Sub-theme 54: Sustainability Transitions: Bridging Systems and Organizational Perspectives to Tackle Grand Challenges
Call for Papers
We live in a world facing a variety of grand challenges connected to environmental and societal sustainability, including
food, water and energy security, climate change, natural disasters, poverty and inequality. How societies and organizations
deal with such challenges, and commit to developing more sustainable futures, while discontinuing unsustainable businesses
and practices is a key concern and research topic (Ferraro et al., 2015; Geels et al., 2017; George et al., 2016; Markard
et al., 2012).
This sub-theme will bring together scholars who study grand sustainability challenges and
transformation from different perspectives, including systems and organizations. We are particularly interested in contributions
that explore new approaches, perspectives, and methods.
In organization studies, sustainability issues have
received increasing attention in recent years (Bansal & Song, 2017; Linnenluecke & Griffiths, 2013; Whiteman et al.,
2013). Organization scholars have addressed sustainability topics from different theoretical perspectives, including institutional
theory (Lefsrud & Meyer, 2012; Slager et al., 2012), institutional entrepreneurship (Garud & Karnoe, 2003; Wijen &
Ansari, 2007), social movements (Doblinger & Soppe, 2013; Sine & Lee, 2009), category studies (Georgallis et al.,
2019), and political strategy and tactics (Hiatt et al., 2015; Levy & Egan, 2003).
In fact, we see much
interest in organizational responses and business implications related to grand challenges, seeking to improve firm-level
strategies and organizational processes. However, given the magnitude and persistence of today’s sustainability challenges,
there are also concerns that the focus on firm performance is too narrow and established theories and methods do not suffice
(Delbridge and Fiss, 2013; Gladwin et al., 1995; Hahn et al., 2010).
One such field for new inspiration is
emerging under the label of ‘sustainability transitions’ (Markard et al., 2012). Sustainability transitions are long-term,
fundamental transformations of established socio-technical systems including energy, transport, water and food that are associated
with, and triggered by, grand sustainability challenges. Like researchers in organizational studies, transition scholars are
concerned with the role of organizations in developing more sustainable modes of production and consumption (Berggren et al.,
2015; Farla et al., 2012). Transition research, however, has a strong focus on higher-level transformation, such as the disruption
of existing socio-technical systems and industries. Taking a systems perspective, researchers study the interplay of a broad
variety of actors, institutions, policies, and technologies in the development of more sustainable pathways.
We see significant potential to intensify research at the intersection between transition studies and organization studies.
In fact, the systems-oriented sustainability transitions literature and the organization literature addressing sustainability
have largely evolved independently of each other, calling for much needed research bridging the two. We believe that organizational
studies can greatly benefit from the insights of transitions research, and vice versa.
In line with
the overall EGOS Colloquium 2020 theme, we use this sub-theme to bring together innovative research on sustainability challenges
and larger societal transformation that goes beyond the ‘usual’ approaches and frameworks. We invite research that explores
the overlap between systems and organizational perspectives. We welcome researchers who share an interest in building bridges
between different strands of research, different levels of analysis, or different theoretical perspectives (e.g. discursive,
material, relational, systemic). Such connection and broadening are necessary to advance insights into the dynamics of sustainable
transformation, including the role of and consequences for organizations.
Possible topics include but are
not restricted to:
Incumbents and newcomers: What is the role of established businesses and industries in sustainability transitions (Mäkitie et al., 2019; Smink et al., 2015; Thune et al., 2018)? What is the relation between newcomers and incumbents? How and under which conditions can incumbent firms assume pro-actives roles in sustainability transformation? How do incumbents’ roles, values, cultures, and identities alter during times of transitions?
Struggle over pathways: How do organizations enact different sustainability transition pathways? How do struggles and conflicts unfold over sustainability targets?
Decline: How do organizations react to industry decline in the context of sustainability transitions?
Different actors: What kind of roles do diverse types of organizations (e.g. private firms, associations, public organizations, social movements, political parties etc.) play during sustainability transitions?
Collaboration: What are novel forms of interorganizational collaboration that arise during times of transition, and the systemic changes that may consequently develop? How do organizations join forces to establish new systems of innovation and new institutional environments (Musiolik et al., 2019)?
Old and new technologies: How to handle the simultaneous existence of both conventional and emerging (clean) technologies? How do organizations straddle divergent technology trajectories (Patala et al., 2019)?
Multiple transitions: Organizations may witness more than one transition, as we currently witness with both the sustainability and digital transitions as a prime example. How do organizations deal with the complexity of transitions? How do organizations handle intersecting transitions and associated challenges?
Fresh perspectives: How can we combine systems and organizational perspectives? How do studies of framing, framing contests, discourse and cultural narratives link to higher-level transformations?
References
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