Overcoming ‘departmentalism’ to facilitate SDG achievement: evidence from Italian state universities

There are several barriers to the holistic integration of sustainability in universities, among which the ‘departmentalism’, a mono-disciplinary approach in setting up university structures that prevents different scientific fields from collaborating and co-operating to improve education and research, and, thus, SDG achievement. This article examines whether and how promoting interdisciplinarity within organizational structures in university governance impacts the sustainability orientation of the value proposition in terms of education and research. This study uses a mixed-method approach and focuses on Italian state universities. The article contributes to the public management literature and the broader sustainability literature by advancing the understanding of the impact of departmentalism on SDG achievement in the context of higher education.