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University Strategies: Implications & Challenges in Bioeconomy Policy Development

This study examines the impact of internet technology and social media on policy development in the bioeconomy, focusing on academia's engagement and challenges. It analyzes the role of universities in the information age, emphasizing the need for proactive communication strategies and social media policies. The study highlights the slow adoption of social media by academia, the importance of transparency, and the shift towards dynamic and proactive approaches in addressing issues. Recommendations include rewarding non-traditional communication in academic settings and leveraging social media for research communication.

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University Strategies: Implications & Challenges in Bioeconomy Policy Development

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  1. University-based policy development and issues management in the bioeconomy Kari Doerksen and Cami Ryan University of Saskatchewan ICABR 2012 Catching up or falling behind?

  2. Outline • Introduction • Background: strategies & implications • Methodology • Analysis & Results • Concluding Thoughts

  3. Information and the ‘just in time’ user • Widespread adoption of internet connected mobile devices • Internet use growing 400% per year since 2000 • Internet is main source of info for learning about issues in climate change/biotech • ‘just in time’ users account for 62% of the entire adult population (Rainie & Fox 2012)

  4. “New reality of activism…” • Organizations use the Internet to: • Share information, build relationships and brand equity, develop campaigns • i.e. Anti-GM groups • Adopting social media to influence public opinion • Info can circulate like wildfire, unchecked and lacking accountability mechanisms • “…claims often gain quick acceptance… can impact government policy…” (Paarlberg and Pray 2008).

  5. Academia in an ‘just in time’ info context • Public sector in Canada employs: • 65% of total PhDs • 57% of science/engineering PhDs Higher education personnel /researchers are well positioned to engage in dialogues in a more strategic manner but may not have the range of media tactics open to them that are sometimes exercised by private organizations and special interest groups.

  6. “…slow to move beyond traditional forms of communication…” • Less than 50% of scientists used social media (VALGEN 2010 survey) • < 50% use Twitter (n = 1958, Family Focus 2009) • Non-adopters • “passing fad”, “distraction”, “creates poor writing skills”, “time constraints”, “privacy and security” • “…beneath my dignity…”

  7. Ingrained culture of academe “Publication is the hard currency of science – it is the primary yardstick for establishing priority, the chief source of recognition from one’s peers, and the standard on which the advancement of science is based.” (Iverson et al 2003). Traditional Approaches in Academia New Age of Information

  8. Methodology • Discourse: institutionalized way of thinking or a social boundary defining what can be said about a specific topic • “...every piece of discourse has a textual form or can acquire it; the same text may include different discourses or the same discourse may adopt different textual forms” (Ruiz Ruiz 2009) • Textual analysis: • NVivo: conduct queries based upon key terms • Incentives: Traditional, Outreach, Non-traditional • Social media language: proactive and reactive

  9. Textual analysis & results • n= 15 / total of 22 source documents • Collective agreements & tenure/promotion policies • Textual analysis based upon the following query terms: • Traditional :publications, patents, presentations, funding/grants, training graduate students • Outreach: professionalmemberships, social media, training/mentoring • Non-traditional :collaboration, relationship-building, interdisciplinary activities, international collaboration

  10. Textual analysis: social media policies • Only 6 CDN Unis had social media policies in place • Textual analysis based upon the following factors: • Proactive terms: transparency, relationship-building, respectful, accuracy, authentic and ethical • Reactive terms: don’t, do not, be aware, breach cautious. Canadian Universities N = 15 Other Institutions N = 15

  11. Observations • “transparency” • Only used in context of ‘identity clarification’ • Social media policy appears to mostly focus on ‘on campus’ use • Tone changes in ‘off-campus’ applications • ‘language’ matters • Social media is inherently social

  12. Observations • Tools, guidelines and support needed! • i.e. Laurentian University’s ‘Decision Tree’

  13. Solutions? Issues Management • The ‘Land-grant’ initiative 2011 • ‘predict trouble spots’ and ‘deal with them if they develop’ (Boone 2011) • Strategic: from static & reactive to dynamic and proactive… • Static • One way • Hierarchical • Slow • Reactive • ??? • Dynamic • Connected • Fast • Proactive • ????

  14. Are you a social media cynic? Paranoia Social Media Currency

  15. Concluding Thoughts • Widening gap between (mis)information circulated and shared in the public online sphere and the lack of academic voice in that online debate. • Issues management policy implications are two-fold • Tenure and promotion - evidence from a variety of sources suggests that non-traditional communication should be rewarded. • Social media – new proactive approach to assist researchers in uncovering the value of new communication tools.

  16. Thank you! Questions/Comments? • Kari Doerksen • @karidoerksen • Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan • Cami Ryan • @DocCamiRyan • Agriculture & Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan

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