The new globalized world system and the rise of the knowledge-based society demand relevant changes in higher education (Del Canto Viterale, 2018; Egron-Polak, 2012). The three missions (education, research, third mission) of universities are under constant pressure to produce results and concomitantly demonstrate innovation. A common imperative for the transformation of higher education emerged in recent decades termed internationalization of higher education (Childress, 2009; Stromquist, 2007). Internationalization stems from the university’s discourse towards integrating international dimensions (de Wit, Deca & Hunter, 2015). Cross-border education activities, particularly academic mobility had become one of the main blood veins of higher education internationalization that supplies it with international perspectives on teaching and learning (Fabricius, Mortensen & Haberland, 2017; Teichler, 2015). Internationalization is among the most impactful drives for change and organizational development in higher education institutions. Our research explores connections between organizational learning, institutions’ strategic focus on internationalization, and the support provided for staff mobility for teaching. Recognizing and understanding the relevance of these factors contribute to an inclusive and responsive development process in these institutions. Data was collected in the framework of the Teach with Erasmus+ project via university networks of European higher education institutions. The survey was answered by 745 academics in Europe, 31% of them haven’t been on a teaching mobility at the time of data collection. Our hypothesis was that institutions and individuals do learn from mobility experiences, thus we expected a connection between organizational learning and organizational support for staff mobility for teaching mediated by the institutions’ strategic focus on internationalization. Research results demonstrate the reliability and the validity of the scales that we have used (organizational learning (OL): ω= 0.969; strategic focus on internationalization (SFI) ω = 0.923; organizational support for staff mobility for teaching (OS): ω = 0.905). The mediation analysis ensures our hypothesis that OL has a significant impact on OS (direct effect ß = 0.288; p < .001) and a significant indirect effect through SFI (indirect effect ß = 0.403; p < .001) which has a significantly larger total effect (ß = 0.691; p < .001). Our results indicate that there is a high potential for institutions to exploit institutional and individual learning gains from teaching mobility experiences if they have the right strategic focus and organizational support, thus non-linear organizational learning contributes to larger gains when looking at academic staff’s mobility for teaching, as a core activity of internationalization in higher education institutions.

Del Canto Viterale, F. (2018). University as a global actor in the international system of the 21st Century. Tuning Journal for Higher Education, 6(1), pp. 169-198. Egron-Polak E. (2012). Internationalization of Higher Education: A Few Global Trends and Regional Perspectives. In C. T. Ennew, D. Greenaway (Eds.): The Globalization of Higher Education. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 57-69. Childress, L. K. (2009). Internationalization Plans for Higher Education Institutions. Journal of Studies in International Education, 13(3), pp. 289-309. Stromquist, N. P. (2007). Internationalization as a response to globalization: Radical shifts in university environments. Higher Education, 53(1), pp. 81-105 de Wit, H., Deca, L., & Hunter, F. (2015). Internationalization of Higher Education - What Can Research Add to the Policy Debate? In: A. Curaj, L. Matei, R. Pricopie, J. Salmi, P. Scott P. (Eds.): The European Higher Education Area. Cham: Springer. Fabricius, A. H., Mortensen, J. & Haberland, H. (2016). The lure of internationalization: paradoxical discourses of transnational student mobility, linguistic diversity and cross-cultural exchange. Higher Education, 73(4), pp. 577-595. Teichler, U. (2015). Academic Mobility and Migration: What We Know and What We Do Not Know. European Review, 23(1), pp. 6-37.