Dimensions of professional competences for interventions towards sustainability

Abstract

This paper investigates sustainability competences through the eyes of professional practitioners in the field of sustainability and presents empirical data that have been created using an action research approach. The design of the study consists of two workshops, in which professional practitioners in interaction with each other and the facilitators are invited to explore and reflect on the specific knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours necessary to conduct change processes successfully towards sustainability in a variety of business and professional contexts. The research focuses on the competences associated with these change processes to devise, propose and conduct appropriate interventions that address sustainability issues. Labelled ‘intervention competence’, this ability comprises an interlocking set of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours that include: appreciating the importance of (trying to) reaching decisions or interventions; being able to learn from lived experience of practice and to connect such learning to one’s own scientific knowledge; being able to engage in political-strategic thinking, deliberations and actions, related to different perspectives; the ability for showing goal-oriented, adequate action; adopting and communicating ethical practices during the intervention process; being able to cope with the degree of complexity, and finally being able to translate stakeholder diversity into collectively produced interventions (actions) towards sustainability. Moreover, this competence has to be practised in contexts of competing values, non-technical interests and power relations. The article concludes with recommendations for future research and practice.

Competences to Address SDGs in Higher Education—A Reflection on the Equilibrium between Systemic and Personal Approaches to Achieve Transformative Action

“…An attempt to integrate both personal and systemic aspects is apparent in the intervention competence introduced by [59][60][61]. The authors describe the distinction between intervention and action: action is considered to be the habitual act one performs without critically thinking while intervention can be seen as a new act which is consciously thought over, and has its starting point in a creative and critical future-oriented thinking process located in a multi-actor setting.…”

“…The Mastertrack contains, in addition to two other competencies (diagnosis and transboundary), a competency focusing on transformative action. This competency is labelled 'intervention competency' [58][59][60] and is defined as: "The ability to devise or propose, in a process of consultation with relevant stakeholders and actors, one or several sustainable solution(s) for a climate change issue. "…”

“…This competence contains the following dimensions from the cognitive, socio-behavioural and emotional domains, based on empirical results obtained in cooperation with sustainability professionals in the Netherlands [60,70]. They are described as:…”

Bildung und Erziehung im Kontext globaler Transformationen

“…Solche nachhaltigkeitsbezogenen Anforderungen werden in qualitativen Studien herausgearbeitet. So beschreiben beispielsweise Perez Salgado et al (2018) Machtverhältnisse, die typisch für beschäftigungspraktische Situationen von Nachhaltigkeitsfachleuten sind und zu Konflikten führen können. Solche Anforderungen zeigen auf, welche Anforderungen aufgrund der Interaktion des nachhaltigkeitsbezogenen Leistungsanspruchs mit einem bestimmten beschäftigungspraktischen Leistungsanspruchs als bedeutsam wahrgenommen werden.…”

The Integration of Problem Solving and Value Approach: the Shift Toward How to Think

“…Ironically, that, for example, education for sustainable development (e.g. Salgado, Abbott, & Wilson, 2018) is get involved to teach certain competencies in reducing various consequences of problems solved by such professionals.…”