Systems Thinking for Sustainability Education in Building and Business Administration and Management Degrees

Abstract

In 2015, the United Nations set the 2030 Agenda, which established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including different areas—among them, Education—which determine the reality and the future of new generations. The data of SDG24 2021 establish that, by 2030, the reference values will be below those expressed in SDG 4. Education for sustainable development poses a series of competencies to achieve it; the challenge for teachers is to develop strategies, tools and methodologies that enable meaningful learning for the required complexity. Managing and solving sustainability problems requires people with systemic competences who are able to see the whole in the individuality, presenting a breadth of vision for a complex world. It is important that training takes place in universities so that students are equipped with a holistic understanding of systems. The aim of this research is to propose a didactic proposal for students of the double degree in Building and Business Administration and Management to acquire the competences of systems thinking, interdisciplinary work, personal and inter-collaborative relationships and tolerance to ambiguity and uncertainty using project-based learning and systems simulation. To achieve this, a classroom intervention proposal has been designed for the subjects Strategic Management and Sustainable Building in the fourth year of the double degree using the project-based learning and systems thinking. This practical proposal allows participants to develop a holistic view of the problems, enhancing the capacity for systemic and sustainable resolution in the design of more sustainable building systems, as well as promoting training in strategic decision making in environmental management in the medium and long term.

Correlations between organizational change and resilience

“…Several factors can arise from the business environment and disrupt the normal running of business operations, which may subsequently affect the strategic position of the organization (Reginato and Guerreiro, 2013). Marcos-Sánchez et al. (2022) described business environments using the acronym “VUCA”, an abbreviation that stands for volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.…”

Exploring Sustainable Development Goals in Master’s Degree Programmes: An Emphasis on Public Administration Studies in European Countries

“…Authors such as Marcos-Sánchez, Ferrández and Morón [11] argue that to address the future's complex sustainability challenges, students must develop competencies in systems thinking, interdisciplinary work, personal and inter-collaborative relationships, and tolerance to ambiguity and uncertainty. They propose a practical intervention using project-based learning and systems simulation to help students acquire these competencies.…”

“…They propose a practical intervention using project-based learning and systems simulation to help students acquire these competencies. 'The practical proposal promotes the development of expanded and comprehensive competencies in the classroom using tools that unify the curricular contents from a vision of the whole to face the complex challenges that must be solved in the future' [11]. The authors explain that the project-based learning approach and systems simulation enable students to develop a holistic view of problems and enhance their capacity for systemic and sustainable design [11].…”

“…'The practical proposal promotes the development of expanded and comprehensive competencies in the classroom using tools that unify the curricular contents from a vision of the whole to face the complex challenges that must be solved in the future' [11]. The authors explain that the project-based learning approach and systems simulation enable students to develop a holistic view of problems and enhance their capacity for systemic and sustainable design [11]. Students need to understand the interconnectedness of various sustainability factors and the importance of considering cultural and environmental factors, circular economy criteria, organisational culture, the environment and size of the company and the reduction of environmental impact in building projects.…”