MEETING SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES: SOFT SYSTEMS THINKING AS AN ENABLER FOR CHANGE

Year: 2015
Editor: Christian Weber, Stephan Husung, Gaetano Cascini, Marco Cantamessa, Dorian Marjanovic, Monica Bordegoni
Author: Ericson, Åsa; Holmqvist, Johan
Series: ICED
Institution: Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
Section: Design for Life
Page(s): 209-216
ISBN: 978-1-904670-64-3
ISSN: 2220-4334

Abstract

There are three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social. One important task is to integrate them so as to identify how more sustainable paths can be identified, assessed, and decided upon. Previous research has identified systems thinking as a key to achieving this. The purpose of the paper is to build on these ideas and to propose an initial framework that demonstrates the potential of incorporating soft systems methodology and a theory of modalities, introducing aspects in addition to environmental, economic, and social ones. Moreover, theoretical exploration shows that understanding different predispositions, or worldviews, are vital to creating shared and purposeful actions. This paper expresses the intentions of a pre-study, and the ideas are far from mature; however, the importance of collaboration in shared and more sustainable actions is the basis for an industry-wide initiative called the Construction Climate Challenge (CCC).

Keywords: Complexity, Sustainability, Research Methodologies And Methods, Soft Systems Methodology, Systems Thinking

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