As it has been continually emphasised in this book, transformation in higher education is a complex interplay of internal and external factors. This chapter presents an approach that delves into these intricacies, offering a structured framework for analysing efforts to bring about substantial change within higher education. In essence, this chapter (as does the rest of the book) suggests that higher education institutions change due to a multitude of internal and external influences. To shed light on this, this book proposes a three-tiered analytical approach. The first layer involves an examination of how societal and political dynamics, both on a national and global scale, impact the overarching institutional landscape of higher education. This perspective allows one to view the changes within higher education from an evolutionary perspective. The second layer introduces the notion that we must also consider the policy frameworks that govern the structure and functioning of higher education systems. This macro-level analysis looks at how the design of these policies affects the institutions within the system in what is presented as the design perspective of Higher Education institutional change. Lastly, the third layer takes us closer to the ground level, focusing on higher education entities’ localised, institution-specific self-organisation processes. Here, an equilibrium perspective is adopted, recognising that each institution’s unique dynamics influence change. These three layers form the theoretical foundation for understanding how change unfolds within the higher education sector, as explored further in this chapter.