Sustainable University – The potential of sustainability projects to foster organizational change towards sustainable universities

The following project is based on ideas of Ilja Messner’s PhD project (see German version).

Problem
Research project
Project team

Problem

The development of our society is strongly influenced by universities. The core tasks of universities, which are (i) knowledge production and transfer and (ii) the education and training of future decision-makers, lay the foundations for the future development of society. Furthermore, formal and informal structures within the university shape knowledge, attitudes and actions of individuals and groups, which are then transferred into society. As an organization, universities thus serve as important role models and often realize exemplary solutions within within society.
The transition to a sustainable society implies universities that set sustainability as guiding theme of top priority throughout the whole academic context, from education to campus operations. However, in the past universities often did not act as innovators for sustainable development, but in contrast proved as rigid and resistant to much-needed changes. The transformation towards sustainable universities thus poses the biggest challenge in the university development of the early 21st century.

Research project

This research project is considered as a replacement/ successor project of the discontinued dissertation of Ilja Messner. In orientation to the dissertation concept and preliminary work, the three initiated diffusion projects will be treated within two sub-projects:
I. 1. Teilprojekt (field of action: education)
Development of an “Elective course block Sustainable Development” at BOKU
II. 2. Teilprojekt (field of action: campus ecology)
a. Implementation of a Green Meeting Standard at BOKU
b. Development of a sustainable mobility concept at BOKU
Based on the original conception of the dissertation of I. Messner, the research project is designed as an action research. The aim of action research is to solve current, real-life problems and at the same time expand the scientific knowledge base. The organizational learning (OL) approach, derived from management and organizational theory, is applied as theoretical framework of analysis. The following questions should be answered:

1. Which success factors and obstacles encourage or inhibit the implementation of sustainability projects in universities?
2. What changes and learning processes towards sustainability have taken place at BOKU through and within the diffusion projects?
3. Can the transformation to sustainable universities be fostered/ achieved by implementing sustainability projects?

The aim of the research project is to initiate organizational learning through the implementation and evaluation of diffusion projects and to determine the suitability of projects to promote organizational change. Thus, factors for successful intervention strategies for operational change processes towards sustainability can be retrospectively identified.

Project team

Scientist:
Kromp Richard, Mag. (Teilbereich „Lehre“)
Buchebner Julia, Dipl.Ing. (Teilbereich „Betriebsökologie“)
Project leader:
Lindenthal Thomas, Dipl.-Ing. Dr.nat.techn.
Counseling:
Kromp-Kolb Helga, O.Univ.Prof. Dr.phil.