Developing customer relationship management as an organizational capability in higher education institutions

The dissertation examines customer relationship management (CRM) as a shared organizational capability of higher education instituties, such as universities. The key finding of this dissertation is that effective CRM depends on how well a university identifies its important stakeholders, shares information related to them, and develops collaboration through common practices. Technology supports this work, but the ability of the whole organization to work together is most important.

Universities collaborate with many different stakeholders, including companies, research partners, funding organizations, public-sector organizations, alumni, and students. However, information about these relationships may be scattered across different parts of the organization, making it difficult to form an overall picture of the collaboration. This can lead to duplicated work, gaps in information sharing, and missed opportunities for cooperation.

The study shows that successful CRM requires management commitment, staff involvement, clear operating practices, effective information management, and technology that is fit for purpose. CRM is therefore not primarily about implementing a new system, but about changing how collaborative relationships are identified, documented, coordinated, and developed.

The study also examines the management of strategically important partnerships and the productization of internal university support services, meaning the process of making services clearly defined and easy to understand and use. The findings show that shared processes, clearly agreed responsibilities, and well-defined services can increase transparency in collaboration and support the development of long-term partnerships.

The dissertation is based on four publications that draw on methods including interviews, workshops, surveys, literature reviews, and comparisons of practices across universities. The findings suggest that universities can strengthen their collaboration and competitiveness by developing CRM as a shared organizational way of working.