Bright Satanic Mills: Universities, Regional Development and the Knowledge Economy

Citation

McKnight, S.J. (2007), "Bright Satanic Mills: Universities, Regional Development and the Knowledge Economy", Information Technology & People, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 306-307. https://doi.org/10.1108/09593840710822886

Economic development strategies, especially those targeting former industrial and/or rural regions have been challenged to identify and leverage unique, competitive value propositions within a global knowledge economy. Such strategies are intended to effectively distinguish discrete regions while attracting investment and generating new wealth. Universities are increasingly considered “transformational agents” within the context of these knowledge‐centric, sustainable economic strategies. As a result, economic development agencies and their strategic plans are attempting to systematically leverage university partnerships within their regional spheres of influence to accelerate positive economic outcomes.

In Bright Satanic Mills: Universities, Regional Development and the Knowledge Economy, the editors offer a critical examination into the overall substance and the component parts of this trend through a compilation of twelve individually contributed chapters. The editors and the contributing authors examine the notion that while universities or higher education (HE) per se have increasing demands to provide substantive value within a modern knowledge economy (p. 10), to include potential technology discoveries, talent development, knowledge transfer and applied industrial research activities for the regions in which they operate, several factors tend to contribute to the outcome remaining more of a rhetorical reality rather than a reliable and quantifiable derivative.

Together, the chapters examine various aspects of the social, technological and organizational barriers or implications that can impact a successful leveraged relationship between universities and the regional economic development interests within their immediate locales. Upon identifying and examining these conditions, the editors submit that a purposeful discussion can take place which at a minimum can manage the expectations of the university and economic development partners if not further enhance the long‐term effectiveness and practical economic development relevance for the university (p. 22).

Early on, the editors frame the discussion around four broad notions for critical examination:

1. 1.

   treating organizational change as a process not as an end in itself;

2. 2.

   sensitivity to context and function; not treating organization as sui generis;

3. 3.

   acknowledgment of the specificities of universities as organizations; and

4. 4.

   linking internal reform to the external environment (p. 19).

Within this contextual discussion, a fundamental challenge explored includes the prospect of reconciliation among the universities' inherit cultural intransigence, their place within an international global view, and the growing demand placed on HE to incorporate regional economic development as core objective.

Each chapter contributes to this topic by examining the various philosophical and organizational dynamics (p. 99) occurring within the university, externally within the regional economic development context, at the individual faculty level and within the university leadership. There is general recognition expressed by the editors and chapter authors that in order for universities to successful redirect toward or add objectives to include regional economic development, the university motives, faculty incentives (p. 110), their relevance within the economic development landscape and sensitivity to each regional context and scale (p. 36) must be fully understood and accommodated within the regional development strategy.

Three case studies are also presented. They are:

1. 1.

   the Austrian Tyrol;

2. 2.

   the Brisbane (Australia); and

3. 3.

   the Ruhrgebeit in Germany.

Each compares and contrasts elements unique to each case study to include varying economic strength, future economic prospects, urban areas in degrees of decline and overall levels of university economic engagement.

Economic developers throughout the world recognize that innovative businesses appear to demonstrate a capacity to utilize and leverage research universities for product development, talent‐force attraction, operational evaluations, and technology discoveries. These industry relationships are developed through a variety of portholes including faculty associations, alumni networks, technology transfer offices, internships, industry and economic development referrals.

Effectively facilitating these relationships through a reliable communication continuum provides unique value propositions within the offering region. Harding, Scott, Laske and Burtscher have assembled a critical resource and insightful discussion into the organizational and human complexity impacting the successful formation and maintenance of relevant and effective university/economic development partnerships. As knowledge‐driven economic elements continue to be incorporated into all competitive industrial sectors throughout the world, the demand for HE and research universities to play a forward role in economic development activities within their respective regions will continue to grow in import. Likewise, the relevance of this book will grow providing a critical contribution to the discussion.