Removing the barriers that increase professional risk would lead to practical and cultural change.
A professor is professionally better off if they ‘stay in their lane’ rather than sharing their expertise in a new area. A hard truth is being exposed: the current research system lacks the agility required for professors to effectively participate in the preparation and response to urgent global events in the VUCA world. Innovative employment and funding principles could lead to a cultural shift.
The professoriate responded to the pandemic, protests, and bushfires of 2020 with remarkable speed and efficiency. The mobilisation of resources and the sharing of knowledge is even more impressive given that the existing research funding and employment ecosystem encourages professors to ‘stick to what they know’. Professors tend to be professionally better off if they ‘stay in their lane’ rather than sharing their expertise in a new area, even in times of emergency. During these unprecedented months, employers and funders have rapidly made a multitude of exceptions and changes to enable professors to delay existing research and contribute their expertise and resources to urgent issues. A hard truth is being exposed: the current system lacks the agility required for professors to effectively participate in the preparation and response to urgent global events in the VUCA world.