Document Type
Researching Optimization
Publication Date
Spring 5-18-2026
Abstract
Academic faculty are among the most educated professionals in the world. Yet a striking body of empirical research demonstrates that they face profound, systematic barriers to performing their own work effectively—barriers that are cognitive, institutional, cultural, and structural in origin. This paper extends the analysis of “pedagogical inertia” beyond the classroom to the full scope of faculty professional life: research, writing, service, advising, and self-directed learning. Drawing on evidence from organizational psychology, cognitive neuroscience, higher education research, and behavioral science, we identify six classes of barriers that consistently impede effective faculty work, and we analyze—with reference to documented successful cases—the evidence-based strategies that have proven effective in overcoming them. The paper concludes with an integrated change framework applicable at the individual, departmental, and institutional levels.
Recommended Citation
Ariizumi, Yoshihiko, "Beyond Pedagogical Inertia: Understanding and Overcoming the Barriers to Effective Faculty Work in Higher Education" (2026). Learning, Teaching, & Researching Optimization. 236.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ltroptimization/236