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Technical summary The question of how science can become a lever in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals permeates most recent sustainability research. Wide-ranging literature calling for a transformative approach has emerged in recent years. This 'transformative turn' is fueled by publications from fields such as sustainability science, social-ecological research, conservation science, sustainability transitions, or sustainability governance studies. However, there is a lack of a shared understanding specifically of what is meant for research to be transformative in this developing discourse around doing science differently to tackle sustainability problems. We aim to advance transformative research for sustainability. We define transformative research and outline six of its characteristics: (1) interventional nature and a theory of change focus; (2) collaborative modes of knowledge production, experimentation and learning; (3) systems thinking literacy and contextualization; (4) reflexivity, normative and inner dimensions; (5) local agency, decolonization, and reshaping power; (6) new quality criteria and rethinking impact. We highlight three tensions between transformative research and traditional paradigms of academic research: (1) process- and output-orientation; (2) accountability toward society and toward science; (3) methodologies rooted in scientific traditions and post-normal methodologies. We conclude with future directions on how academia could reconcile these tensions to support and promote transformative research. Non-technical summary Dominant ways of doing research are not enough to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The typical response of science to dealing with the current local and global sustainability crises is to produce and accumulate more knowledge. Transformative research seeks to couple knowledge production with co-creating change. This paper defines the transformative way of doing research to pro-actively support soci

Circular economy practices are gaining importance in the global textile and apparel value chain to promote sustainability. However, the lack of attention paid to the circular economy's social dimension is concerning, given its expected global implementation for 2050. Neglecting this social impact undermines both environmental and social sustainability, perpetuating industry inequalities. To address this problem, this study develops Transformative Circular Futures (TCFs) to inform policy and business decision-making in the textile and apparel value chains of India, the Netherlands and Spain. TCFs are co-created circular economy scenarios that are diverse, systemic, and embedded with social impact considerations. This research employs participatory methods to blend system-change, Circular Economy, social impacts (through a gender lens), and positive desirable futures approaches, resulting in 16 scenarios. The results emphasise the pivotal role of diverse stakeholder engagement in reshaping the textile and apparel value chain towards equitable and transformative circular economy futures. The TCFs-derived recommendations to reduce inequalities and improve workers' well-being are critical steps towards a more inclusive and equitable transition to circular practices in the textile and apparel sector. Common recommendations include normalising living wages for direct, indirect, and informal workers, implementing regulations challenging patriarchy, eliminating gender pay and establishing permanent global committees of social actors. This ensures that social considerations are integrated throughout national and international negotiations within the circular textile and apparel value chain.

Given the vast and scattered theoretical production on systems thinking, this article presents an integrative review of its historical-conceptual trajectory. Through an exhaustive analysis of specialized literature, it outlines the transition from the Cartesian mechanistic paradigm towards organicist and holistic approaches to understand adaptive complex systems, identifying its roots in 20th century biology, ecology, cybernetics and quantum physics. It highlights the seminal contributions of von Bertalanffy with his General Systems Theory, Wiener with cybernetics, Ashby with modern cybernetics and Forrester with system dynamics. It also examines subsequent derivations towards complexity, emphasizing interdisciplinary contributions from European exponents such as Prigogine, Morin, Luhmann; North Americans like Simon, Holland, Kauffman; Latin Americans such as Maturana, Varela, García; Asians such as Mesarovic, Takahara; and Africans like Juma. The study enables systematizing connections between fragmented theoretical schools and contemporary trends under a unified framework. The findings provide useful historical and conceptual foundations to guide future research on systems thinking and complexity., Ante la vasta y dispersa producción teórica sobre pensamiento sistémico, este artículo presenta una revisión integradora de su trayectoria histórico-conceptual. Mediante un exhaustivo análisis de literatura especializada, se delinea la transición desde el paradigma mecanicista cartesiano hacia aproximaciones organicistas y holísticas para entender sistemas complejos adaptativos, identificando sus raíces en biología, ecología, cibernética y física cuántica a inicios del siglo XX. Se rescatan los aportes seminales de von Bertalanffy con su Teoría General de Sistemas, Wiener con la cibernética, Ashby con la cibernética moderna y Forrester con la dinámica de sistemas. Asimismo, se examinan derivaciones posteriores hacia la complejidad, destacando contribuciones interdisciplinarias de exponentes europeos como Prigogine, Morin, Luhmann; norteamericanos como Simon, Holland, Kauffman; latinoamericanos como Maturana, Varela, García; asiáticos como Mesarovic, Takahara; y africanos como Juma. El estudio permite sistematizar conexiones entre escuelas teóricas y tendencias contemporáneas bajo un marco unificado. Los hallazgos proporcionan fundamentos históricos y conceptuales útiles para orientar investigaciones futuras sobre pensamiento sistémico y complejo.

A sound strategy system (often called strategy management system) is essential to the long-term success of any organization. It is the comprehensive and integrated set of continuously executed strategy-related activities that permits an organization to be effective, agile, and efficient in today’s increasingly competitive, global and technology-driven market. Yet, despite its importance and all that has been learned since the launch of the business strategy revolution in the 1960s, most organizations are still having great difficulties devising and implementing such a complex system. The absence of a sound management system, in turn, is probably the key factor explaining why 50% to 90% of strategic initiatives fail and why the life expectancy of organizations is in a serious decline. To begin addressing this important gap, the objective of this article is to make an initial attempt to illustrate the key components of a strategy system and how they are related to one another. To do so, we rely on a modeling technique from systems thinking. In addition to identifying the key components of such a system, this technique enables us to capture the feedback loops amongst these key components that strategists and executives must understand and put in place for their organization to be effective, agile, and efficient to succeed in the long-term.

Designers’ roles are at a turning point of transforming design from an expert-driven design process within an assumed social and economic order to design practices that advocate design-led societal transition toward more sustainable futures. Design education should be adapted accordingly. Introducing the transition design concept into established design education promotes the sustainable society transition by involving more systems thinking from designers in various sectors. This study reports on a pilot practice and reflection on introducing the transition design concept to design students.

Coral reef ecosystems are multifunctional living structures primarily composed of corals. Corals are responsible for both growing the reef and producing sediments for the coral island growth. The reef acts as a wavebreaker, protecting the coral island from erosion. However, climate change and anthropogenic impacts endanger both the corals and the low-lying coral islands. At the same time, the lives of hundreds of people inhabiting these coral islands are threatened due to minimal land, material and technological resources. The impacts of climate change, including sea-level rise, extreme and frequent flood events, erosion, temperature increase and disturbances to the freshwater lenses, further intensify the challenges they face. Individual responses from experts aim to address the coral adaptation issue by creating coral nurseries and artificial coral reefs. Similarly, engineers try to minimise the impact of climate change on low-lying islands by constructing wavebreakers or raising structures on stilts. Simultaneously, expansion in the water is inevitable, given the limited land resources and the impact of climate change on existing islands. However, land expansion in the water often overlooks the importance of coral reefs. Despite their significance, current regulations do not consider them as fundamental elements in the design of artificial islands. As a result, human constructions in the water have been accused of environmental and coral reef degradation, causing sedimentation, erosion and pollution. Anthropogenic interventions block the water and sediment flow, damage the reef, and use living corals as construction material. This PhD research aims to bridge the gap between environmental, coral and human responses towards climate change adaptation by developing an architectural design framework that serves as a guideline when expanding land in the water of atoll environments. The significance of this PhD lies in the fact that it incorporates corals as fundamental, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy, School of Eng & Built Env, Griffith Sciences

