Toward a grounded theory of sustainability in social service organizations: a systems point of view

Abstract

Crete, Greece. It explores the problem of sustainability from a systems point of view within the context of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative-an initiative launched by the US Congress in 1999 to fund a multifaceted response to the difficult challenge of youth violence. A grounded theory of sustainability is proposed, based on the design of social systems, as an alternative to the current political emphasis on classical reductionist science-based approaches to school reform. Further, insight into transformational leadership opportunities through evidencebased social systems design strategies is offered. This paper represents an initial attempt to apply these principles within the context of school-community partnerships and sustainability. Subsequent work will provide further exploration and development.

Educating senior executives in a novel strategic paradigm: early experiences of the Sustainable Enterprise Academy

“…While the learning model for the seminar was developed over time, strong reliance was also placed on the approaches of Argyris (1990) and Argyris and Schön (1996), which stress the importance of experiential learning, systems thinking, visioning and organizational learning in effective change processes (Sweet et al, 2003;Sanders et al, 2004). The inclusion of a systems approach as both a discipline of thinking and a method for generating successful action plans was adopted by core faculty at the initial stages of the design process.…”

Sustainability and triple bottom line: key issues for successful Spanish school principals

“…But before she/he needs to understand the schools values, culture, limitations and possibilities, experiences and strengths of the school community (Young in Stoll and Fink, 1996). In addition, it needs to be considered that the public school is not autonomous and is influenced by the international, national and regional sources and supported by the educational, justice, social affairs and health departments (Walter, 2004;Sanders et al, 2004). The huge social, political and economic change in Spain has involved the entire society, and as a consequence there have been changes in the school priorities concerning the school vision and school culture.…”

“…Considering the broad diversity of stakeholders and therefore the complexity of reaching an agreement, it is preferable to use a system that incorporates the interactive management system. The use of the Cogniscope is recommended by different scholars (Sanders et al, 2004). Through the use of this design, the challenges become clearer and the group develops through different stages a collaborative action plan to solve them, as defined by the authors in the article "Toward a grounded theory of sustainability in social service organizations: a systems point of view".…”

“…During this process, IJEM 24,6 the assessment information is used to establish a plan with specific priorities or targets generated from the results of stakeholders. The final design is based on the availability of resources, on the priorities of needs and on the criteria that will help them to achieve their goals (Walter, 2004;Sanders et al, 2004). The design strategy should determine "a firm long-term vision" that is supplied as a channel to many aspects of the school's future tactical implementation practice, including motivation, leadership, employee empowerment and organization design.…”

“…The school needs to follow the plan and carry out all actions necessary to ensure its usefulness (Sanders et al, 2004). Continuous assessment will involve formative evaluation with parents, where staff could share skills and strategies acquired through experience.…”