Fostering active network management through SMEs’ practises

Powells, Gareth; Bell, Sandra; Judson, Ellis; Lyon, Stephen M.; Wardle, Robin; Čápová, Klara Anna; Bulkeley, Harriet

doi:10.1007/s12053-015-9382-y

Cited by 5 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…It is not just heating and lighting systems, nor building fabric that require attention, but clothing, bodies, donated resources and waste. Powells et al (2015) called for the further application of practice theory to SMEs in the field of energy research. This paper has responded to this call by using the three-element model of practice theory to show how the practice of energy management was characterised by a range of dispersed activities such as tweaking controls, achieving personal comfort or preventing waste.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A 'problem frame' has been created which deals with the problem of energy wastage by addressing the physical characteristics of buildings, the efficiency of appliances and the costeffectiveness of technological measures. This framing marginalises contributions from a wider spectrum of social sciences which ask more fundamental questions about the role of energy in the context of organisational behaviour and social practices (Powells et al 2015;Janda et al 2015). Setting out the scope of an expanded research agenda, Lutzenhiser (2014) calls for more indepth, qualitative research, including studies drawing on organisational theory and social practices.…”

Section: Energy Consumption Efficiency and Environmental Impact In Smesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Practice theory has become influential in recent social scientific energy research, being used to highlight how energy use and environmental impacts occur as part of mundane social activity (Shove and Walker 2014). However, the majority of empirical studies using practice theory have focused on the domestic setting, and few studies have applied the principles of practice theory as set out by Nicolini to research on organisational energy use and management (Lutzenhiser 2014;Powells et al 2015). As with every rule, there are notable exceptions, and these include Powells et al's (2015) exploration of the potential for flexibility amongst SME practices, and Hargreaves' (2011) ethnographic study of 'Environment Champions' working within an SME to bring about change in practice.…”

Section: Practice Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the majority of empirical studies using practice theory have focused on the domestic setting, and few studies have applied the principles of practice theory as set out by Nicolini to research on organisational energy use and management (Lutzenhiser 2014;Powells et al 2015). As with every rule, there are notable exceptions, and these include Powells et al's (2015) exploration of the potential for flexibility amongst SME practices, and Hargreaves' (2011) ethnographic study of 'Environment Champions' working within an SME to bring about change in practice. Both demonstrate that practice theory can offer valuable in- Assists in delving beneath apparently stable and routinised energy practices.…”

Section: Practice Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Making sense of energy management practice: reflections on providing low carbon support to three SMEs in the UK

Hampton

2018

Energy Efficiency

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Energy consumption by small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) is collectively significant, and whilst opportunities for substantial, cost-effective efficiency savings exist, take up is low. Whereas research tackling this challenge typically focuses on barriers and drivers to action, this paper offers an alternative perspective, investigating energy management as a practice. Drawing on practice theory and the concept of organisational sensemaking, narrative accounts provide in-depth insights into energy management practice within three SMEs. Auto-ethnographic reflections from 5 years of providing energy and environmental advice are supplemented by findings from carbon footprint assessments and interviews. Findings show that despite energy management being perceived as a peripheral business activity, it is intertwined with organisational identity and knowledge production in each of the three SMEs. Business advisors are instrumental in steering SME energy management practices and have a responsibility to reflect on how they influence processes of knowledge production and meaning-making in organisations. Implications for policy-makers, advisors and the research community are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Energy Consumption Efficiency and Environmental Impact In Smesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Practice Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Practice Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Making sense of energy management practice: reflections on providing low carbon support to three SMEs in the UK

Hampton

2018

Energy Efficiency

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“…As developed further in section 2.3, our theoretical framework is grounded in a practice‐theoretical understanding of organisations and organisational change. Speaking directly to the agenda laid out by Lutzenhiser (2014), and also developed in the work of Hargreaves (2011), Powells et al (2015) and Hampton (2019), our aim is to contribute to knowledge on the mundane practices through which organisational change in relation to energy and sustainability is enacted and, more importantly here, resisted or impeded. This informs our decision to centre the practices of professionals involved in the everyday doing of energy management, rather than to focus on “strategic” or top‐down organisational management as the locus of change.…”

Section: Perspectives On Organisational Change and Energy Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Governing energy in organisations: Energy management professionals, marginalised practices, and the limits to change

2020

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Organisations and institutions of many kinds play important roles in maintaining and transforming energy systems, not least through their direct contributions to energy demand. Major service‐providing institutions such as universities and hospitals have especially large and complex demands. Facing pressures to reduce environmental impacts and costs, many of these organisations are trying to reduce their energy consumption—with varying degrees of success. The responsibility for pursuing this goal in practice often lies with practitioners here referred to as Energy Management Professionals (EMPs). However, there has been little systematic investigation of EMPs' practices and their energy implications. Using qualitative evidence from English universities and hospitals, we argue that three types of work are marginalised in EMPs' practices, namely: (a) change‐focused work, and within that; (b) work engaging with people and what they do, and within that; (c) work engaging with institutional policy‐making. We argue that these marginalisations limit the scale and scope of demand reduction efforts, and also show how they arise from interacting dynamics of national policies and priorities, institutional structures and professional practices, and the influence of neoliberal governance, among other things. Finally, we discuss how rethinking institutional energy governance could help reduce energy demand and reflect on wider lessons for research and policy on organisational sustainability.

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