Green BPM as a business-oriented discipline : a systematic mapping study and research agenda

Green Business Process Management (BPM) focuses on the ecological impact of business processes. This article provides a systematic mapping study of Green BPM literature to evaluate five attributes of the Green BPM research area: (1) scope, (2) disciplines, (3) accountability, (4) researchers and (5) quality control. The results allow developing a research agenda to enhance Green BPM as an approach for environmentally sustainable organizations. We rely on a dichotomy of knowledge production to present research directives relevant for both academics and practitioners in order to help close a rigor-relevance gap. The involvement of both communities is crucial for Green BPM to advance as an applied, business-oriented discipline

A survey on energy efficiency in information systems

Concerns about energy and sustainability are growing everyday involving a wide range of fields. Even Information Systems (ISs) are being influenced by the issue of reducing pollution and energy consumption and new fields are rising dealing with this topic. One of these fields is Green Information Technology (IT), which deals with energy efficiency with a focus on IT. Researchers have faced this problem according to several points of view. The purpose of this paper is to understand the trends and the future development of Green IT by analyzing the state-of-the-art and classifying existing approaches to understand which are the components that have an impact on energy efficiency in ISs and how this impact can be reduced. At first, we explore some guidelines that can help to understand the efficiency level of an organization and of an IS. Then, we discuss measurement and estimation of energy efficiency and identify which are the components that mainly contribute to energy waste and how it is possible to improve energy efficiency, both at the hardware and at the software level

A systematic review of the effects of cybernetic systems theory on innovation management

This thesis explores the potential benefits of integrating cybernetic systems theory into innovation management processes. It discusses the role of true innovation in disrupting established markets and business models, emphasizing the importance of creating genuine value. The research aims to map the potential of cybernetics systems in benefiting innovation management by using the Viable Systems Model and exploring the link between innovation, cybernetics, and worker rights. The study follows a systematic literature review and thematic analysis to identify key themes in cybernetic management in an innovation context. Key implications include fostering a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability in organizations. The thesis suggests that integrating cybernetic frameworks into innovation tools can enhance organizations' adaptability and continuous improvement culture. Furthermore, it advocates for a human-centric approach within viable systems. The thesis also provides practical implications for different stakeholder groups, addressing the need for humanistic approaches to management and the prioritization of worker well-being in fostering innovativeness within organizations.Tämä pro gradu -tutkielma tutkii kybernetiikan järjestelmäteorian integroimista innovaatiojohtamiseen ja tämän integraation mahdollisia hyötyjä. Tutkielma käsittelee sisäisen innovaation roolia vakiintuneiden liiketoimintamallien häiritsemisessä ja korostaen todellisen arvon luomisen merkitystä. Tutkielman tavoitteena on kartoittaa kuinka innovaatiojohtaminen voi hyödyntää kybernetisiä järjestelmiä kuten Viable Systems -järjestelmä. Lisäksi tutkielma tarkastelee innovaation, kybernetiikan ja työntekijöiden oikeuksien välistä yhteyttä. Aiheen monitieteellisyyden takia tutkielma suoritettiin systemaattisena kirjallisuuskatsauksena. Kirjallisuuskatsaus tarkastelee aihetta temaattisen analyysin kautta. Keskeisiksi teemoiksi nousivat jatkuva parantaminen ja sopeutumiskykyisen kulttuurin edistäminen organisaatioissa. Tutkielma löydökset viittaavat siihen että, kybernetisten järjestelmien integrointi innovaatiojohtamiseen ja innovaatiotyökaluihin voi parantaa organisaatioista sopeutumiskykyä ja auttaa organisaatioita saavuttamaan jatkuvan parantamisen kulttuurin. Lisäksi löydökset kannustavat ihmiskeskeistä lähestymistapaa johtamiseen käyttäen Viable Systems –järjestelmän periaatteita. Tutkielma tarjoaa myös käytännön implikaatioita eri sidosryhmille, jotka käsittelevät humanististen lähestymistapojen tarvetta johtamiseen ja työntekijöiden hyvinvoinnin priorisointiin innovaatioiden edistämisessä organisaatioissa

Teachers as placemakers: how primary school teachers design, manage and maintain learning spaces as part of their daily workflow

