How The University of Helsinki Turned a Funding Crisis into Lasting Administrative Efficiency

Higher education leaders know that change isn’t just difficult, it’s context-dependent. EAB’s research confirms that the most effective change strategy reflects an institution’s distinct context. With this in mind, EAB has gathered numerous case studies of institutions that succeeded with organizational transformation, each in its own way.

Consider the University of Helsinki. In 2015, federal austerity measures reduced funding to the Finnish university sector by €450M over five years, including a €106M (15%) cut to Helsinki’s budget. Nearly half of that loss landed in a single year.

Rather than making piecemeal cuts, Helsinki’s leaders saw an opportunity to fundamentally rethink administrative services. The result was a rapid but carefully structured move to a shared services organization called University Services. Read on to learn about University Services and what your institution can learn from Helsinki’s success.