Achieving the objectives of sustainable development in water and agri-food systems requires the utilisation of decision-support tools in stakeholder-driven processes to construct and simulate various scenarios and evaluate the outcomes of associated policy interventions. While it is common practice to involve stakeholders in participatory modelling processes, their comprehensive documentation and the lessons learned remain scarce. In this paper, we share our experience of engaging stakeholders throughout the entire system dynamics modelling process. We draw on two projects implemented in the Volta River Basin, West Africa, to understand the dynamics of water and agri-food systems under changing environmental and socioeconomic conditions. We outline eight key insights and lessons as practical guides derived from each stage of the participatory modelling process, including the pre-workshop stage, problem definition, model conceptualization, simulation model formulation, model testing and verification, and policy design and evaluation. Our findings demonstrate that stakeholders can actively contribute to all phases of the system dynamics modelling process, including parameter estimation, sensitivity analysis, and numerical simulation experiments. However, we encountered notable challenges, including the time-intensive nature of the process, the struggle to reach a consensus on the modelled problem, and the difficulty of translating the conceptual model into a simulation model using stock and flow diagrams – all of which were addressed through a structured facilitation process. While the projects were anchored in the specific context of West Africa, the key lessons and insights highlighted have broader significance, particularly for researchers employing PSDM in regions characterised by multifaceted human-environmental systems and where stakeholder involvement is crucial for holistic understanding and effective policy interventions. This paper contributes practical guid

Over the past century, capitalism has dominated as the socioeconomic system. While profit-centric companies drive global innovation, they often focus on short-term profits, disregarding the broader context. Research suggests that proactive quality improvement, coupled with precise goal setting, enhances corporate performance and aligns strategies within the company. This study explores methods for enhancing goal setting within a medium-sized Swedish firm, offering a blueprint for implementation. The study has a normative approach and utilizes qualitative semi-structured interviews alongside quantitative elements. Insights from interviews underscored the need for enhanced communication, modified goal setting at departmental and individual levels, and clearly defined, measurable KPIs to ensure efforts towards clear objectives. The Balanced Scorecard appears as a valuable tool for translating vision and strategy into actionable objectives and KPIs. The Balanced Scorecard can monitor across financial, customer, process, and learning perspectives, all connected to the organization's vision and strategy., Under det senaste århundradet har kapitalism dominerat som det socioekonomiska systemet. Även om företag med vinstintresse bidrar till den globala innovationskraften, så fokuserar de ofta på kortsiktiga resultat, i stället för att fokusera på den holistiska bilden, företagets aktiviteter eller systemkomponenterna. Studier visar att implementering av offensiv kvalitetsutveckling med en tydlig måldelning ökar företagsprestanda och hjälper företag förankra målsättningarna med företagets strategi och affärsplan. Fallstudien undersöker därför hur ett svenskt medelstort företag kan förbättra sin måldelning. Dessutom presenteras ett implementeringsförslag till fallstudieobjektet som de kan använda som inspiration för att initiera dialog. Metoden applicerar ett normativt förhållningssätt, vilket innebär att studien är vägledande och datainsamlingsmetoden inriktade sig på kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer, med kvantitativa inslag, med en hög grad av standardisering. Intervjumaterialet motiverade bland annat att det finns en önskan om förbättrad kommunikation, tydligare och mer anpassade mål på avdelnings- och individnivå, samt bättre definierade och mätbara nyckeltal. Detta för att garantera att hela organisationen arbetar mot gemensamma övergripande mål. Ett verktyg som skulle kunna hjälpa till att bryta ner vision och strategi till målsättningar och nyckeltal är balanserade styrkort. Styrkort utvecklar, visualiserar och tillser nyckeltal i måldelningsprocessen. Balanserade styrkort används för att styra verksamheten genom att mäta prestationer inom fyra olika områden: det finansiella perspektivet, kundperspektivet, processperspektivet och lärandeperspektivet. Dessa perspektiv är sammanlänkade genom att de alla baseras på organisationens vision och strategi.

Applying the principles of systems thinking in the evolution of energy systems is a crucial approach to meet the long-term horizons of goals in the energy sector. Through a participatory approach, this paper outlines what we view as the trends shaping the current development of the energy sector; the challenges we must face as a result, and the transitions required to tackle them.Furthermore, we discuss how systems thinking can address these challenges through changing not the components, but rather their relationships and structures. Contributing to the emerging stream of literature applying more holistic approaches to energy transitions, in contrast to more linear systems modelling. We provide innovative insights into how future energy systems could be designed to become more regenerative, resilient, empowering, whilst technologically- and economically feasible; to overcome the challenges of carbon lock-in effects and carbon capture, the rebound effects of efficiency strategies, and social sustainability for just transitions., Innovation Management for Resilient Energy Systems

Infrastructure developments depend on decision makers’ perceptions of the particular policy issue and a preferred future state. The complex relationship between accessibility and rural development and the long periods from problem recognition to transport infrastructure realisations bring further uncertainty into regional planning. Therefore, government and public administration tend to rely on narratives to explain the policy issue and to transfer their perspectives into the policy process. However, oversimplified narratives unduly limit the understanding of the problem and so the choice of solutions. This paper aims therefore to contribute to an understanding of the recognition of accessibility and transport infrastructure as a policy problem for sustainable regional development in rural areas. It investigates the narrative that emerges from local officials’ perceptions about a future society, reasons for sustainable growth and the collaboration at the local and regional levels in central Sweden. The analysis details the four key perspectives of the narrative: local people, work and leisure, an urban neighbourhood and public transport services. The findings stress the narrative’s lack of oversight and inclusion that accounts for societies’ heterogeneity. In particular, the analysis expounds a remarkable faceless story that conveys a prevalent lack of understanding of stakeholder needs and the role of critical infrastructure for societal development in rural areas., Validerad;2024;Nivå 2;2024-08-05 (hanlid);Full text license: CC BY;Funder: Municipality of Sundsvall; Municipality of Härnösand; Municipality of Timrå, Municipality of Ånge; Municipality of Nordanstig; Municipality of Hudiksvall

Infrastructure developments depend on decision makers' perceptions of the particular policy issue and a preferred future state. The complex relationship between accessibility and rural development and the long periods from problem recognition to transport infrastructure realisations bring further uncertainty into regional planning. Therefore, government and public administration tend to rely on narratives to explain the policy issue and to transfer their perspectives into the policy process. However, oversimplified narratives unduly limit the understanding of the problem and so the choice of solutions. This paper aims therefore to contribute to an understanding of the recognition of accessibility and transport infrastructure as a policy problem for sustainable regional development in rural areas. It investigates the narrative that emerges from local officials' perceptions about a future society, reasons for sustainable growth and the collaboration at the local and regional levels in central Sweden. The analysis details the four key perspectives of the narrative: local people, work and leisure, an urban neighbourhood and public transport services. The findings stress the narrative's lack of oversight and inclusion that accounts for societies' heterogeneity. In particular, the analysis expounds a remarkable faceless story that conveys a prevalent lack of understanding of stakeholder needs and the role of critical infrastructure for societal development in rural areas.

Designers’ roles are at a turning point of transforming design from an expert-driven design process within an assumed social and economic order to design practices that advocate design-led societal transition toward more sustainable futures. Design education should be adapted accordingly. Introducing the transition design concept into established design education promotes the sustainable society transition by involving more systems thinking from designers in various sectors. This study reports on a pilot practice and reflection on introducing the transition design concept to design students.

