{"id":1662,"date":"2018-03-27T20:09:33","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T20:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu\/jsterman\/?page_id=1662"},"modified":"2018-04-05T14:57:54","modified_gmt":"2018-04-05T14:57:54","slug":"stumblingtowards","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu\/jsterman\/stumblingtowards\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Stumbling towards Sustainability: Why organizational learning and radical innovation are necessary to build a more sustainable world\u2014but not sufficient<\/h2>
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Sterman, J. 2015. Stumbling towards Sustainability: Why organizational learning and radical innovation are necessary to build a more sustainable world\u2014but not sufficient. in\u00a0Organizational & Strategic Change and the Challenge of Sustainability<\/em>. R. Henderson, M. Tushman and R. Gulati, eds., Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n

DOI:\u00a010.1093\/acprof:oso\/9780198704072.003.0003<\/p>\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our civilization is unsustainable and it is getting worse fast.\u00a0 The human ecological footprint has already overshot the sustainable carrying capacity of the Earth, while population and economic growth are rapidly expanding our impact.\u00a0 Meeting the legitimate aspirations of billions to rise out of poverty while reducing our global footprint to sustainable levels is the defining issue of the age.\u00a0 Change and transformation are urgently needed throughout society.\u00a0 But how can such change be achieved?\u00a0 Here I offer a dynamic systems perspective to raise questions about the processes of change required, at multiple scales.\u00a0 Within organizations, process improvement initiatives directed at cost, quality and productivity commonly fail.\u00a0 Sustainability initiatives share many of the same attributes.\u00a0 Why do so many such programs fail and what can be done to improve them?\u00a0 At the industry level, many attempts to introduce radical new technologies such as alternative fuel vehicles exhibit \u201csizzle and fizzle\u201d behavior. \u00a0 Why, and what can be done to create markets for radical new technologies that are sustainable ecologically and economically?\u00a0 At the level of the economy, does it all add up?\u00a0 If firms are successful in \u201cgreening\u201d their operations and products, does it actually move our economy towards sustainability, or simply lead to direct and indirect rebound effects? \u00a0Technological solutions promoting ecoefficiency and new, sustainable industries, while necessary, are not sufficient:\u00a0 as long as everyone wants more, there is no technical solution to the problem.\u00a0 Where, then, are the high leverage points to implement successful change programs in existing organizations, create new industries, address overconsumption and transform personal values?<\/p>\n