts reciprocally on users and the lifespan of innovations. Drawing on the ecological concept of sustainable development, sustainable innovations are evolutionary in nature, adapting over time in response to emergent changes, challenges and needs in a manner that builds capacity and supports the diversity of its users. Examples from an innovative postgraduate programme in educational leadership and change are used to illustrate factors that facilitate and inhibit sustainability.