Infrastructure owners face challenges in effective maintenance decision-making due to the process's multidisciplinary nature, spanning mathematics to cognitive science. This study delves into enhancing maintenance for complex infrastructure systems, specifically in scenarios where a single primary owner must consider the preferences and requisites of multiple stakeholders. In such unstructured problems characterised by diverse perspectives and potentially conflicting interests in uncertain environments, systematic decision analysis is paramount. In response, this paper proposes a generic conceptual model to outline the primary critical consideration of decision-making through a holistic scheme of the decision problem; it facilitates discovering shared views when defining the decision problem, eliciting objectives early in the decision-making process, and ensuring that selected agendas align with desired outcomes and core values. It provides valuable guidance for decision-modellers in infrastructure rehabilitation. These claims are reinforced with the application of the proposed model to case studies, illustrating its practicality in real-world settings., QC 20240912

Applying the principles of systems thinking in the evolution of energy systems is a crucial approach to meet the long-term horizons of goals in the energy sector. Through a participatory approach, this paper outlines what we view as the trends shaping the current development of the energy sector; the challenges we must face as a result, and the transitions required to tackle them.Furthermore, we discuss how systems thinking can address these challenges through changing not the components, but rather their relationships and structures. Contributing to the emerging stream of literature applying more holistic approaches to energy transitions, in contrast to more linear systems modelling. We provide innovative insights into how future energy systems could be designed to become more regenerative, resilient, empowering, whilst technologically- and economically feasible; to overcome the challenges of carbon lock-in effects and carbon capture, the rebound effects of efficiency strategies, and social sustainability for just transitions., Innovation Management for Resilient Energy Systems

This paper positions urban ecology as increasingly conversant with multiple perspectives and methods for understanding the functions and qualities of diverse cities and urban situations. Despite progress in the field, we need clear pathways for positioning, connecting and synthesising specific knowledge and to make it speak to more systemic questions about cities and the life within them. These pathways need to be able to make use of diverse sources of information to better account for the diverse relations between people, other species and the ecological, social, cultural, economic, technical and increasingly digital structures that they are embedded in. Grounded in a description of the systemic knowledge needed, we propose five complementary and often connected approaches for building cumulative systemic understandings, and a framework for connecting and combining different methods and evidence. The approaches and the framework help position urban ecology and other fields of study as entry points to further advance interdisciplinary synthesis and open up new fields of research.

Aligning investments with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been a longstanding ambition for many private investors. The assessment of corporate impact on the SDGs is not a trivial task, and most present-day attempts often overlook SDG interactions, and lack scientific anchoring and transparency. We present an evidence-based review approach for investors to assess sector-level impacts on individual SDGs, and score these using a traffic-light system. Our initial review documents impacts of 81 economic sectors on SDGs 1-16. Results show that environmental SDGs are impacted negatively by most economic sectors, and that primary sector activities negatively impact the highest number of SDGs. Using the agricultural sector as a case, we draw on Causal Loop methodology to illustrate spillovers resulting from SDG interactions. Our findings point to three key considerations of relevance for sustainable investment strategies; the necessity to capture ‘impact shadows’, spillovers across SDGs, and the hierarchical nature of the SDGs.

Applying the principles of systems thinking in the evolution of energy systems is a crucial approach to meet the long-term horizons of goals in the energy sector. Through a participatory approach, this paper outlines what we view as the trends shaping the current development of the energy sector; the challenges we must face as a result, and the transitions required to tackle them.Furthermore, we discuss how systems thinking can address these challenges through changing not the components, but rather their relationships and structures. Contributing to the emerging stream of literature applying more holistic approaches to energy transitions, in contrast to more linear systems modelling. We provide innovative insights into how future energy systems could be designed to become more regenerative, resilient, empowering, whilst technologically- and economically feasible; to overcome the challenges of carbon lock-in effects and carbon capture, the rebound effects of efficiency strategies, and social sustainability for just transitions., Innovation Management for Resilient Energy Systems

Applying the principles of systems thinking in the evolution of energy systems is a crucial approach to meet the long-term horizons of goals in the energy sector. Through a participatory approach, this paper outlines what we view as the trends shaping the current development of the energy sector; the challenges we must face as a result, and the transitions required to tackle them.Furthermore, we discuss how systems thinking can address these challenges through changing not the components, but rather their relationships and structures. Contributing to the emerging stream of literature applying more holistic approaches to energy transitions, in contrast to more linear systems modelling. We provide innovative insights into how future energy systems could be designed to become more regenerative, resilient, empowering, whilst technologically- and economically feasible; to overcome the challenges of carbon lock-in effects and carbon capture, the rebound effects of efficiency strategies, and social sustainability for just transitions., Innovation Management for Resilient Energy Systems

Infrastructure developments depend on decision makers' perceptions of the particular policy issue and a preferred future state. The complex relationship between accessibility and rural development and the long periods from problem recognition to transport infrastructure realisations bring further uncertainty into regional planning. Therefore, government and public administration tend to rely on narratives to explain the policy issue and to transfer their perspectives into the policy process. However, oversimplified narratives unduly limit the understanding of the problem and so the choice of solutions. This paper aims therefore to contribute to an understanding of the recognition of accessibility and transport infrastructure as a policy problem for sustainable regional development in rural areas. It investigates the narrative that emerges from local officials' perceptions about a future society, reasons for sustainable growth and the collaboration at the local and regional levels in central Sweden. The analysis details the four key perspectives of the narrative: local people, work and leisure, an urban neighbourhood and public transport services. The findings stress the narrative's lack of oversight and inclusion that accounts for societies' heterogeneity. In particular, the analysis expounds a remarkable faceless story that conveys a prevalent lack of understanding of stakeholder needs and the role of critical infrastructure for societal development in rural areas.

Infrastructure developments depend on decision makers’ perceptions of the particular policy issue and a preferred future state. The complex relationship between accessibility and rural development and the long periods from problem recognition to transport infrastructure realisations bring further uncertainty into regional planning. Therefore, government and public administration tend to rely on narratives to explain the policy issue and to transfer their perspectives into the policy process. However, oversimplified narratives unduly limit the understanding of the problem and so the choice of solutions. This paper aims therefore to contribute to an understanding of the recognition of accessibility and transport infrastructure as a policy problem for sustainable regional development in rural areas. It investigates the narrative that emerges from local officials’ perceptions about a future society, reasons for sustainable growth and the collaboration at the local and regional levels in central Sweden. The analysis details the four key perspectives of the narrative: local people, work and leisure, an urban neighbourhood and public transport services. The findings stress the narrative’s lack of oversight and inclusion that accounts for societies’ heterogeneity. In particular, the analysis expounds a remarkable faceless story that conveys a prevalent lack of understanding of stakeholder needs and the role of critical infrastructure for societal development in rural areas., Validerad;2024;Nivå 2;2024-08-05 (hanlid);Full text license: CC BY;Funder: Municipality of Sundsvall; Municipality of Härnösand; Municipality of Timrå, Municipality of Ånge; Municipality of Nordanstig; Municipality of Hudiksvall

This study investigates tourism social enterprises' challenges, strategies, and opportunities for regenerative tourism. Social movement theory was used to analyze fifty-seven social entrepreneur interviews. Three stages were identified: Inspiration – factors driving the creation and innovation of these enterprises; Sustaining – obstacles and strategies for long-term success; Exploring and participating in regenerative tourism – obstacles and strategies for engagement. The Systems Thinking and Feedback Loop created by regenerative tourism was illuminated by the study participants. Theoretical implications include the first use of social movement theory, systems thinking, and feedback loop together as a framework named the Regenerative Tourism Social Movement Theory Model. Practical recommendations include strategies for selecting like-minded business partners and ways to educate tourists (both overt and covert) about the benefits of a regenerative mindset.

This study explores the barriers to cross-sector collaboration among NGOs, for-profit organizations, PBCs, social enterprise and public entities within the plastic industry, aiming to identify the challenges hindering the transition towards a holistic circular economy. The research investigates the complex dynamics and interconnected factors that impede collaborative efforts in addressing the global plastic pollution crisis. Employing a qualitative approach, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with actors representing various sectors and roles within the plastic value chain. The research design involved a thematic analysis of the interview data, guided by the theoretical frameworks of Social Network Theory, Systems Thinking, and Innovation. This approach allowed for a comprehensive examination of the barriers to cross-sector collaboration, considering the interplay of power dynamics, economic priorities, and the lack of feasible, scalable solutions. The findings reveal three major barriers: power imbalances and disconnect among actors within the plastic industry network, the prioritization of profit over sustainability in the current economic system, and the absence of realistic, feasible solutions that can be implemented on a large scale across the entire value chain. The study highlights the necessity of fostering an inclusive environment, shifting mindsets, and developing innovative, scalable solutions to overcome these barriers. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex challenges in achieving cross-sector collaboration and provide valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers working towards a sustainable future in the plastic industry.

