Constructing sustainable international partnerships in Higher Education: Linking the strategic and contingent through interpersonal relationships in the UK and China

Ma, Jie; Montgomery, Catherine

Abstract

This article explores how sustainable international partnerships in higher education might be constructed by linking the strategic and contingent through interpersonal relationships. It aims to foreground the role of individuals in developing and sustaining international partnerships amid an increasingly strategic landscape of higher education internationalization. To present how individuals themselves make sense of their efforts in building sustainable international partnerships in higher education across different contexts, 31 semi-structured interviews were conducted with different administrative and disciplinary staff in two universities in the United Kingdom and China. Findings suggest that interpersonal relationships provide a strong basis for sustainable partnerships and it is through contingent networking between individual academics that interpersonal relationships are developed. However, it is through strategic planning by senior academics that interpersonal relationships are embedded in the institution. Hence, an approach to linking the strategic and contingent through interpersonal relationships is thus proposed to build sustainable international partnerships.

Citation

Ma, J., & Montgomery, C. (2021). Constructing sustainable international partnerships in Higher Education: Linking the strategic and contingent through interpersonal relationships in the UK and China. Journal of Studies in International Education, 25(1), 19-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315319865784

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 13, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Jul 27, 2019
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Sep 10, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 10, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Studies in International Education
• Print ISSN: 1028-3153
• Electronic ISSN: 1552-7808
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 19-34
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315319865784
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1293067
• Related Public URLs: https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/persons/catherine-montgomery/publications/