Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Towards an Holistic Framework for Environmental Change: The Role of Normative Behaviour and Informal Networking to Enhance Sustainable Business Practices

Espinosa, Angela

Authors

Angela Espinosa



Abstract

The term 'Sustainable Development' is brandished by modern businesses as a marketing ploy used to suggest evidence of ethical conduct, innovative thinking and moral superiority. However, when analysing an organisations' adoption of sustainable practices, it is often clear-within the UK-that there are few activities that have been undertaken as an ethical stance instead of legal obligation (McCormick in Environmental politics and policy in industrialized countries, MIT, London, 2002). Our hypothesis is that most methodologies and practices for environmental management do not adopt a holistic perspective, causing significant problems in implementation from inadequate structures and communication channels (Espinosa et al. in Eur J Oper Res, 187:636-651, 2008). In particular we consider that most organisations are currently stifled with management hierarchies that prevent informal/social networking, which may be one of the most powerful natural forms for self-organisation. It is proposed that sustainable development requires more efficient communication channels that foster self-organisation and self-regulation as a method for more productive change processes. In this paper, we explain the reasons why meta-systemic principles of self-organisation and distributed network management offer clear criteria to design an environmental management system that operates on the basis of self-controlled individuals and communities.

Citation

Espinosa, A. (2009). Towards an Holistic Framework for Environmental Change: The Role of Normative Behaviour and Informal Networking to Enhance Sustainable Business Practices. Systemic practice and action research, 22(4), 275 - 291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-009-9123-2

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Apr 23, 2009
Publication Date Aug 31, 2009
Journal SYSTEMIC PRACTICE AND ACTION RESEARCH
Print ISSN 1094-429X
Publisher Springer Verlag
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 22
Issue 4
Pages 275 - 291
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-009-9123-2
Keywords System dynamics; Cybernetics; Environmental studies; Informal networking; Sustainable development
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/391221
Publisher URL https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11213-009-9123-2