The Origins of PULSE as an Organizational Change Network

Most non-profit organizations emerge through the collective action of individuals who seek to work together for a common purpose or fill a perceived need. Considerable research has explored the commonalities of structure, membership, leadership, organizational behavior, and life histories of such organizations. In this article, we provide a brief look at the origin of the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE), highlighting its characteristic features in the framework of organizational theory and life histories of organizations. PULSE is distinctive among STEM higher-education organizations because (1) it was formed by education program officers who did not become members of the organization; (2) its members are academic leaders in a broad range of institutional types with diverse student audiences; (3) its organizational and communication structure was built around the principles of sociocracy; and (4) it has a rich, inclusive culture. For this project we conducted interviews with program officers at the National Science Foundation (NSF), Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH); workshop facilitators from Knowinnovation (KI); organizational change network (OCN) researchers; and founding PULSE Fellows to gain their perspectives on how PULSE was formed and developed. The formal stages of PULSE’s development are described, based on Austin and colleagues’ study (2025) of STEM Education OCNs, using their model to highlight PULSE’s successes, unique features, and challenges. These insights may be helpful to policymakers, higher-education leaders, and change agents as they consider new ideas and approaches in building, growing, and institutionalizing networks.