Conclusion: strategy in governance for transition

In this final chapter we try to connect many dots succinctly, coming back to key points of our reflections on governance, on sustainability, and on strategy and transition. We start from the assertion that perfect governance is not possible and that a perfectly harmonious relation between community and environment does not exist. Governance emerged in our analysis as a dynamic, ever-evolving system, driven by competing perspectives, in which the possibilities and limits for strategy and transition depend on the evolution of the system and its various couplings to the social-material environment. Strategy for transition should therefore be based on a thorough analysis of the governance context. Continuous observation, reflection and adaptation of not just the environment in which the strategy lands but also governance itself remains essential. We then point to the inherent dangers of transition discourse being captured and appropriated and we emphasize the importance of identity and narrative for transition options. We bring to the fore that identities, and other elements of governance, are not only restrictive in terms of envisioning and coordinating transitions, but also enabling. We point out that governance processes are productive in the sense that they can create new objects and subjects, and new degrees of autonomy, which can create new openings, tools and leverage points for strategy. Finally, we reflect on the ever-shifting boundary of governability, a boundary which is partly constructed by governance itself, through ongoing interaction with layered environments.