Recent efforts mitigating the global energy crisis has led to a radical shifttowards solar energy production. However, photovoltaic module (PVM) waste remains a grave concern. Burden shifting within a system is attributed to the lack of systems thinking applied in socio-technical transitions. Policies describe the processes for end-of-life management such as recycling, yet in practice leaves room for improvement. This paper aims to aid decision-makers with a systems perspective examining the barriers to increased recycling of PVMs. A comparative case study using qualitative data was collected from 12 semi structured interviews in South Africa and Sweden. Interviewees were recognized as key actors in the solar energy transition, as well as having a role to play in recycling PVMs. Using systems thinking approach, the interview results were used to define and visualize a social-technological-ecological system (STES), as well as its components and their relationships contained therein. The STES for Sweden included 12 components with 15 different relationships. Whereas South Africa’s systems included 13 components and 25 different relationships, owing to the addition of the ‘Social equity’ component and several more relationships within the social subsystem, extending to the technological subsystem. Barriers, where connections between components were disconnected, were interpreted. Despite the stark contrast between South Africa and Sweden’s landscapes and regimes, the pathways to bridge barriers are relatively the same. These include implementing economic instruments to encourage recycling, circular design of PVMs, and enhancing the information, knowledge and skills of recycling processes. The transition’s maturity was an overarching theme influencing the broader state of the system. Further research on the cognitive dissonance of sustainability transitions and the long-term impacts, as well as cause and effects relationships between components, and refining component d

Over the past century, capitalism has dominated as the socioeconomic system. While profit-centric companies drive global innovation, they often focus on short-term profits, disregarding the broader context. Research suggests that proactive quality improvement, coupled with precise goal setting, enhances corporate performance and aligns strategies within the company. This study explores methods for enhancing goal setting within a medium-sized Swedish firm, offering a blueprint for implementation. The study has a normative approach and utilizes qualitative semi-structured interviews alongside quantitative elements. Insights from interviews underscored the need for enhanced communication, modified goal setting at departmental and individual levels, and clearly defined, measurable KPIs to ensure efforts towards clear objectives. The Balanced Scorecard appears as a valuable tool for translating vision and strategy into actionable objectives and KPIs. The Balanced Scorecard can monitor across financial, customer, process, and learning perspectives, all connected to the organization's vision and strategy., Under det senaste århundradet har kapitalism dominerat som det socioekonomiska systemet. Även om företag med vinstintresse bidrar till den globala innovationskraften, så fokuserar de ofta på kortsiktiga resultat, i stället för att fokusera på den holistiska bilden, företagets aktiviteter eller systemkomponenterna. Studier visar att implementering av offensiv kvalitetsutveckling med en tydlig måldelning ökar företagsprestanda och hjälper företag förankra målsättningarna med företagets strategi och affärsplan. Fallstudien undersöker därför hur ett svenskt medelstort företag kan förbättra sin måldelning. Dessutom presenteras ett implementeringsförslag till fallstudieobjektet som de kan använda som inspiration för att initiera dialog. Metoden applicerar ett normativt förhållningssätt, vilket innebär att studien är vägledande och datainsamlingsmetoden inriktade sig på kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer, med kvantitativa inslag, med en hög grad av standardisering. Intervjumaterialet motiverade bland annat att det finns en önskan om förbättrad kommunikation, tydligare och mer anpassade mål på avdelnings- och individnivå, samt bättre definierade och mätbara nyckeltal. Detta för att garantera att hela organisationen arbetar mot gemensamma övergripande mål. Ett verktyg som skulle kunna hjälpa till att bryta ner vision och strategi till målsättningar och nyckeltal är balanserade styrkort. Styrkort utvecklar, visualiserar och tillser nyckeltal i måldelningsprocessen. Balanserade styrkort används för att styra verksamheten genom att mäta prestationer inom fyra olika områden: det finansiella perspektivet, kundperspektivet, processperspektivet och lärandeperspektivet. Dessa perspektiv är sammanlänkade genom att de alla baseras på organisationens vision och strategi.

Infrastructure developments depend on decision makers' perceptions of the particular policy issue and a preferred future state. The complex relationship between accessibility and rural development and the long periods from problem recognition to transport infrastructure realisations bring further uncertainty into regional planning. Therefore, government and public administration tend to rely on narratives to explain the policy issue and to transfer their perspectives into the policy process. However, oversimplified narratives unduly limit the understanding of the problem and so the choice of solutions. This paper aims therefore to contribute to an understanding of the recognition of accessibility and transport infrastructure as a policy problem for sustainable regional development in rural areas. It investigates the narrative that emerges from local officials' perceptions about a future society, reasons for sustainable growth and the collaboration at the local and regional levels in central Sweden. The analysis details the four key perspectives of the narrative: local people, work and leisure, an urban neighbourhood and public transport services. The findings stress the narrative's lack of oversight and inclusion that accounts for societies' heterogeneity. In particular, the analysis expounds a remarkable faceless story that conveys a prevalent lack of understanding of stakeholder needs and the role of critical infrastructure for societal development in rural areas.

The starting point for developing teaching abilities is the experiences that you have of the object of learning. To prepare student teachers for teaching technology in a digital-intensive society, research related to their experiences of phenomenon such as programmed technological artefacts is important. A phenomenon that they in their future technology teaching implement as a learning object. Therefore, more knowledge is needed about student teachers understanding of programmed technological artefacts in everyday life.To describe the different ways in which student teachers experience programmed technological artefacts, such as elevators, tumble dryers, traffic lights, and keyboards, we used a phenomenographic approach. Semi-structured interviews with eight student teachers in primary teacher education were conducted to find the variation in their experiences. This resulted in experiences described as: 1) the physical interface, 2) components as parts of a process, 3) connected, controlled, and regulated components, and 4) components as and in a system.Aspects essential for understanding programmed technological artefacts are related to computational thinking, systems thinking and the dual nature of technology. For student teachers to understand these artefacts, aspects from all three dimension need to be discerned. A problem is that student teachers in this study discerned only a few aspects of the phenomenon that they themselves will be teaching about.

Rebound Effects (RE) are systemic responses that are relentless in hindering the achievement of the intended effects of sustainability actions. Despite the wide recognition of RE, the limited understanding of the underlying causal structures sustaining RE hampers the ability to anticipate, prevent, and tackle them. This paper describes various structures leading to RE based on qualitative system dynamics (SD) modelling using causal loop diagrams (CLD). More specifically, to demonstrate the use of CLDs for RE, 26 rebound mechanisms were modelled and organised in a comprehensive catalogue of mechanisms. Two generic rebound mechanisms are derived from the catalogue, depicting RE as either (1) reinforcing loops acting against quick fixes to control local resource consumption or (2) balancing reactions in the opposite direction of attempts to control local resource consumption leading to escalation behaviour. Four research contributions highlight how this research's results support a systemic view on RE, the natural evolutionary step required to understand and manage its occurrence.

