BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR
INTERNATIONAL & COMPARATIVE EDUCATION
When the Vatican Calls for Change: Studying Organisational Ambidexterity in Ecclesiastical Higher Education
Marine Condette
International Centre for Higher Education Management, University of Bath
Imagine being asked to revolutionise a global higher education system of close to 800 institutions steeped in centuries of tradition. This is precisely what Pope Francis set out to do in 2018 with Veritatis Gaudium, an Apostolic Constitution that has been called ‘one of the largest educational reform attempts worldwide.’ My doctoral research examined how these ecclesiastical institutions are responding to this call for transformation, and what their responses can teach us about managing change in traditional educational settings.
A bold vision for modernisation
Ecclesiastical higher education institutions (EHEIs) are quite different from the Catholic universities many of us know. These are institutions offering degrees validated by the Holy See itself, traditionally focused on preparing students for roles within the Church apparatus, though they’re open to anyone interested in theology, philosophy, or canon law. They exist in various forms: as faculties within Catholic universities, as stand-alone institutions, or even as departments within public universities. In France alone, there are 16 faculties spread across eight institutions.
The 2018 reform represented a dramatic paradigm shift. These predominantly teaching-focused institutions were suddenly expected to strengthen their research capabilities, collaborate across disciplines and even with other religions, and become more outward-looking contributors to broader societal challenges. For institutions built on tradition and theological mission, this was no small ask. It formed part of Pope Francis’s wider modernisation agenda, one that has also encompassed environmental protection and greater inclusion of marginalised groups.
Where quality assurance meets organisational change
What caught my attention, working myself at the time for a quality assurance organisation in higher education, was the central role given to quality evaluations in implementing this reform. AVEPRO, the Holy See’s Quality Assurance Agency, was charged with promoting and evaluating quality at all EHEIs. Analysing AVEPRO’s policy revealed a fascinating dual mandate: consolidating current educational and missionary activities while simultaneously encouraging radical innovation and change.
This tension between ‘stability and change’ or ‘efficiency and innovation’ is what organisational theorists call ambidexterity: an organization’s ability to both exploit existing capabilities and explore new possibilities. It struck me as the perfect theoretical lens for understanding how these traditional institutions might navigate such sweeping reforms.
Measuring ambidexterity in a sacred context
My research employs a qualitative multi-method design to answer three key questions: To what extent have EHEIs developed as ambidextrous organisations? Do institutions show different patterns of incremental versus radical change? And what managerial actions support this ambidexterity?
The first stage involves a survey sent to all French EHEIs (leaders, quality managers, staff, and faculty members) and used as a sampling tool for the case-study stage. The survey results and the accompanying documentary analysis allowed me to categorise institutions along a taxonomy: from non-innovative organisations through those emphasising either exploitation or exploration, to genuinely ambidextrous institutions operating at varying maturity levels.
The second stage uses in-depth interviews at selected institutions to examine the managerial practices that enable鈥攐r inhibit鈥攁mbidexterity. Drawing on organizational literature, I focus on four categories of managerial actions: communication, role-modeling, task fulfillment, and relation-focused activities. Documentary analysis of evaluation reports and strategic plans complements these methods.
Why this research matters
Beyond filling a significant gap in our understanding of ecclesiastical higher education, this research contributes to broader scholarly conversations about policy implementation and organisational change. While neo-institutionalism might predict isomorphic responses, i.e. institutions mimicking each other to gain legitimacy, my preliminary analysis of audit reports suggested considerable variation in how French EHEIs are implementing the reform. This variation is theoretically intriguing. It suggests that organisational culture, leadership actions, and contextual factors matter enormously, even when institutions face identical external pressures and evaluation criteria.
Lessons for policy and practice
There’s a certain irony in studying change within institutions devoted to eternal truths. Yet this very tension makes the research particularly valuable. How do organisations balance their core mission and identity with pressures to innovate? What leadership approaches help institutions navigate the choppy waters between preservation and transformation?
For comparative and international higher education scholars, this under-researched sector offers rich terrain for understanding policy implementation, organisational dynamics, and the globalisation of quality assurance. For quality assurance practitioners working across diverse institutional landscapes, these insights are particularly relevant. My own experience at AACSB International, working with business schools globally, showed me the challenges of applying universal standards while respecting institutional diversity. The ecclesiastical context amplifies these challenges, adding theological mission and centuries of tradition to an already complex mix. And for practitioners facing their own institutional reforms, these ecclesiastical institutions’ experiences may offer unexpected lessons, proving that even organizations devoted to the eternal must find ways to adapt to changing times.
Finding fascination in the unexpected
When I first encountered this reform, I was immediately hooked. The parallels with my professional work were striking, but so were the distinctive features of this unique higher education system. What began as curiosity during the taught phase of my DBA evolved into two publications and ultimately a doctoral thesis. The funding support of 糖心传媒 was a big part of these achievements by facilitating the fieldwork, including at the Vatican itself, which proved immensely important to grasp the context in which these institutions evolved.
If you haven’t yet watched The Young Pope, I highly recommend it. Not just for Jude Law’s compelling portrayal of a reformist pontiff, but for its exploration of how change happens (or doesn’t) within deeply traditional institutions. It’s a reminder that even the most established organisations must grapple with evolution, adaptation, and the ever-present tension between continuity and change.
