Evolution of collaborative distance work at ITESM: structure and process

Evolution of collaborative distance work at the Monterrey Institute of Technology, ITESM, is discussed and analyzed. ITESM’s location, geographic distribution, organizational structure, development strategies and recent expansion throughout the Americas are described. The evolution of the institution’s networking capability from a national and intra‐institutional network of 26 campuses to a complex array of over a thousand inter‐institutional entities of various kinds across the continent is reconstructed. This evolution is reviewed in light of ITESM’s pursuit of an aggressive transformation strategy that includes a shift towards distributed and participative teaching as well as a strong outward‐looking, international approach. The paper discusses some relationships between the deployment of an IT platform and change management of core university processes. Some lessons are drawn from ITESM’s experience, concluding with the unavoidable challenge the higher education establishment faces worldwide to redefine itself as an instrument designed for the knowledge society.