Rebound Effects (RE) are systemic responses that are relentlessly hindering the achievement of sustainability actions’ intended effects. Despite the wide recognition of RE, the limited understanding of the underlying causal structures sustaining their occurrence hampers the ability to anticipate, prevent, and tackle them. To explore how feedback thinking can explain the occurrence of RE, this paper describes the structure of 26 rebound mechanisms based on qualitative system dynamics (SD) modelling using causal loop diagrams (CLD). Apart from a comprehensive catalogue of mechanisms, the elicitation of two generic rebound mechanisms reveals that RE are either the result of (1) reinforcing loops acting against quick fixes to control local resource consumption or (2) balancing reactions in the opposite direction of attempts to control local resource consumption leading to escalation behaviour. Four contributions highlight how this research supports a systemic view on RE, the natural evolutionary step required to understand and manage its occurrence.

This study explores the barriers to cross-sector collaboration among NGOs, for-profit organizations, PBCs, social enterprise and public entities within the plastic industry, aiming to identify the challenges hindering the transition towards a holistic circular economy. The research investigates the complex dynamics and interconnected factors that impede collaborative efforts in addressing the global plastic pollution crisis. Employing a qualitative approach, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with actors representing various sectors and roles within the plastic value chain. The research design involved a thematic analysis of the interview data, guided by the theoretical frameworks of Social Network Theory, Systems Thinking, and Innovation. This approach allowed for a comprehensive examination of the barriers to cross-sector collaboration, considering the interplay of power dynamics, economic priorities, and the lack of feasible, scalable solutions. The findings reveal three major barriers: power imbalances and disconnect among actors within the plastic industry network, the prioritization of profit over sustainability in the current economic system, and the absence of realistic, feasible solutions that can be implemented on a large scale across the entire value chain. The study highlights the necessity of fostering an inclusive environment, shifting mindsets, and developing innovative, scalable solutions to overcome these barriers. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex challenges in achieving cross-sector collaboration and provide valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers working towards a sustainable future in the plastic industry.

Infrastructure developments depend on decision makers' perceptions of the particular policy issue and a preferred future state. The complex relationship between accessibility and rural development and the long periods from problem recognition to transport infrastructure realisations bring further uncertainty into regional planning. Therefore, government and public administration tend to rely on narratives to explain the policy issue and to transfer their perspectives into the policy process. However, oversimplified narratives unduly limit the understanding of the problem and so the choice of solutions. This paper aims therefore to contribute to an understanding of the recognition of accessibility and transport infrastructure as a policy problem for sustainable regional development in rural areas. It investigates the narrative that emerges from local officials' perceptions about a future society, reasons for sustainable growth and the collaboration at the local and regional levels in central Sweden. The analysis details the four key perspectives of the narrative: local people, work and leisure, an urban neighbourhood and public transport services. The findings stress the narrative's lack of oversight and inclusion that accounts for societies' heterogeneity. In particular, the analysis expounds a remarkable faceless story that conveys a prevalent lack of understanding of stakeholder needs and the role of critical infrastructure for societal development in rural areas.

Infrastructure developments depend on decision makers' perceptions of the particular policy issue and a preferred future state. The complex relationship between accessibility and rural development and the long periods from problem recognition to transport infrastructure realisations bring further uncertainty into regional planning. Therefore, government and public administration tend to rely on narratives to explain the policy issue and to transfer their perspectives into the policy process. However, oversimplified narratives unduly limit the understanding of the problem and so the choice of solutions. This paper aims therefore to contribute to an understanding of the recognition of accessibility and transport infrastructure as a policy problem for sustainable regional development in rural areas. It investigates the narrative that emerges from local officials' perceptions about a future society, reasons for sustainable growth and the collaboration at the local and regional levels in central Sweden. The analysis details the four key perspectives of the narrative: local people, work and leisure, an urban neighbourhood and public transport services. The findings stress the narrative's lack of oversight and inclusion that accounts for societies' heterogeneity. In particular, the analysis expounds a remarkable faceless story that conveys a prevalent lack of understanding of stakeholder needs and the role of critical infrastructure for societal development in rural areas.

Recent efforts mitigating the global energy crisis has led to a radical shifttowards solar energy production. However, photovoltaic module (PVM) waste remains a grave concern. Burden shifting within a system is attributed to the lack of systems thinking applied in socio-technical transitions. Policies describe the processes for end-of-life management such as recycling, yet in practice leaves room for improvement. This paper aims to aid decision-makers with a systems perspective examining the barriers to increased recycling of PVMs. A comparative case study using qualitative data was collected from 12 semi structured interviews in South Africa and Sweden. Interviewees were recognized as key actors in the solar energy transition, as well as having a role to play in recycling PVMs. Using systems thinking approach, the interview results were used to define and visualize a social-technological-ecological system (STES), as well as its components and their relationships contained therein. The STES for Sweden included 12 components with 15 different relationships. Whereas South Africa’s systems included 13 components and 25 different relationships, owing to the addition of the ‘Social equity’ component and several more relationships within the social subsystem, extending to the technological subsystem. Barriers, where connections between components were disconnected, were interpreted. Despite the stark contrast between South Africa and Sweden’s landscapes and regimes, the pathways to bridge barriers are relatively the same. These include implementing economic instruments to encourage recycling, circular design of PVMs, and enhancing the information, knowledge and skills of recycling processes. The transition’s maturity was an overarching theme influencing the broader state of the system. Further research on the cognitive dissonance of sustainability transitions and the long-term impacts, as well as cause and effects relationships between components, and refining component d

Designers’ roles are at a turning point of transforming design from an expert-driven design process within an assumed social and economic order to design practices that advocate design-led societal transition toward more sustainable futures. Design education should be adapted accordingly. Introducing the transition design concept into established design education promotes the sustainable society transition by involving more systems thinking from designers in various sectors. This study reports on a pilot practice and reflection on introducing the transition design concept to design students.

Designers’ roles are at a turning point of transforming design from an expert-driven design process within an assumed social and economic order to design practices that advocate design-led societal transition toward more sustainable futures. Design education should be adapted accordingly. Introducing the transition design concept into established design education promotes the sustainable society transition by involving more systems thinking from designers in various sectors. This study reports on a pilot practice and reflection on introducing the transition design concept to design students.

Transitioning towards more plant-based protein diets is essential for public and planetary health. Current research about consumption practices of protein sources provides limited insight in the multidisciplinary nature and interconnectivity of the food environment. This study aimed to collect mental models of review authors by synthesizing both their implicit and explicit system views into an overarching system view. Published reviews were used to select participants and identify variables that explain the protein transition in relation to the food environment. To overcome differences in disciplines and scale levels (e.g. individual, interpersonal, environmental), variables were organized according to the Determinants of Nutrition and Eating Framework. Eight review authors shared their mental models in an interview. Participants were asked to construct a causal loop diagram (CLD), a tool proven valuable in making one's ontology explicit to others. Implicit system views in narrative were converted into CLDs using a coding framework. The overarching system view suggests that a multitude of feedback loops sustain current consumption patterns of protein sources, for example by reinforcement through habit, availability and peer support. Several aspects require further research, such as variable relationships that were subject to disagreement and the lack of reciprocity between the physical and social elements of the food environment. In addition, knowledge gaps were exposed, including long-term behaviour and interaction of multiple variables. As a boundary object, the overarching system view can facilitate the direction of future research. The findings underscore the interconnected nature of many disparate elements within the food environment, stressing the need for holistic methods like systems thinking. These are essential in developing a systemic understanding and facilitating the transition towards more plant-based diets.

