Organising urban sustainability transformations: Exploring the role, abilities, and potential of Sustainability-Oriented Hybrid Organisations

Sustainability, and the systems transformations required to achieve it, can fundamentally be viewed as an organisational challenge. This thesis argues that mainstream organisational logics and practices can be considered a root cause of current socio-ecological problems and emphasises the need to transform both socio-ecological systems and organisations. New organisational forms and models are required not only to reduce the negative social and environmental impacts of organising human activities but also to help promote net-positive sustainability and restore global socio-ecological systems. Through deductive and inductive qualitative approaches, this thesis identifies, conceptualises, and investigates the roles, abilities, and potential of an emerging type of organisation, namely Sustainability-Oriented Hybrid Organisations (SOHOs) to contribute to transformations towards sustainability in urban environments. Through a comprehensive multi-disciplinary literature review the thesis provides an overview of current knowledge and develops SOHOs as an umbrella category for organisations that use a mixture of market and mission-oriented practices, beliefs, and rationales to tackle social and ecological issues whilst generating a sufficient amount of their income from trading in goods or services, so as to make them economically viable and self-sustaining. Furthermore, the thesis explores nine SOHOs in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona and finds that they are well placed and have the ability to foster the development of foundational transformative capacities at local scales, namely: (1) reconnecting social and ecological systems dynamics in a way that is harmonious, healthy, and which regenerates life-support systems; (2) fostering healthy individual and political agency; and (3) contributing to building rich community relationships and enhancing social cohesion. However, the actions of SOHOs could have unintended negative effects on the development of transformative capacities at the urban scale, especially as the strategies they adopt can contribute to their missions and practices drifting towards profit or engagement in identity politics, and enemy narratives. Next, the thesis asks how and what might make SOHOs able to support positive transformative change towards sustainable development and identifies two main factors, namely that they: (1) promote and apply complex socio-ecological worldviews where individuals and organisations are seen as integral components of socio-ecological systems; and (2) create enabling collaborative environments which include synergetic connections and substantive relationships ‘beyond’ the organisation. This study showcases that SOHOs can help transcend unsustainable dichotomies perpetuated in management theory and practice where rigid and fictitious dichotomies are imposed between what occurs internally within the organisation and what occurs ‘out there’ in biophysical systems, economies, and the broader social world. However, for the transformative potential of SOHOs to fully eventuate enabling environments are required, especially in the form of policy and institutional support

The Australian approach to climate finance

Developed countries have committed to providing US$100 billion in climate finance by 2020. Australia has already contributed a significant amount of climate finance through its aid budget, with one third of this going to neighbouring Small Island States, and largely with a focus on adaptation to climate change. This thesis has investigated the reasons for and implications of the approach Australia has taken to this financing of adaptation in the Pacific Islands. It is informed by a review of the relevant academic literature, analysis of government data and publications, and key informant interviews. It demonstrates that Australia's approach to climate finance is motivated by self-interest and geographical proximity more than the needs of vulnerable countries and people, and although there are signs of improvement there are still many concerns surrounding the Australian approach to climate finance. The concerns differ: Pacific Islanders working on implementing projects seek improvements in donor co-ordination and an increased focus on capacity building, whereas people whose focus is on the international politics of climate change are concerned about the extent to which Australia's climate finance meets key principles, such as those relating to scale, transparency and additionally. This showed that the issues that are important at the international level are different from those that are administering climate finance on the ground

Transforming knowledge systems for life on Earth: Visions of future systems and how to get there

Formalised knowledge systems, including universities and research institutes, are important for contemporary societies. They are, however, also arguably failing humanity when their impact is measured against the level of progress being made in stimulating the societal changes needed to address challenges like climate change. In this research we used a novel futures-oriented and participatory approach that asked what future envisioned knowledge systems might need to look like and how we might get there. Findings suggest that envisioned future systems will need to be much more collaborative, open, diverse, egalitarian, and able to work with values and systemic issues. They will also need to go beyond producing knowledge about our world to generating wisdom about how to act within it. To get to envisioned systems we will need to rapidly scale methodological innovations, connect innovators, and creatively accelerate learning about working with intractable challenges. We will also need to create new funding schemes, a global knowledge commons, and challenge deeply held assumptions. To genuinely be a creative force in supporting longevity of human and non-human life on our planet, the shift in knowledge systems will probably need to be at the scale of the enlightenment and speed of the scientific and technological revolution accompanying the second World War. This will require bold and strategic action from governments, scientists, civic society and sustained transformational intent

Transforming knowledge systems for life on Earth : Visions of future systems and how to get there

Formalised knowledge systems, including universities and research institutes, are important for contemporary societies. They are, however, also arguably failing humanity when their impact is measured against the level of progress being made in stimulating the societal changes needed to address challenges like climate change. In this research we used a novel futures-oriented and participatory approach that asked what future envisioned knowledge systems might need to look like and how we might get there. Findings suggest that envisioned future systems will need to be much more collaborative, open, diverse, egalitarian, and able to work with values and systemic issues. They will also need to go beyond producing knowledge about our world to generating wisdom about how to act within it. To get to envisioned systems we will need to rapidly scale methodological innovations, connect innovators, and creatively accelerate learning about working with intractable challenges. We will also need to create new funding schemes, a global knowledge commons, and challenge deeply held assumptions. To genuinely be a creative force in supporting longevity of human and non-human life on our planet, the shift in knowledge systems will probably need to be at the scale of the enlightenment and speed of the scientific and technological revolution accompanying the second World War. This will require bold and strategic action from governments, scientists, civic society and sustained transformational intent.Peer reviewe

Transforming knowledge systems for life on Earth: Visions of future systems and how to get there

Formalised knowledge systems, including universities and research institutes, are important for contemporary societies. They are, however, also arguably failing humanity when their impact is measured against the level of progress being made in stimulating the societal changes needed to address challenges like climate change. In this research we used a novel futures-oriented and participatory approach that asked what future envisioned knowledge systems might need to look like and how we might get there. Findings suggest that envisioned future systems will need to be much more collaborative, open, diverse, egalitarian, and able to work with values and systemic issues. They will also need to go beyond producing knowledge about our world to generating wisdom about how to act within it. To get to envisioned systems we will need to rapidly scale methodological innovations, connect innovators, and creatively accelerate learning about working with intractable challenges. We will also need to create new funding schemes, a global knowledge commons, and challenge deeply held assumptions. To genuinely be a creative force in supporting longevity of human and non-human life on our planet, the shift in knowledge systems will probably need to be at the scale of the enlightenment and speed of the scientific and technological revolution accompanying the second World War. This will require bold and strategic action from governments, scientists, civic society and sustained transformational intent