The Power of the Third Space

When I look at what’s been written about the Third Space, I always get a sense that those of us who work in this area are always trying to justify our existence in a way that makes me feel rather sad.  I don’t dispute that this is necessary in terms of raising the profile of third space roles and people, but I wonder whether it also serves as a self-reinforcing message – that we are the “other” – and thereby neglect the power of being in these roles.

I am actually writing this having achieved a return to the “dominant” this academic year.  For the first time since 2002, in a 26 year career in UK universities, I have finally moved back onto a “traditional” teaching and research academic contract.  The past 20 years have been a whirlwind tour across different roles and specialisms in academia, including researcher development, academic staff development, educational development and lastly, an academic education-focused contract in my original disciplinary area of a business school.  During my career diversions from what is still understood to be the traditional academic career path, I have learnt a huge amount about the working of universities and the landscape within which they sit.  I am fortunate that this knowledge now forms the basis of a lot of my research, and it has certainly enriched me in a way that I am not sure I would have gained had I simply followed the more standard route.  It is with this in mind that I now write this blog – that “Third Space” roles and those integrated practitioners working in them have power in a way that disciplinary-based academics do not.  I therefore urge everyone in these roles to take some time to understand the benefits and for those not in a Third Space role, I would encourage you to think about what these roles offer in terms of career enhancement and enrichment.

I explore some of the powers in my chapter in Diane and Emily’s book – in particular, acting as a bridge and translator – but I don’t think that I draw out the enormous benefits of these roles in as much depth as they deserve.  For example, when you are in the position of mediating between two parties, then you occupy the position of being “the onlooker who sees most of the game”.  If you listen carefully to what is being said, and what is not, then you have the ability to see more of the whole picture than anyone else in the conversation.  This enables you to offer creative solutions to problems in a way that can really be of service to the whole institution, and potentially wider, rather than just serving one niche area or set of priorities.

Some years ago I started my research interests in academic leadership and in the first set of interviews I did in this area, one academic leader noted that it was really important, in their experience, to develop a mental map of the higher education sector in the UK.  Many integrated practitioners are uniquely placed to do this – often because they may be the only person doing their role at their university and so they develop inter-institutional networks, often regional or national in focus, which provide wider perspectives on pertinent issues.  These opportunities enable integrated practitioners to share good practices across institutions, but also to understand how different universities work and serve different audiences.  This is crucial not only for what they can bring back to their own community, but is also highly marketable in terms of career mobility and the ability to move between universities in order to progress their career.

I believe that we were given two ears, two eyes and one mouth for good reason, trite as it may seem.  We can all improve life for everyone if we listen and look more and talk less and those in the Third Space are often privy to all kinds of conversations and able to observe actions and behaviours that are not open to those in mainstream academic roles who are busy doing teaching and research.  So the next time that you feel in a position where you have to defend being an integrated practitioner perhaps you could consider reframing it as a privilege to see and hear all the things you do.  It is a powerful position to be in, after all.