IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/syspar/v37y2024i6d10.1007_s11213-024-09678-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Space of Challenges (SOC) Framework: Problems, Issues and Dilemmas in Sustainable Housing

Author

Listed:
  • Max Rosvall

    (Uppsala University)

Abstract

In pursuit of global sustainable value creation, the conceptual ambiguity inherent in sustainability poses a challenge for goal-seeking problem-solvers. This paper addresses this challenge by introducing a typology for distinguishing among nine types of sustainability challenges that could be faced in systemic intervention. To navigate the complexity and vagueness inherent in sustainability, the Space of Challenges (SOC) is utilized as a tool for second-order systems thinking, grounded in the fundamentals of critical systems thinking. The paper aims to support system thinkers seeking to organise a systemic intervention for improved sustainability performance of systems. The support is developed to contribute to the alignment of sustainability challenges with suitable systems methodologies in multimethodological systemic interventions. A typology is proposed to differentiate sustainability challenges, and then integrated with the Cynefin sense-making framework to categorise challenges as simple, complicated or complex. The Space of Challenges framework is then applied to a case of sustainable housing in East Africa exploring alternative binders in block-based building, to highlight the differences among the nine types of proposed sustainability challenges.

Suggested Citation

  • Max Rosvall, 2024. "Space of Challenges (SOC) Framework: Problems, Issues and Dilemmas in Sustainable Housing," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 37(6), pages 931-958, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:syspar:v:37:y:2024:i:6:d:10.1007_s11213-024-09678-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11213-024-09678-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11213-024-09678-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11213-024-09678-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kari Lukka & Eija Vinnari, 2014. "Domain theory and method theory in management accounting research," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(8), pages 1308-1338, October.
    2. Raine Isaksson & Max Rosvall & Maximilian Espuny & Thais Vieira Nunhes & Otávio José de Oliveira, 2022. "How Is Building Sustainability Understood?—A Study of Research Papers and Sustainability Reports," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-25, September.
    3. Alexandre de A. Gomes Júnior & Vanessa B. Schramm, 2022. "Problem Structuring Methods: A Review of Advances Over the Last Decade," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 55-88, February.
    4. Bill Hopwood & Mary Mellor & Geoff O'Brien, 2005. "Sustainable development: mapping different approaches," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(1), pages 38-52.
    5. Raine Isaksson & Oluwayomi Babatunde, 2019. "Opportunities for improved sustainability in house building: The case of Dar es Salaam," African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(4), pages 457-463, June.
    6. Jackson, Mike C., 2001. "Critical systems thinking and practice," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(2), pages 233-244, January.
    7. Michael C. Jackson, 2022. "Critical systems practice 3: Intervene—Flexibly executing a multimethodological intervention," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(6), pages 1014-1023, November.
    8. Gray, Rob, 2010. "Is accounting for sustainability actually accounting for sustainability...and how would we know? An exploration of narratives of organisations and the planet," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 47-62, January.
    9. Jackson, MC, 1987. "Present positions and future prospects in management science," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 455-466.
    10. M C Jackson, 2009. "Fifty years of systems thinking for management," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 60(1), pages 24-32, May.
    11. M C Jackson, 1999. "Towards coherent pluralism in management science," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 50(1), pages 12-22, January.
    12. Julian Kirchherr, 2023. "Bullshit in the Sustainability and Transitions Literature: a Provocation," Circular Economy and Sustainability, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 167-172, March.
    13. Elina Jaakkola, 2020. "Designing conceptual articles: four approaches," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 10(1), pages 18-26, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Max Rosvall & Klas Palm & Swaminathan Ramanathan & Raine Isaksson, 2024. "Exploring Opportunities for Sustainable Housing: The Case of East Africa," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 37(6), pages 1205-1240, December.
    2. Zhichang Zhu, 2022. "Paradigm, specialty, pragmatism: Kuhn's legacy to methodological pluralism," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(5), pages 895-912, September.
    3. M C Jackson, 2003. "Deeper complementarism: a brief response to Ulrich," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 54(11), pages 1225-1226, November.
    4. Jay Joseph & Helen Borland & Marc Orlitzky & Adam Lindgreen, 2020. "Seeing Versus Doing: How Businesses Manage Tensions in Pursuit of Sustainability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(2), pages 349-370, June.
    5. Z Zhu, 2011. "After paradim: why mixing-methodology theorising fails and how to make it work again," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 62(4), pages 784-798, April.
    6. Vikram Kapoor & Russell Belk, 2022. "‘Pressure creates diamonds’/‘fire refines gold’: Conceptualizing coping capital," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 12(3), pages 196-215, December.
    7. Mingers, John & White, Leroy, 2010. "A review of the recent contribution of systems thinking to operational research and management science," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 207(3), pages 1147-1161, December.
    8. Markus Milne & Rob Gray, 2013. "W(h)ither Ecology? The Triple Bottom Line, the Global Reporting Initiative, and Corporate Sustainability Reporting," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 13-29, November.
    9. M Jackson, 2009. "Managing the tensions created by mixing methods: comments for Eden et al from a critical systems perspective," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 60(9), pages 1297-1299, September.
    10. Mojtaba Ashja & Ali Rezaeian, 2024. "Pluralistic Causal Mapping: A Postmodern Systems Thinking Approach Regarding Identification of a Causal Map of Social Complex Systems," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 37(6), pages 1101-1121, December.
    11. Lueg, Rainer & Radlach, Ronny, 2016. "Managing sustainable development with management control systems: A literature review," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 158-171.
    12. Kuokkanen, Henri & Kirillova, Ksenia, 2024. "Ethically transformative experiences in hotels," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    13. Yasemin Torun & Nuri Gökhan Torlak, 2023. "An adaptive use of Soft Systems Methodology with Strategic Assumption Surfacing and Testing, Critical Systems Heuristics and Interactive Planning in a women's prison," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(4), pages 671-688, July.
    14. Haoyan Li & Hui Jiang, 2024. "Stable Social Knowledge Creation to Solve the Contract Failure Dilemma in International Construction Engineering: A Liquid Crystal Metaphor," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 6937-6968, June.
    15. Chang, Rui-Dong & Zuo, Jian & Zhao, Zhen-Yu & Zillante, George & Gan, Xiao-Long & Soebarto, Veronica, 2017. "Evolving theories of sustainability and firms: History, future directions and implications for renewable energy research," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 48-56.
    16. Kennell, James & Šuligoj, Metod, 2024. "Conceptualising dark events: A new framework," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    17. Jiuping Xu & Jiuzhou Dai & Renqiao Rao & Huaidong Xie & Yi Lu, 2016. "Critical Systems Thinking on the Inefficiency in Post-Earthquake Relief: A Practice in Longmen Shan Fault Area," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 29(5), pages 425-448, October.
    18. Sophie Esmann Andersen & Trine Susanne Johansen, 2024. "The activist brand and the transformational power of resistance: towards a narrative conceptual framework," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 31(2), pages 140-152, March.
    19. Lukka, Kari & Becker, Albrecht, 2023. "The future of critical interdisciplinary accounting research: Performative ontology and critical interventionist research," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    20. Luke Houghton & David Tuffley, 2015. "Towards a Methodology of Wicked Problem Exploration through Concept Shifting and Tension Point Analysis," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 283-297, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:syspar:v:37:y:2024:i:6:d:10.1007_s11213-024-09678-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.