Mobilizing landscapes of practice to address grand challenges

Abstract

Grand challenges (GCs) require coordinated and integrated responses that draw on different occupational communities' competencies that might otherwise remain in isolation. We theorize how GCs can be tackled by mobilizing landscapes of practice (LoPs) - a totality of local communities that constitute a ‘living knowledge area’ within a given domain. The LoP concept helps to understand the deployment of participatory architectures, which in the current literature is considered essential for addressing GCs. To this end, LoPs emphasize the mutual accountability between networks and communities across informal and institutional settings and the need to learn about the LoP rather than focusing only on developing local competencies. Thus LoP mobilization is complex and requires collective practical judgment while facing the arising socio-political tensions. Drawing on a study focused on Australian mental health care, we propose four pillars enabling the mobilization of LoPs, and constituting general guiding principles - determining and legitimizing the LoP’s purpose, deploying LoP-based governance structures, motivating and connecting membership across the LoP, and demonstrating the value of the mobilized LoP. We propose a model of mobilizing LoPs that serves as a reference for network leaders and managerial practice while advancing the academic debates on GCs and situated learning.

The challenge of inclusivity, capability and change in complex, multi‐stakeholder problem situations—Practical insight from the application of participative systems methods, models and facilitation within an organisational setting

“…There is no indication that these observations are any less relevant today; in fact, the nature of the challenges the world is currently facing, such as that of the climate, are considered by some to be ‘super wicked’ (Levin et al, 2012). These ‘grand challenges’ are seen as global problems that need to be tackled by way of coordinated and collaborative effort (Ackermann et al, 2023; George et al, 2016). Research in this field has recognised the importance of stakeholder engagement and collaboration (Ørding Olsen et al, 2016).…”

How Does Embodiment Enable the Acquisition of Tacit Knowledge in Organizations? From Polanyi to Merleau-Ponty

“…routine enactment, sensemaking, strategy-as-practice, competence-in-use, etc. ), the more TK is presupposed (Ackermann, Pyrko, & Hill, 2023;Pyrko, Dörfler, & Eden, 2017;Sandberg & Tsoukas, 2020;Shotter, 2005;Tsoukas, 2021). More narrowly, TK has been at the core of studies related to organizational knowledge (Barley et al, 2018), workplace learning (Argote, 2012;Gherardi, 2006;Lam, 2000;Raelin, 1997Raelin, , 2007 and expertise and skill development (Dreyfus & Dreyfus, 2005;Kroezen et al, 2021;Ribeiro & Collins, 2007;Sandberg et al, 2017).…”