Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a conversation with Carrie Phillips on the Illumination Podcast. To hear the full discussion, listen to the episode here.
Change in higher education rarely waits for the perfect moment.
Student needs evolve. Workforce demands shift. Budgets tighten. New technologies emerge. And amid it all, institutions still have to deliver on the work happening today.
The institutions best positioned to navigate this environment aren’t necessarily the ones making sweeping transformations every year. They’re the ones building the capacity to adapt before change demands it.
That starts with a simple idea: two degrees of change.
Rather than treating change as a major event, institutions can make continuous, intentional improvements to the programs, processes and experiences they already manage. Each project becomes an opportunity to ask what worked, what didn’t and what could be slightly better next time.
Two degrees may not feel transformational in the moment. But repeated consistently, those small shifts can change the trajectory of an institution.
Prepare Before the Opportunity Arrives
Institutional readiness means doing the strategic work even when circumstances prevent immediate action.
A new organizational structure might make sense, for example, but budget constraints could make it impossible today. That doesn’t mean the idea has to disappear. Leaders can continue developing plans, building internal talent, defining roles and preparing the groundwork.
Then, when circumstances change, the institution is positioned to move.
That distinction matters because windows of opportunity can be short. Institutions that begin planning only after an opportunity appears may find themselves moving too slowly to capitalize on it.
Preparation creates agility.
The challenge is balancing that preparation with the realities of today. Leaders cannot abandon important day-to-day responsibilities while waiting for a strategic opportunity. Instead, institutional readiness requires both—delivering what matters now while continuing to prepare for what could matter next.
Make Change Part of the Culture
Readiness is not only about having a plan. It is also about creating a culture where change feels possible.
When every change is positioned as a massive transformation, people can understandably become hesitant. Continuous improvement offers another path.
After a project, teams can assess what they should stop, start and continue doing. The next time around, they can make a few deliberate improvements. Over several cycles, a process, campaign or program can look dramatically different without requiring a disruptive overhaul.
That mindset also creates room to experiment.
Teams need to know they can test an idea without being punished when every element doesn’t work as expected. When experimentation is supported, institutions can learn faster, use data to identify opportunities and adjust based on what they discover.
Curiosity and Trust Create Momentum
Change also begins with a deceptively simple question: Why?
Why does this process work this way? Why was this decision made? Why are students experiencing this friction?
Sometimes there is a good reason. Other times, the answer is simply that it has always been done that way.
Curiosity helps institutions distinguish between the two.
But asking why works best when it comes from a place of good intent. Transformation depends on relationships across campus, and colleagues need to know that questions are intended to improve the work rather than criticize the people doing it.
That trust becomes especially important when change crosses departments. Strong relationships with colleagues in admissions, advancement, marketing, academic affairs and other areas make it easier to test new approaches and move toward shared goals.
Lead Where You Are
Institutional transformation does not always have to begin at the top.
Leaders at every level have a sphere of influence. A marketing leader can improve a campaign. A department can rethink a process. A team can start a conversation with a campus partner.
The first step does not need to transform the entire institution.
It just needs to move the work forward.
In an environment where change is constant, readiness becomes an institutional advantage. By making small improvements, strengthening relationships and continuing strategic work even when immediate action isn’t possible, institutions can build the confidence and agility to respond when opportunity arrives.
Sometimes meaningful transformation starts with just two degrees.