Socially sustainable work organizations and systems thinking

Abstract

This Research Note seeks to add to the body of knowledge concerning social sustainability in work organizations, especially within the context of new challenges and threats in contemporary, post‐industrial working life. Moreover, the intention is to explore the added value of the complexity lens in promoting social sustainability at work. Work organizations are conceptualized as Chaordic systems to make accessible some aspects of organizations' structure and dynamics important for social sustainability. Our earlier paper (Kira and van Eijnatten, 2008) on the theme was critically assessed by Merrelyn Emery (2010). Therefore, we offer clarifications of some aspects in our earlier paper. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fiddling While the Planet Burns: The Scientific Validity of Chaordic Systems Thinking

“…This note is the fourth in a series (Kira and van Eijnatten, ; Emery, ; Kira and van Eijnatten, ). I concluded my refutation of Kira and van Eijnatten's () inaccurate and erroneous criticisms by stating that their paper required retraction.…”

“…They organized the large international database of evidence into a coherent whole showing that organizations designed on DP2 produced benefits for people and organizations alike. That is, the design principles showed that DP2 structures advance ‘development in the functional capabilities of human, social, ecological, and economic resources’ (Kira and van Eijnatten, ).…”

“…Kira and van Eijnatten () stated that ‘we are not alone in our recognition that some STS variants or approaches might need further development’ without apparently realizing that this only means that others like themselves disregard critical evidence. They said ‘the semi‐autonomous work group has become the appreciated hall‐mark of STS’ despite the design principles moving the focus from groups to organizational design (Emery, ).…”

Sustainability Practice of a Multinational Oil Company in Nigeria: A Case Study

“…Like the industrial revolution, the scale of the sustainability revolution is multidimensional, occurring at multiple levels: cognition, action, and regulation (Burns, 2012). The workplace is an interactive space, and continuous improvement empowers all members as sustainability becomes a collective good (Kira & van Eijnatten, 2010). The dynamics of collaboration in the workplace provokes emergent complexity that enables distributed competency in the social, environment, and financial domain (Kira & van Eijnatten, 2010.…”

“…The workplace is an interactive space, and continuous improvement empowers all members as sustainability becomes a collective good (Kira & van Eijnatten, 2010). The dynamics of collaboration in the workplace provokes emergent complexity that enables distributed competency in the social, environment, and financial domain (Kira & van Eijnatten, 2010. Continuing reliance on traditional organizational change paradigm undercuts a firm's drive toward sustainability.…”