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Re: Aspirational Goal Setting: Documented Pros and Cons
2009-08-17 17:56:44 UTC
Look at Donella Meadows' newest book on systems theory, Thinking in Systems: A Primer (2008). And Bob Doppelt's Leading Change Toward Sustainability. Both look at the high level importance of changing goals as a point of leverage in a system. You can also look at how aspirational goals will fit the level of consciousness of the people in the system by referring to psychological development work by Loevinger, Tobert, Pfaffenberger, Marko, Wilber, Cook-Grueter, Kohlberg, Kegan, Hall and many others. Schmidt and McEwen in their research article Mindsets (http://www.avastoneconsulting.com/MindsetsInActionReport.html)reference many of these researchers to exemplify that aspirational change will be driven by the level of consciousness of the leaders of groups/organizations. I'm working on a new hypothesis that organizations can make systemic changes focused on raising the level of consciousness of the people in an organization, including the leaders that will facilitate the changes we all see as necessary in sustainability. Once you measure and understand the level of consciousness or worldview of the organization, in general, you need to adjust the goals to one level higher to draw people into an internal change process that allows them to improve sustainability efforts. Aspirational goals, therefore, are directed at a vertical, capacity improving level of development of people rather than a horizontal efficiency type of development.
Eric Johnson
Principal
Alderspruce Sustainability Consulting Group
United States -
Re: Flow on Effects to other Sustainable Behaviour Changes
2009-08-17 12:09:58 UTC
Although it isn't "research" providing evidence, there is a Master's Thesis from Fielding Graduate University by Coleen Douglas that coins the term "cumulative epiphanies." This implies that most people need many small epiphanies about sustainability before they can shift to a deeper consciousness of it. There is a parallel concept in marketing and advertising that would certainly have empirically researched evidence of how marketing efforts need to be seen a certain number of times in the subconscious before they register in the conscious.
Eric Johnson
Principal
Alderspruce Sustainability Consulting Group
United States
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