ABSTRACT
Brokering in the field of education is a form of change agency spanning the political, business, information and educational dimensions of the brokerage function. This chapter examines some of the dimensions of this professional art, drawing on the change and innovation literature and the range of contexts and examples provided in the organizational case studies. The case studies indicate that brokerage for enquiry and the development and use of knowledge for improving the practice of teaching essentially operate in the world of soft systems thinking. Brokering within and across United Kingdom higher education is a form of creative social engagement operating in an infinitely complex and unpredictable world. It can be argued that brokerage in a higher education system is about engaging people more actively and systematically in professional dialogue about teaching, student learning, curriculum, assessment, self-regulation or any other topic.
