Session Information
32 SES 09 A, Organizing in “Circles”: Organizational Learning towards Futures in Organizing and Circular Economies
Symposium
Contribution
The prominent analysis of our time sees the world as volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. Organizations are thought of as reacting to those “external” trends. VUCA debates bring about new norms of organizing like interconnecting value chains, becoming AGILE, to set up consistent process management, to effectively design strategies. The call for the need to “adapt” to changes of economy and society leads into functional debates of organizational change still remaining in the traditional economical pattern of value creation. Organizing here seems to be in a “reactive” stream of thought.
Somewhat parallel to the VUCA discourses, alternatives patterns and rationalities of organizing emerge, connecting to a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world in a different way. The symposium reflects on organizations as actors of societal futures, as actors of social innovation and futures in and by organizing (Elsen 2019). Organizations - anyway organizing the future in specific ways - carry specific concepts and ideas regarding the way, “the new” might be brought about. Strategies of change addressed here refer to paths taken into organizing sustainable societal futures.
The organizational pattern of the “circle” and regional “circuit” becomes prominent here (Douthwaite 1996). In the debate about societal renewal towards sustainability, academic debates agree that especially the circular economy carries the potential to address the pressing need of transitioning into more sustainable socio-technical systems (Geissdoerfer et al 2017, p. 757). Following Geissdoerfer et al (2017, p. 764), the concepts of ‘sustainability’ and ‘circular economy’ carry many similarities. For achieving the circular economy, business model innovation is regarded as key for industry transformation. Against traditional perspectives on circular economy primarily connecting to the industrial sector, to technology and technical innovation as well as to private business, especially the rural sites can offer potentials for societal change. The authors argue to contribute to ‘strong sustainability’ and ask for analyzing the impacts of circular economy initiatives (Geissdoerfer et al 2017, p. 767).
As Asheim and Coenen (2006) show, regional innovation systems (RIS) relate to a globalizing learning economy and should not be limited to the industrial or institutional complex. Already Lundvall (1992) defined, that a learning economy understands innovation as an interactive learning process, which is socially and territorially embedded as well as culturally and institutionally contextualized. Already in 2004 Lundvall argued to see the potential that can be mobilized in traditional sectors, where institutional reforms and organizational change might promote learning processes. Complex regional system innovation then brings about a specific new dimension into account (Doloreux and Parto 2005). Questioning existing routines and organizations, regional system innovation carries a radical, disruptive potential. Regions then become a locus of innovation and innovation has to be regarded as contextual. Social relationships in regional proximity are regarded as crucial for innovation.
Regional innovation systems are defined as “one that comprises a ‘production structure’ embedded in an ‘institutional structure’ in which firms and other organizations are systematically engaged in interactive learning” (Doloreux and Parto 2005, p143). While some authors understand the region as a cultural entity, suggest the concept of ‘embeddedness’ and underline the systemic interconnectedness and interdependency of the region (Cooke 2001), discourse related perspectives might reflect ‘culturality’ and ‘embeddedness’ deeper in the sense of polyphonic organizing in circles. Notions of boundary-crossing and transgressing rationalities, modes of searching for alternatives, special aesthetic practices, specific styles of doing change, newness, future and innovation will be highlighted here. Organizing in circles, circular organizing and the rationalities of actors towards the circular economy offer interesting potentials for theorizing organizational education as well as analyzing empirical research in this field, interlinking circular economy and organizational education professionalization in circles.
References
• Asheim B and Coenen L. (2006). “Contextualising Regional Innovation Systems in a Globalising Learning Economy: On Knowledge Bases and Institutional Frameworks”. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 31, 163-173. • Cooke P. (2001). “Regional Innovation Systems, Clusters, and the Knowledge economy”. Industrial and Corporate Change, 10, 945-974. • Doloreux D. and Parto S. (2005). “Regional innovation systems: Current discourse and unresolved issues”. Technology in Society, 27, 133-153. • Douthwaite, Richard. (1996). Short circuit. Strengthening local economies for security in an unstable world. Dublin: Lilliput Press. • Elsen, Susanne (2019). Eco-Social Transformation and Community Economy. New York: Routledge • Lundvall B.-A. (1992). National Systems of Innovation. Towards a Theory of Innovation and Interactive Learning. Pinter Publrs, London. • Lundvall B.-A. (2004). “Why the New Economy is a learning economy”. DRUID Working Papers 04-01, DRUID, Copenhagen Business School, Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy/Aalborg University, Department of Business Studies. • Weber, Susanne Maria; Heidelmann, Marc (2019); Towards Regional Circular Economies. ‘Greening the University Canteen’ by Sustainability Innovation Labs. In: Leal Filho, Walter; Bardi, Ugo (Eds.) (2019): Sustainability in University Campuses: learning, skills building and best practice. Cham: Springer.
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