Inleiding van Elena Cavagnaro, professor of service studies van Stenden, over een paradigmaverschuiving inzake duurzaamheid tijdens de Domeinscholingsdag Centrum Duurzaam 2014. Paradigma is de manier waarop we kijken naar duurzaamheid. Het is een sociale constructie van wat we zien. Er is geen sprake van een en dezelfde werkelijkheid. Van een beeld van ongelimiteerde groei naar groei op basis van aardse beperkingen. Van waardecreatie op basis van economische principes naar waardecreatie op basis van economische, sociale en omgevingsprincipes.

1. Welcome
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2. Sustainability & technology: a
paradigm shift
Dr. Elena Cavagnaro, Professor in Service Studies
February 2014 - ROC
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3. Agenda
› Paradigms and paradigms’ shifts
› Sustainability as a new paradigm
› Level of societies
› Level of organizations
› Level of individual human beings
› Technology
› Concluding
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4. Paradigms
›Paradigm = a way
of looking
›Paradigm ≠ reality
›Paradigm = is a
(social) construct
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5. Paradigm shift
Bartolomeu Velho 1568
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Eise Eisinga 1781

6. Agenda
› Introducing myself
› Paradigms and paradigms’ shifts
› Sustainability as a new paradigm
› Level of societies
› Level of organizations
› Level of individual human beings
› Technology
› Concluding
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7. Earth and us: 2 paradigms
› Earth is an inexhaustible source of
materials (natural resources). We’ll
never run out of them.
› There will always be substitutes
available.
› Earth is a limitless sink, able to
assimilate our waste, no matter
how poisonous, no matter how
much.
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› Earth is finite (see it from space;
that’s all there is!), both as a
source (what it can provide) and as
a sink (what it can assimilate and
endure).
› An end will come to the substitutes
that are possible. You cannot
substitute water for food, air for
water, food for warmth, energy for
air, air for food. Some things are
complementary.
Source: R. Anderson (1998; 2009)

8. Which paradigm is more correct?
Apollo 8 24 December 1962
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Voyager 1 14 February 1990

9. Sustainability as a paradigm
› Sustainability maintains that
Earth’s capacity to sustain life is
limited and
› That we should stay inside these
limits and
› That Earth’s resources should be
equitably shared among present
and future generations
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10. Sustainability
› The ultimate goal of sustainability is to achieve a
better quality of life for present and future
generations all over the world (WCED, 1987)
› Sustainability is achieved when value is created
on an environmental, social and economic
dimension (Earth Summit II, 1997); both at the
level of societies and at the level of organizations
(Rio Conference, 1992)
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11. New paradigm: level of society
Economic Value
Sustainable Society
Environmental Value
Social Value

12. Aim of business
›To make profit
M. Friedman (1972) The
only responsibility of
business is business
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13. New & old paradigm:
Economic Value
Profit
?
Organizations
Sustainable Society
Environmental Value
?
Social Value

14. New paradigm: level of organizatios
Economic Value
Profit
Planet
Sustainable
Organizations
Sustainable Society
Environmental Value
People
Social Value

15. A missing link: individuals
› Societies consist of
organizations; organizations
of individual human beings
(P. Drucker)
› Their choices make or break
sustainable policies
› Which motivations guide
human behavior?
› Are these motivations
supportive of sustainability,
i.e. of value creation on an
economic, social and
environmental dimension?
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16. Greed is good!
› Is greed the only or main
human motivation?
› Motivational studies;
psychology; socio-psychology;
human development studies;
leadership studies; brain
studies and critical economists
give us a more complex
picture
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17. 2 new & 1 old paradigm:
Economic Value
Profit
Greed
?
Planet
Individuals
?
Organizations
Society
Environmental Value
People
Social Value

18. A new paradigm: level of individuals
Care for me
Leaderhip for
sustainability
Care for all
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Care for me & you

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Cavagnaro and Curiel (2012) The Three Levels of Sustainability, Sheffield: Greenleaf

20. Agenda
› Introducing myself
› Paradigms and paradigms’ shifts
› Sustainability as a new paradigm
› Level of societies
› Level of organizations
› Level of individual human beings
› Technology
› Concluding
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21. Earth and us: 2 paradigms
› Earth is an inexhaustible source of
materials (natural resources). We’ll
never run out of them.
› There will always be substitutes
available.
› Earth is a limitless sink, able to
assimilate our waste, no matter
how poisonous, no matter how
much.
› Technology will solve all problems
thanks to human ingenuity and
creativity
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› Earth is finite (see it from space;
that’s all there is!), both as a
source (what it can provide) and as
a sink (what it can assimilate and
endure).
› An end will come to the substitutes
that are possible. You cannot
substitute water for food, air for
water, food for warmth, energy for
air, air for food. Some things are
complementary.
› Technology must fundamentally
change if it is to become part of
the solution instead of continuing
to be the major part of the problem
Source: R. Anderson (1998; 2009)

22. Technology: 2 paradigms
›Extractive or cradle ›Sustainable or
to grave
cradle to cradle
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23. Concluding
› Sustainability implies a paradigm shift:
› From unlimited growth to growth inside Earth’s
limits
› From value creation on one value (economic,
profit, greed) to value creation on three values
(economic, social, environmental)
› From a cradle-to-grave to a cradle-to-cradle
technology
› From which paradigm do you design your life?
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24. Thank you
for your
attention
elena.cavagnaro@stenden.com
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