Learnshop on Tensions Model to Negotiate with Environmental Stakeholders at GLBD 2018 Conference

I was privileged to facilitate a “Learn shop” at the 14th annual conference of the Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit, targeted primarily at regional leaders working toward environmental sustainability. My own contribution centered on helping learnshop participants use communication theory to engage multiple stakeholders amid the “wicked problems” of environmental sustainability. Drawing from my research, I proposed a Tensions Model centered on recognizing how tensions can be more than just headaches, but can be used constructively once we take the time to appreciate the situation holistically from multiple perspectives. Specifically, the learnshop used four “tension areas” as the starting point to help analyze different problems in small groups.

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How can we “translate” Sustainability effectively?

translate

At the close of my recent talk on “Organizing/Communicating Sustainably” at Central Michigan University, someone in the audience asked me, predictably enough, what hope there was for meaningful systemic change, given the preponderance of cultural, structural, and moral obstacles both in the U.S. and worldwide.

My response hinged around the very communicative concept of translation.

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Transformational CSR Leadership: “Triple Transformation” for Best Practice

A version of this post appeared in CSRWire Talkback.

We often hear about transformational leaders in popular media. These individuals are supposed to be larger than life, provoking and implementing deep-seated changes in established systems. But this way of thinking about leaders and transformations ignores several key issues, especially in the context of environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

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