The Transformation of Higher Education
Institutions Towards Sustainability
from a Systemic Perspective
Bror Giesenbauer and Merle Tegeler
Abstract Education for sustainable development has risen in scope and importance
during the past decades. Even though the word sustainability has become much of a
buzzword, the concept of sustainability itself has not made it to mainstream academia.
This chapter presents an analysis of the value systems that shape the course of and the
discourse in higher education institutions (HEI). Why are HEIs reluctant to change
in general and towards sustainable development in particular? What kind of change
would need to occur and which factors drive the evolution of HEIs? These questions
are discussed from a systemic point of view against the backdrop of systems theories
such as Spiral Dynamics and Integral Theory. Four distinct levels of value systems
are described. These value systems represent different evolutions of HEIs that all
have their place within the evolution of societies in general. The 17 sustainable
development goals (SDGs) are framed as an ideal means for bridging the gap between
value system 2.0 and 3.0. Implications for transforming HEIs are discussed. This
chapter will be useful to anyone interested in the systemic forces that shape the way
how higher education institutions deal with the task of education for sustainable
development.
Keywords Sustainable development · Transformation of higher education
institutions · Spiral dynamics · Systemic change · Integral theory
1 Introduction
Education for sustainable development has risen in scope and importance during the
past decades. The publication of “Our Common Future” in 1987 (World commission
on environment and development 1987) coined the term “sustainable development”
B. Giesenbauer (B) · M. Tegeler
University of Bremen, Enrique-Schmidt-Straße 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
e-mail: giesenbauer@uni-bremen.de
M. Tegeler
e-mail: tegeler@uni-bremen.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_39
637
Institutions Towards Sustainability
from a Systemic Perspective
Bror Giesenbauer and Merle Tegeler
Abstract Education for sustainable development has risen in scope and importance
during the past decades. Even though the word sustainability has become much of a
buzzword, the concept of sustainability itself has not made it to mainstream academia.
This chapter presents an analysis of the value systems that shape the course of and the
discourse in higher education institutions (HEI). Why are HEIs reluctant to change
in general and towards sustainable development in particular? What kind of change
would need to occur and which factors drive the evolution of HEIs? These questions
are discussed from a systemic point of view against the backdrop of systems theories
such as Spiral Dynamics and Integral Theory. Four distinct levels of value systems
are described. These value systems represent different evolutions of HEIs that all
have their place within the evolution of societies in general. The 17 sustainable
development goals (SDGs) are framed as an ideal means for bridging the gap between
value system 2.0 and 3.0. Implications for transforming HEIs are discussed. This
chapter will be useful to anyone interested in the systemic forces that shape the way
how higher education institutions deal with the task of education for sustainable
development.
Keywords Sustainable development · Transformation of higher education
institutions · Spiral dynamics · Systemic change · Integral theory
1 Introduction
Education for sustainable development has risen in scope and importance during the
past decades. The publication of “Our Common Future” in 1987 (World commission
on environment and development 1987) coined the term “sustainable development”
B. Giesenbauer (B) · M. Tegeler
University of Bremen, Enrique-Schmidt-Straße 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
e-mail: giesenbauer@uni-bremen.de
M. Tegeler
e-mail: tegeler@uni-bremen.de
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
W. Leal Filho et al. (eds.), Universities as Living Labs for Sustainable Development,
World Sustainability Series, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15604-6_39
637