CHANGE MANAGEMENT DURING QUALITY ASSURANCE REFORM IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20715816Keywords:
change management, quality assurance reform, higher education, Kotter model, Lewin model, ADKAR, faculty resistance, accreditation.Abstract
Higher education institutions are increasingly implementing quality assurance (QA) reforms in
response to evolving accreditation requirements and growing demands for educational accountability. This
study examines the role of change management in the successful implementation of QA reforms by applying
Lewin’s Three-Stage Model, Kotter’s Eight-Step Model, and the ADKAR framework. Based on a review of
empirical studies conducted between 2018 and 2025, the findings indicate that faculty resistance is a major
barrier, while management support is the strongest predictor of reform success. The study concludes that QA
reform is primarily a human-centered change process requiring structured and culturally sensitive management
approaches.
References
Fialho, A., et al. (2025). Determinants of the effectiveness of quality assurance systems and
institutional performance in higher education. Cogent Education, 12(1), Article 2581411.
Hiatt, J. M. (2006). ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government, and Our Community.
Fort Collins, CO: Prosci Learning Center Publications.
Jones, B., & Reilly, R. (2017). Building urgency for curriculum relevance: Applying Kotter’s model
to student-centred learning reform. Journal of Educational Change, 18(3), 201–218.
Kang, J., Chen, L., & Worden, M. K. (2020). Guiding change in higher education: An emergent,
iterative application of Kotter’s change model. Studies in Higher Education, 45(6), 1122–1137.
Kirkpatrick, J. D., & Kirkpatrick, W. K. (2006). Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels (3rd
ed.). San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Kohoutek, J., Antonowicz, D., & Kováts, G. (2026). Higher education quality assurance in Central
Europe: Beyond accreditation towards divergence. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 51(1), 1–13.
Kohoutek, J., et al. (2026). Quality assurance in Saudi higher education: Transferability and policy
implications for the Global South. Journal of International Students, 16(2).
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Kotter, J. P. (2011). Leading Change (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics: Concept, method and reality in social science.
Human Relations, 1(1), 5–41.
Permana, A., et al. (2024). Change management in independent campus program: Application
of the ADKAR model as a change management competency constructor. Cogent Education, 11(1), Article
PMC. (2022). Barriers or costs? Understanding faculty resistance to instructional changes
associated with curricular reform. PubMed Central, PMC9297245.
Prosci. (2023). Best Practices in Change Management. Fort Collins, CO: Prosci Research.
QAA. (2024). When quality assurance meets innovation in higher education. Quality Assurance
Agency for Higher Education.
Reinholz, D. L., et al. (2021). Department heads as change agents: Translating reform visions into
practice. International Journal of STEM Education, 8(1), Article 47.
Ribeiro, M., et al. (2025). Quality assurance in higher education: Best practices, challenges, and
future directions. ResearchGate / Systematic Literature Review (SLR of 46 studies, 2015–2025).
Weick, K. E. (1976). Educational organizations as loosely coupled systems. Administrative Science
Quarterly, 21(1), 1–19.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 ECONOSCITECH INTEGRATION

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.