Exploring the nature of responsibility in higher education

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to understanding of responsibility – specifically exploring responsibility in higher education. Design/methodology/approach – The paper details a research project undertaken in a higher education institute (HEI) in the UK. The research adopted a case study approach and gathered data through 15 semi‐structured interviews. Findings – The paper discusses four key findings. Major differences in how responsibility is understood and communicated by students, staff and leaders are highlighted, together with the challenges this creates. A model is proposed that may assist with a greater understanding of responsibility. Research limitations/implications – The research is a small‐scale study involving 15 interviews in one HEI in the UK, therefore generalisations must be treated with caution. The research offers valuable insights into this under‐researched area, together with recommendations for further research. Practical implications – The paper highlights key factors that HEIs may wish to consider in terms of how responsibility is understood, adopted and communicated. Social implications – There is typically a low level of appreciation of what responsibility means. This paper raises this awareness and identifies what responsibility looks like within higher education. It emphasises the importance of engraining a responsibility culture in the organisation that not only takes account of staffs' and students' immediate responsibilities, but also their responsibility towards broader global issues. Originality/value – There is a paucity of exploration concerning responsibility within higher education and this paper highlights some specific areas of focus which have been drawn from research in this field.