Umberta Telfener is a highly respected figure known for her diverse contributions to various facets of family and systemic therapy. Her leadership style has earned her a reputation as somewhat of a ‘cultural anthropologist,’ reflecting her aptitude for creating connections, establishing relationships, and developing partnerships. Her unique ‘Umberta style’ is known for boundless energy, active leadership, and fierce commitment to challenging the status quo. Despite being in office for just a year at the European Family Therapy Association (EFTA), Umberta has conceived and developed numerous projects, establishing networks with practitioners, and systemic thinkers across the world. Rooted in classical philosophical training, her pursuit aligns with the systematic study of fundamental questions about existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language. Umberta's role reminds one of a ‘Chasqui,’ a Quechua term for a ‘messenger,’ which aptly describes her agile networking skills. She actively communicates and shares vital messages, supporting the international community of systemic practitioners. This paper is based on an in-person conversation held in July 2023 at Umberta's country home in Tuscany. Our discussion delves into her extensive professional experience, from training at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic, being mentored by Boscolo and Cecchin in Milan, to her leadership role as the current EFTA president. Umberta reflects on early pioneers who influenced her thinking and her impactful work with systems.

While great strides have been made on the road to curricular environmental education, more needs to be done to explore how to include effective global education in our classrooms. Awareness is the engine of change towards the challenges we face, and the promotion of reflection, citizen engagement and a critical attitude towards our environment is the main weapon for transformation. The aim of the following article is twofold. Initially, after indicating the principles of environmental education, the role of language and the environment in different areas of education is detailed, such as in the Curriculum Plan of the Cervantes Institute, the laws regulating compulsory education and the Baccalaureate, the CLIL methodology and practical studies on environmental education in the foreign language classroom. Subsequently, a didactic unit consisting of 5 activities is presented through what we will call a system of gears, in order to demonstrate that each action has repercussions on the other elements of the chain within a cyclical process, and dedicated to university students of Spanish as a foreign language. The methodology will be the task-based approach and group work. The aim is to promote the transversality of environmental contents in language classes from a holistic, critical and plural point of view through a change of paradigm, and thus contribute to the development of environmental education of foreign students through a comprehensive practice of the Spanish language based on reflection and content analysis., Si bien el camino hacia la educación ambiental curricular ha realizado grandes avances, es necesario seguir estudiando el modo de incluir una educación planetaria eficaz en nuestras aulas. La toma de conciencia es el motor de cambio hacia los retos que se nos plantean, y el fomento de la reflexión, el compromiso ciudadano y una actitud crítica en relación con nuestro entorno, se configuran como el arma principal para la transformación. El objetivo del siguiente artículo posee dos vertientes. Inicialmente, después de indicar los principios de la educación ambiental, se detalla el papel de la lengua y el medioambiente en diferentes ámbitos de la enseñanza, como en el Plan curricular del Instituto Cervantes, las leyes que regulan la enseñanza obligatoria y el Bachillerato, la metodología AICLE/CLIL y los estudios prácticos sobre educación ambiental en clase de lengua extranjera. Posteriormente, se presenta una unidad didáctica compuesta de 5 actividades a través de lo que llamaremos sistema de engranajes, con el fin de demostrar que cada acción repercute en los otros elementos de la cadena dentro de un proceso cíclico, y dedicada a estudiantes universitarios de español como lengua extranjera. La metodología será el enfoque por tareas y el trabajo en grupo. Todo ello, con el propósito de fomentar la transversalidad de los contenidos ambientales en clase de lengua desde un punto de vista holístico, crítico y plural a través de un cambio de paradigma, y contribuir así al desarrollo de la educación ambiental del alumnado extranjero a través de una práctica integral de la lengua española basada en la reflexión y análisis de contenidos.., Si de grands progrès ont été réalisés sur la voie de l'éducation à l'environnement dans les programmes scolaires, il reste encore beaucoup à faire pour explorer les moyens d'inclure une éducation mondiale efficace dans nos salles de classe. La prise de conscience est le moteur du changement face aux défis auxquels nous sommes confrontés, et la promotion de la réflexion, de l'engagement citoyen et d'une attitude critique à l'égard de notre environnement est l'arme principale de la transformation. L'objectif de l'article suivant est double. Dans un premier temps, après avoir indiqué les principes de l'éducation à l'environnement, le rôle de la langue et de l'environnement dans différents domaines de l'éducation est détaillé, notamment dans le plan de programme de l'Institut Cervantes, les lois régissant l'enseignement obligatoire et le baccalauréat, la méthodologie EMILE et les études pratiques sur l'éducation à l'environnement dans la classe de langue étrangère. Par la suite, une unité didactique composée de 5 activités est présentée à travers ce que nous appellerons un système d'engrenages, afin de démontrer que chaque action entraîne des répercussions sur les autres éléments de la chaîne au sein d'un processus cyclique, et destinée aux étudiants universitaires d'espagnol langue étrangère. La méthodologie utilisée sera l'approche par tâches et le travail en groupe. L'objectif est de promouvoir la transversalité des contenus environnementaux dans les cours de langue d'un point de vue holistique, critique et pluriel à travers un changement de paradigme, et de contribuer ainsi au développement de l'éducation environnementale des étudiants étrangers à travers une pratique intégrale de la langue espagnole basée sur la réflexion et l'analyse de contenu.

Society is facing a critical point of unsustainability, urging the need to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy (CE). This transition not only addresses pressing issues but also unlocks new business opportunities. However, the lack of clarity around its specifics leaves many businesses uncertain about how to best respond, navigate, and adapt to this change. The design and innovation agency IN10 is committed to contributing to this transition by bridging this gap. Specializing in digital design, they collaborate with clients to create positive, future-oriented, user-centered service solutions. As the company has recognized the value of co-creation sessions to drive transformations, it seeks to expand its service offerings to encompass the circular economy context. This graduation project revolves around their creative problem-solving approach. It aims to define the innovation mindset IN10 should embrace to design for the CE transformation and explores how this mindset can be applied in a co-creation session. Following a learning-by-doing approach involving exploration, analysis, and creation phases, the project delves into various innovation strategies, business barriers, and conceptual metaphors to develop a comprehensive understanding of the circular economy and the type of thinking required to achieve this. An examination reveals that the prevailing technocratic narrative of the circular economy overlooks vital aspects of the transition, making it too narrow to rely on exclusively. Therefore, this project proposes to adopt the Living Ecosystem Mindset, which conceptualizes the circular economy through the metaphor of a forest and addresses the limitations of the technocratic perspective. This holistic view embraces ecological and social values, draws inspiration from nature’s open-ended and flexible cycles, and integrates social sustainability considerations. Furthermore, it redefines the purpose of the circular economy, Strategic Product Design

Whilst policymaking will always remain a highly political process, especially amidst crises, evidence-based pandemic management can benefit from adopting a socioecological perspective that integrates multi- and trans-disciplinary insights: from biology, biomedicine, mathematics, statistics, social and behavioural sciences, as well as the perspectives and experiences of non-scientific stakeholders. We make a case for an “integrated inter- and transdisciplinarity” that overcomes the typical additive nature of current interdisciplinary work and better captures the inherent complexity of public health and other public policy problems. We propose systems science and systems thinking approaches as a useful meta-theoretical, self-reflecting approach for such integration to take place. Enabled by systems thinking, the praxis of “integrated inter- and transdisciplinarity” allows for an understanding of public health crises in a human-centred socio-ecological perspective. This grounds more holistic policy responses, which by mobilising the whole of government and whole of society, put individuals, groups, governments and society at large in critical dialogue to co-produce and co-design interventions that address crises in all their physical, social, psychological, economic and political dimensions., SCOPUS: no.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

