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B. Giesenbauer and M. Tegeler
(SD) and gave birth to large collective and global efforts to spread and develop the
concept.
As early as 1996 researchers have tried to outline ways of implementing SD as a
concept and as a way of thinking at universities (Leal Filho et al. 1996). Since then
the body of literature on universities’ role in supporting sustainable development has
grown and matured, especially in the context of competencies for future challenges
(see e.g. Lozano 2006; Leal Filho 2010; Rieckmann 2012; van Weenen 2000; Wiek
et al. 2011). Several research groups even have dedicated their whole careers to the
case of sustainability.
In September 2015 the United Nations (2015) General Assembly adopted the
Agenda 2030 resolution and thus renewed the commitment to SD with the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). This framework helps to break down to complexity
of SD in more feasible fields of action. Education for sustainable development (ESD)
is part of SDG 4: High quality education.
Along these developments the cause of sustainability has gained a lot of attention
and a lot of effort has been put into promoting it at higher education institutions
(HEIs) (Lozano et al. 2015). And yet—even though the word sustainability has
become much of a buzzword—the concept of sustainability itself has not made it to
mainstream academia (Thomas 2004; Blanco-Portela et al. 2017). For example, the
SDGs are rarely integrated into existing curricula or campus management at German HEIs in spite of the fact that Germany has strong political initiatives for ESD
such as the German Council for Sustainable Development of the German Federal
Government (Rat für Nachhaltige Entwicklung), the German Advisory Council on
Global Change (WGBU) and the German National Action Plan for ESD (Nationaler
Aktionsplan BNE) (Müller-Christ et al. 2017, 2018). Furthermore, the term sustainability is subject to several misconceptions which hinders the advancement of SD at
HEI (Leal Filho 2000).
HEIs compete for research grants, students and prestige—and mostly within the
boundaries of mainstream academia. Researchers play by the rules of their respective
disciplines and try to make a difference within the limited scope of their niche,
too. Success is assessed by publication rates and the amount of research grants and
not—for example—by impact on society. Within this numbers driven culture of
competition and differentiation there is little space for interdisciplinary topics of
general relevance such as SD (Müller-Christ 2017).
This chapter aims to explain the dominance of a competition culture within
academia and the subsequent disregard of sustainability issues by analyzing the
underlying values systems with systemic frameworks based on Spiral Dynamics
(Beck and Cowan 1996). Four distinct developmental stages of value systems are
presented and applied to HEIs. Finally, the role of SDGs and learning labs in promoting systemic change is discussed and further implications for change agents are
inferred.
B. Giesenbauer and M. Tegeler
(SD) and gave birth to large collective and global efforts to spread and develop the
concept.
As early as 1996 researchers have tried to outline ways of implementing SD as a
concept and as a way of thinking at universities (Leal Filho et al. 1996). Since then
the body of literature on universities’ role in supporting sustainable development has
grown and matured, especially in the context of competencies for future challenges
(see e.g. Lozano 2006; Leal Filho 2010; Rieckmann 2012; van Weenen 2000; Wiek
et al. 2011). Several research groups even have dedicated their whole careers to the
case of sustainability.
In September 2015 the United Nations (2015) General Assembly adopted the
Agenda 2030 resolution and thus renewed the commitment to SD with the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). This framework helps to break down to complexity
of SD in more feasible fields of action. Education for sustainable development (ESD)
is part of SDG 4: High quality education.
Along these developments the cause of sustainability has gained a lot of attention
and a lot of effort has been put into promoting it at higher education institutions
(HEIs) (Lozano et al. 2015). And yet—even though the word sustainability has
become much of a buzzword—the concept of sustainability itself has not made it to
mainstream academia (Thomas 2004; Blanco-Portela et al. 2017). For example, the
SDGs are rarely integrated into existing curricula or campus management at German HEIs in spite of the fact that Germany has strong political initiatives for ESD
such as the German Council for Sustainable Development of the German Federal
Government (Rat für Nachhaltige Entwicklung), the German Advisory Council on
Global Change (WGBU) and the German National Action Plan for ESD (Nationaler
Aktionsplan BNE) (Müller-Christ et al. 2017, 2018). Furthermore, the term sustainability is subject to several misconceptions which hinders the advancement of SD at
HEI (Leal Filho 2000).
HEIs compete for research grants, students and prestige—and mostly within the
boundaries of mainstream academia. Researchers play by the rules of their respective
disciplines and try to make a difference within the limited scope of their niche,
too. Success is assessed by publication rates and the amount of research grants and
not—for example—by impact on society. Within this numbers driven culture of
competition and differentiation there is little space for interdisciplinary topics of
general relevance such as SD (Müller-Christ 2017).
This chapter aims to explain the dominance of a competition culture within
academia and the subsequent disregard of sustainability issues by analyzing the
underlying values systems with systemic frameworks based on Spiral Dynamics
(Beck and Cowan 1996). Four distinct developmental stages of value systems are
presented and applied to HEIs. Finally, the role of SDGs and learning labs in promoting systemic change is discussed and further implications for change agents are
inferred.