This inquiry is a hypothesis generating study that explores how a group of fifteen primary school teachers across five sites in rural Queensland, Australia, design, manage and maintain learning spaces, as they go about the business of their daily work. The study uses qualitative data in the form of photographs taken by the participants and in-depth interviews using photo-elicitation methods, to generate a substantive theory that accounts for how the participants engage in placemaking. Placemaking is proposed as an integrating concept to explain theoretically, how participants achieve their central purpose in relation to learning space design, management and maintenance. The application of the holistic, contextual, transactional and systems oriented perspective from environmental psychology, is a key contribution of this study. Given the important social functions of schools, the public capital invested in education facilities, and the shift from 20th to 21st century learning environments being driven by social, economic, technological and political factors, furthering our understanding of how the occupants of school spaces experience these spaces is considered a worthy endeavour. In the past decade, there has been an increased interest in the design of learning spaces presumed to improve learning, especially academic outcomes for students. This interest has sparked a range of investigations across the economically developed world into how environmental variables influence learning. Scant attention has been given to how the same environments affect the behavior of teachers who have agency to design, manage and maintain the learning spaces in which they operate in on a daily basis. The aim of this study is understanding how teachers think about and act in learning spaces to achieve the outcomes of schooling they strive for on behalf of students and the community. Primary school teachers in the context of their daily design, management and maintenance of learning spaces form the substantive field for this investigation as these teachers are often allocated bounded spaces for significant periods of time and with the same cohorts of students. The primary research questions were constructed in classic, Glaserian grounded theory terms as: 1. What is the main concern of primary school teachers as they design, manage and maintain learning spaces as part of their daily workflow? 2. How do primary school teachers resolve their main concern as they design, manage and maintain learning spaces as part of their daily workflow? 3. What theoretically accounts for the ways that primary school teachers resolve their main concern as they design, manage and maintain learning spaces as part of their daily workflow? 4. What practical implications for primary school teachers and education facilities planners, derive from understanding how primary school teachers resolve their main concern associated with their engagement with learning spaces as part of their daily workflow? The term, main concern, in this context refers to the intentions of participants and how they achieve these intentions through categories of behaviour. ‘Main concern’ is used as a technical term consistent with Glaserian grounded theory methodology. Grounded theory analysis methods were used to generate the core intentions (‘main concern’ in classic grounded theory terms) of fifteen rural based primary school teachers in relation to the primary research question. Four substantive categories or patterns of behavior reported by teachers as core to the achievement of their intentions as learning space managers, were generated along with a theoretical category, ‘Placemaking’, that accounts for the variability in primary teacher behavior in context. ‘Placemaking’ is proposed as a basic psychosocial process engaged in by teachers as they interact with learning spaces on a daily basis. Implications of the perspective of teachers as ‘placemakers’ are outlined and include: the protective nature of establishing a positive psychological sense of place; the possibilities that ‘placemaking’ has for enhancing the teaching / learning subjective experience and therefore the long-term holistic outcomes of schooling; and the possible impact of place-making on combating student alienation, enhancing resilience, reducing student disengagement and increasing a sense of belonging. These are seen as protective factors in student development and wellbeing. They are likewise protective factors for teacher health and wellbeing. Recommendations are offered to help teachers, education facilities planners and school communities to engage proactively in developing a ‘placemaking master plan’ for schools and learning spaces. Contributions to the fields of education, environmental psychology and research methodology are offered

Circular economy and eco-innovations: a taxonomy of policy instruments

Recently, amidst increasingly pressing environmental concerns, the Circular Economy (CE) concept has been defended, by both scholars and practitioners, as an alternative to the ‘take-make-dispose’ economic paradigm by emulating the naturally occurring, selfrenovating cycles. The CE is enabled by and depends on various technological and nontechnological eco-innovations (EIs), i.e., innovations that cause a net positive environmental impact. The complex and systemic interrelations and feedback mechanisms implicated have attracted attention to the role of innovation policy in driving EIs. However, the circular economy – eco-innovation – innovation policy nexus is only now beginning to emerge in academic literature and more research is needed to detail the instruments involved and understand their interplay towards promoting an EI-mediated CE transition. In the present work, we analysed data collected through systematic literature review to propose and characterise an evidence-based, goal-oriented taxonomy for policy instruments. Thus, six core categories of policy instruments are explored: 1) R&D increase, 2) Non-financial capabilities, 3) Network capability, 4) Increase demand, 5) Regulations and Standards, and 6) Foresight activities. Our results highlight the complexity underpinning the design of innovation policy mixes. We conclude that an approach that, on one hand, targets the various stages in material cycles and on the other hand, considers policy instrument features and their complementarity seems to benefit the creation of ‘circular’ innovations and the CE transition.Recentemente, no meio de preocupações ambientais crescentes, o conceito da Economia Circular (EC) tem sido defendido, tanto por académicos como praticantes, como uma alternativa do paradigma económico ‘extrair-transformar-descartar’ emulando os ciclos naturais de autorregeneração. A EC é incitada por e depende em diversas EI tecnológicas e não-tecnológicas, i.e., inovações que causam um impacto ambiental líquido positivo. As inter-relações complexas e sistémicas e os mecanismos de reforço implicados têm vindo a chamar à atenção para o papel das políticas de inovação na incitação das EIs. No entanto, a conexão entre a economia circular – eco-inovações – políticas de inovação só agora começa a emergir na literatura académica e são necessários mais estudos para detalhar os instrumentos de política envolvidos e compreender os mecanismos que levam à promoção da transição para a EC mediada por EIs. Neste trabalho, analisámos dados recolhidos através de uma revisão de literatura sistemática de modo a concretizar e caracterizar uma taxonomia para instrumentos de política focada em diferentes objetivos e baseada em evidências da literatura. Seis categorias de instrumentos centrais são exploradas: 1) Aumento de I&D, 2) Capacidades não-financeiras, 3) Capacidades de rede, 4) Aumento da procura, 5) Regulação e padrões, e 6) Análise tendências futuras. Os resultados obtidos reforçam a complexidade subjacente ao desenho de políticas de inovação. Conclui-se que uma abordagem por um lado direcionada para as diversas etapas dos ciclos de materiais, por outro intencional nas características dos instrumentos de política e das suas complementaridades, parece beneficiar a criação de inovações ‘circulares’ e a transição para a EC