In this paper we show the experimental results obtained in the constructive process of the research project "Big Data. Organizational Aspects (Open Data) and Development of New Creative Abilities (Visual Cartographies, Geolocation and Wearables)", funded by the Complutense University of Madrid and the Santander Group during 2017-2018. The theoretical objective of the proposal is to research the situation of a set of artistic practices that are based on the use of Big Data. The project collects information on a series of systems and artefacts capable of transmitting emotions, experiences and meaning by implementing an open epistemological framework where art, science and technology coexist productively. To define the experiential part of the project, we use data associated with the physiological and relational information provided by living organisms. Our benchmark is the organized matter that configures the human body on the physicality and functional processes that define its variable behaviour over time. To register this activity we incorporate biosensors to our system. The information they provide is key in order to define the proposal: the location of the data provenance, the computer system’s capacity to process and visualize them in real time, and the author’s data interpretation to develop aesthetic-functional systems and formalize living interactive spaces. In this context, we propose three conceptual and operative models for incorporating Big Data into creative processes. In the first one we work with the visualizations provided by the applications programming interfaces (APIs) used in collecting body data. We analyse the signal visual representations and construe the results taking into account the ranges and sampling methodologies proposed in each case. In the second one we focus on the user interface and put forward human-machine interaction models. For this purpose we choose the appropriate biosensors for each situation and provide them with the specifi, Depto. de Dibujo y Grabado, Fac. de Bellas Artes, TRUE, pub

The aim of this doctoral thesis is to analyze ethical issues in the adoption and implementation of Vision Zero policies. The first article analyses criticisms against Vision Zero goals and measures promoted to reach them. We identify and assess “moral”, “operational”, and “rationality-based” arguments against Vision Zero. In total, thirteen different criticisms are analyzed. The second article seeks to reconcile the two major decision-making principles in road safety work, i.e., Cost Benefit Analysis and Vision Zero, which are often viewed as incompatible. We argue that the two principles can be compatible if the implementation of Vision Zero accepts temporal compromises intended to promote efficient allocation of resources, and the results of Cost Benefit Analysis are viewed not as optimal and satisfactory as long as fatal and serious injuries continue occurring. The third article uses Vision Zero as a normative framework to explore and analyze road safety work in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The ensuing analysis shows that there are significant differences between Addis Ababa road safety policies and Vision Zero in terms of how road safety problems are understood and in their responsibility ascriptions for improving road safety problems. It is argued that enhancing road safety in the city requires promoting a broader view of the causes and remedies of road safety problems. Moreover, given the magnitude and severity of road safety problems in the city, it is vital to emphasize the moral responsibility of actors responsible for the design and operation of the road system, and entities that procure and own large number of vehicles. The fourth article analyses equity and social justice considerations in Vision Zero efforts in New York City (NYC). Moreover, this study seeks to understand and assess how the city accounts for equity and social justice implications of road safety work. The result of the study shows that equity and social justice considerations played import, Nollvisionen, som ursprungligen antogs 1997 i Sverige, är allmänt erkänd som både ett trafiksäkerhetsmål och en strategi. Som trafiksäkerhetsmål innebär Nollvisionen ett moraliskt och politiskt engagemang som syftar till att på sikt eliminera dödliga och allvarliga personolyckor i vägsystemet. Som strategi främjar den prioriteringen av säkerhet i vägsystemets utformning, drift och funktion. I praktiken har det lett till ett uttalat fokus på hastighetsreduktion och främjande av vägtekniska och fordonssäkerhetstekniska innovationer för att förhindra dödliga och allvarliga personolyckor i vägsystemet. En ytterligare aspekt av Nollvisionsstrategin har varit dess system av ansvarsbeskrivningar. I motsats till traditionella vägsäkerhetsstrategier lägger Nollvisionspolitiken det yttersta moraliska ansvaret för att förebygga dödliga och allvarligaskador på aktörer som ansvarar för utformningen och säkerheten avvägsystemet och dess komponenter. Etiska överväganden och bedömningar ligger bakom antagandet och implementeringen av Nollvisionen. Nollvisionen har också lett till en rekonceptualisering av några av de nyckelbegrepp som förekommer i trafiksäkerhetsrelaterade diskussioner, såsom ”risk”, ”orsakssamband” och ”ansvar”. Skillnader i hur dessa begrepp förstås har praktiska och normativa konsekvenser som är relevanta att analysera etiskt. Värden spelar en avgörande roll i riskbedömningar och beslutsfattande som rör Nollvisionen. Nollvisionens prioritering av dödliga och allvarligapersonolyckor vilar exempelvis på det normativa antagandet att endast sådana olyckor bör förhindras. Det finns dock inget självklart sätt att avgränsa olyckor i kategorier som ”dödliga”, ”svåra” eller ”lindriga”. Ibland kan även mindre olyckor leda till allvarliga hälsokonsekvenser beroende på vilken typ av trafikanter som är inblandade. Dessutom används ofta olika definitioner och kategoriseringar av olyckor meddödlig utgång och personskada. Det pågår till exempel en debatt om huruvida självmord s

Introduction: Interest in applying systems thinking (ST) in public health and healthcare improvement has increased in the past decade, but its practical use is still unclear. ST has been found useful in addressing the complexity and dynamics of organizations and welfare systems during periods of change. Exploring how ST is used in practice in national policy programs addressing complex and ill-structured problems can increase the knowledge of the use and eventually the usefulness of ST during complex changes. In ST, a multi-level approach is suggested to coordinate interventions over individual, organizational, and community levels, but most attempts to operationalize ST focus on the individual level. This study aimed to investigate how ST is expressed in policy programs addressing wicked problems and describe the specific action strategies used in practice in a national program in Sweden, using a new conceptual framework comprising ST principles on the organizational level as an analytical tool. The program addresses several challenges and aims to achieve systems change within women's healthcare. Methods: The case study used a rich set of qualitative, longitudinal data on individual, group, and organizational levels, collected during the implementation of the program. Deductive content analysis provided narrative descriptions of how the ST principles were expressed in actions, based on interviews, observations, and archival data. Results: The results showed that the program management team used various strategies and activities corresponding to organizational level ST. The team convened numerous types of actors and used collaborative approaches and many different information sources in striving to create a joint and holistic understanding of the program and its context. Visualization tools and adaptive approaches were used to support regional contact persons and staff in their development work. Efforts were made to identify high-leverage solutions to problems influ

Studies on Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in Healthcare Information Systems (HIS) development projects have traditionally often been limited to retrospectively identifying CSFs in a finished project. In this paper, we focus on how to prospectively apply and manage CSFs in HIS projects. Based on a holistic perspective and systems thinking, an inductive research strategy was applied and a single in-depth case study was conducted. The findings include detailed descriptions that contribute to further understanding of how to prospectively apply and manage CSFs in HIS projects. The analysis reveals that CSFs must be applied differently and managed on various system levels. Furthermore, it shows how interactions exist between different system levels, both in the case of a specific CSF and between different CSFs on various system levels. Our analysis framework and findings indicate new directions for future research: how to prospectively apply and manage CSFs in HIS development projects can now be investigated both in a more holistic way and more in detail. Finally, healthcare practitioners can use the descriptions as practical checklists for guiding them in how to realize situational adaptation of CSFs in HIS projects across different system levels., CC BY 4.0This paper is an extended version of our paper published in 20th European Conference on Information Systems, Barcelona, Spain, 10–13 June 2012.This research received no external funding.

Organisations and their activities are largely controlled by different types of rules. Rules can have particular importance for organisational collaborations, for example in healthcare, in which negativeeffects of rules at different levels are identified. Rules have interdependencies with other rules, forming rule networks, which may be examined using systems and organisation theory. Rules can also bemodelled through enterprise modelling. However, present models seem to have limited support forrepresenting rule networks and understanding the emergence of unforeseen and undesired effects on the boundaries of the action space of collaborating organisational units. This gap will be addressed through the design of a modelling language with an accompanying method and tools, using Design Science Research.

