Accompaniment: the key to engaging campus communities in change

University leaders are dealing with the change affecting the sector by focusing on restructuring, budgeting and operations. This is not enough. For a truly agile response to challenges, they need to think about how they engage their campus communities in change efforts. They must practise the art of accompaniment. 

As I write in my book Leading Toward Liberation: How to Build Cultures of Thriving in Higher Education, acompañamiento or accompaniment is a leadership practice rooted in Latin American liberation praxis. It consists of entering into the struggles experienced by one’s community, so that leaders can co-create systemic solutions in which everyone can flourish. Accompaniment requires humility, compassion and empathic action on the part of the leader. 

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One of the most poignant examples of acompañamiento in a university setting was demonstrated by the leaders of the Universidad Centroamericana in El Salvador in the 1980s. The president, provost and other leaders and faculty put their scholarship, teaching and advocacy in service of the most marginalised people in their communities, listening to and believing them, and working towards liberating solutions. 

As an example, Ignacio Martín-Baró, a Jesuit priest, vice-rector and social psychology professor, founded the Institute of Public Opinion to collect and disseminate data regarding the everyday life experiences of citizens, including those experiencing poverty. This act of accompaniment provided new information about the impact of government policies and oppressive military tactics that could not easily be dismissed. This institute continues its work to this day, providing valuable data and analysis to support just policymaking. 

How to lead a university with accompaniment

In today’s higher education landscape, accompanying leaders are willing to listen to their constituents, especially those who are most excluded or marginalised within our institutions and in society. They signal a willingness to integrate creative solutions from people throughout the institution, to advance inclusive campus change.

Unfortunately, examples abound when leaders isolate themselves from their constituents, dismiss solutions from those with less power or authority, and make unilateral decisions, sometimes with performative consultation processes. 

In one case I experienced, a leader created a strategic planning process and invited proposals for initiatives. As initiatives were evaluated and combined, it became clear that the leader had predetermined ideas of what should be included and which should be funded. The leader even combined two proposals by minoritised proposal writers without their knowledge. Those who earnestly participated in the process felt like the town halls and working meetings were a sham. The resulting plan did not have shared ownership and led to fractured relationships with faculty. 

Top-down leadership behaviours like these contribute to employee disengagement, attrition and, in some cases, votes of no confidence in leadership, which often signal ruptures in employee-administration bargaining relationships. In turn, relationship ruptures may derail the change needed for institutional viability and sustainability, and can even lead to crises of their own.

Accompaniment, in contrast, fosters increased engagement and creative problem-solving, shared governance and mutual trust. So how can leaders practise it in today’s landscape? Here are some suggestions:

Understand the power you hold because of your positional authority and privilege granted by societal norms. Reflect upon how your authority may isolate you from others.

Accompany others early and often. Find ways to engage with your constituents, especially those with whom you have the least contact, to learn first-hand what change they believe is needed and how change might affect them. Consider listening tours, leadership office hours or other methods of connecting. 

Slow down. The sense of urgency right now is real. But this pressure can get in the way of maintaining the strong working relationships needed to sustain creative problem-solving. Provide ample opportunities to engage in planning discussions through town halls that invite input, focus group discussions and one-to-one meetings. Then act upon what you learn. 

Show willing to being transformed by what you learn from your constituents, especially those who have been the most excluded from decision-making. By being open to changing your mind when new evidence or a new solution is presented, you will cultivate goodwill. 

Chunk the change. Consider whether change efforts can be phased, staged or prioritised to avoid feelings of overwhelm that can get in the way of healthy relationship dynamics. 

Respect the labour of staff and students from underrepresented and marginalised communities, who already bear the burden of historical and contemporary ostracisation. Think of creative ways to remove obstacles to their participation, including relieving them of service obligations that they disproportionately hold.

Communicate transparently and honestly about the rationale for change and why it is needed now. If change must happen, state it truthfully and find ways to involve others in crafting the strategy to carry it out.

Accompaniment takes time, energy and good faith. It will not miraculously erase disagreement and conflict but it will ease the negotiation process. With accompaniment, leaders learn from their people, so the entire community can co-create a sustainable path forward. Accompaniment opens up the possibilities for more creative solutions than if leaders go it alone. 

Annmarie Caño is a professor of psychology at Gonzaga University and author of Leading Toward Liberation: How to Build Cultures of Thriving in Higher Education (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2025).