This doctoral thesis is concerned with how upper secondary students in Sweden develop system geographical knowing through Geography teaching, where complex issues such as climate change are dealt with. In many countries, these issues are particularly relevant for the school subject of Geography since the subject is responsible for issues that involve system changes. These issues involve a complex web of aspects and dimensions so it is challenging for students to develop indepth holistic understandings. Commonly, students are left alone to synthesise the various parts into a whole. Systems thinking is suggested as an approach to dealing with these challenges, but there is little research on what such thinking implies in Geography teaching, or what students need to experience to develop this knowing. This educational design study departs from practice theory to explore and broaden systems thinking in Geography teaching by introducing a model task with connection web models that combine system dynamic causality, soft systems thinking, and spatial dimensions in a new way. The model task was developed and tested empirically in two upper secondary schools in Sweden. Research data consist of interviews and recordings of the students’ work with connection web models as a way of exploring complex issues. Findings from the study are presented in four peer-reviewed articles that together answer the two research questions: i) what does it mean to become system geographically knowledgeable when managing complex geographical issues? and ii) how can Geography teaching be designed to develop students’ system geographical knowing? Article I proposes a subject didactic model where the systems concept and other geographical concepts were used as organising tools to design Geography teaching. The model was developed in collaboration with Geography teachers and was used for designing the teaching interventions in the present study. Article II contributes findings from a series of lesso

Introduction: Interest in applying systems thinking (ST) in public health and healthcare improvement has increased in the past decade, but its practical use is still unclear. ST has been found useful in addressing the complexity and dynamics of organizations and welfare systems during periods of change. Exploring how ST is used in practice in national policy programs addressing complex and ill-structured problems can increase the knowledge of the use and eventually the usefulness of ST during complex changes. In ST, a multi-level approach is suggested to coordinate interventions over individual, organizational, and community levels, but most attempts to operationalize ST focus on the individual level. This study aimed to investigate how ST is expressed in policy programs addressing wicked problems and describe the specific action strategies used in practice in a national program in Sweden, using a new conceptual framework comprising ST principles on the organizational level as an analytical tool. The program addresses several challenges and aims to achieve systems change within women's healthcare. Methods: The case study used a rich set of qualitative, longitudinal data on individual, group, and organizational levels, collected during the implementation of the program. Deductive content analysis provided narrative descriptions of how the ST principles were expressed in actions, based on interviews, observations, and archival data. Results: The results showed that the program management team used various strategies and activities corresponding to organizational level ST. The team convened numerous types of actors and used collaborative approaches and many different information sources in striving to create a joint and holistic understanding of the program and its context. Visualization tools and adaptive approaches were used to support regional contact persons and staff in their development work. Efforts were made to identify high-leverage solutions to problems influ

Studies on Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in Healthcare Information Systems (HIS) development projects have traditionally often been limited to retrospectively identifying CSFs in a finished project. In this paper, we focus on how to prospectively apply and manage CSFs in HIS projects. Based on a holistic perspective and systems thinking, an inductive research strategy was applied and a single in-depth case study was conducted. The findings include detailed descriptions that contribute to further understanding of how to prospectively apply and manage CSFs in HIS projects. The analysis reveals that CSFs must be applied differently and managed on various system levels. Furthermore, it shows how interactions exist between different system levels, both in the case of a specific CSF and between different CSFs on various system levels. Our analysis framework and findings indicate new directions for future research: how to prospectively apply and manage CSFs in HIS development projects can now be investigated both in a more holistic way and more in detail. Finally, healthcare practitioners can use the descriptions as practical checklists for guiding them in how to realize situational adaptation of CSFs in HIS projects across different system levels., CC BY 4.0This paper is an extended version of our paper published in 20th European Conference on Information Systems, Barcelona, Spain, 10–13 June 2012.This research received no external funding.

Around one million tonne of food is annually wasted in Sweden, of which 100,000 tonne of surplus foodis wasted in the retail sector. Even if redistribution of surplus food is the second most preferable optionto reduce food waste according to the food waste hierarchy, only 5% of surplus food in retail is donated.At the same time, food insecurity is a global as well as a Swedish concern. In 2017, 6% of the Swedishpopulation had a low-income standard, and food banks are currently reporting an increasing demand forfood support. The goal of the study was to investigate surplus food donations from grocery stores tofood banks as an approach to address the paradox of food waste and food insecurity. It was done byidentifying challenges and potential lock-in factors, and by analysing practices and success factors toidentify potential best-practices. The study was a qualitative case study and used the sustainabilitytransition framework ‘multi-level perspective’ (MLP) for analysis. The study took part in a collaborationproject to produce a handbook for surplus food donations in retail, which aims to guide actors in retailhow to reduce avoidable food waste by increasing donations. The results showed that there are some basic conditions that are needed for surplus food donations totake place in a safe way. These can be fulfilled in diverse ways, which have been analysed together withsuccess factors and learnings from the literature to give examples of ‘good enough’ practices and bestpractises. This division of ‘good enough and ‘best’ was made to address that small, volunteer-led foodbanks and larger, more experienced ones have quite different opportunities and challenges. Grocerystores also seem to face various practical, economic, and managerial challenges to donating their surplus.The analysis of the challenges showed some potential lock-in factors that contribute to obstructingsurplus food donations to be an integrated part of the food regime. These lock-in factors are mainlyr, Omkring en miljon ton mat slängs årligen i Sverige, varav 100 000 ton överskottsmat slängs idetaljhandeln. Trots att omfördelning av överskottsmat rankas som det näst bästa alternativet för attminska matsvinnet enligt resurshierarkin för livsmedel, doneras endast 5 % av överskottsmaten idetaljhandeln. Samtidigt är matfattigdom såväl ett globalt som svenskt problem, 2017 hade 6 % av densvenska befolkningen en låg inkomststandard, och livsmedelsbanker rapporterar om en ökandeefterfrågan på mathjälp. Målet med studien var att undersöka donationer av överskottsmat frånlivsmedelsbutiker till matbanker som ett tillvägagångssätt för att minska matsvinn samt matfattigdom.Det utfördes genom att identifiera utmaningar och potentiella inlåsningsfaktorer relaterade till dessa,och genom att analysera praxis och framgångsfaktorer för att identifiera bästa praxis. Studien var enkvalitativ fallstudie och för en bredare analys av strävan mot ett mer hållbart livsmedelssystem såanvändes ramverket "multi-level perspective" (MLP). Studien är en del av ett Vinnovafinansieratsamarbetsprojekt för att ta fram en handbok för livsmedelsdonationer i detaljhandeln, som syftar till attvägleda aktörer inom detaljhandeln hur de kan minska matsvinnet genom ökade donationer av överskott. Resultaten visade att det finns vissa grundläggande förutsättningar som generellt sett behöver uppfyllasför att donationer av överskottsmat ska fungera. Dessa kan uppfyllas på olika sätt, dessatillvägagångssätt har analyserats tillsammans med framgångsfaktorer och lärdomar från litteraturen föratt ge exempel på "bra" praxis och bästa praxis. Denna uppdelning gjordes för att det framkom attmindre, volontärledda matbanker och större, mer erfarna matbanker har olika möjligheter ochutmaningar. Livsmedelsbutiker möter också olika praktiska, ekonomiska och administrativa utmaningarnär det gäller att donera sitt överskott. Analysen av utmaningarna visade några potentiellainlåsningsfaktorer som bidrar till att hindra donat

Stakeholders’ interactions with environmental resources are influenced by their mental models of the socio- ecological system of the environmental resource. Individual differences in such mental models are particularly important to identify, as diverse mental models may be associated with different behaviour or policy preferences and affect collaborative conservation efforts. In the present work, we explore stakeholders’ mental models of a socio-ecological system and assess content and complexity differences across fishing experience levels, migration status, and regions. We mapped Tanzanian fishers’ (N = 185) mental models of the drivers of the Nile perch stock fluctuation at Lake Victoria. The findings show that (1) fishers’ mental models were complex and diverse, (2) mental models focused on the causal influence of destructive fishing activities, (3) mental model complexity, but not content, varied across regions, and (4) fishing experience and migration status were not consistently related to mental model complexity or content. These results have important implications for environmental resource management at Lake Victoria