How to do sustainability? Together!
Sustainability is hot. Citizens want to know how to contribute to a better, more sustainable world. Companies are looking for sustainable business models. Governments develop policy and subsidy instruments. Research and educational institutions focus their research and education on sustainability.
The urgency for sustainability already existed in ancient times. In recent years the urgency exploded. The consequences of mass consumption, population growth and climate change became clear. People in our society look harder than ever to understand how they can contribute to a better, sustainable world.
A complex process
Developing sustainable solutions is a complex process. The knowledge and the expertise of many different disciplines are needed to understand how sustainability can be realized. The challenge is: how to combine all these different expertise (such as technology, economy and transition theory) to achieve sustainability? Our approach to this challenge is simple; with open innovation!
Open innovation and ecosystems
The concept of open innovation, first mentioned in 2003 by Henry Chesbrough, describes the collaboration across organizational boundaries. Once, organizations kept their entire innovation process internally. Now they shift towards innovation across their organizational boundaries. An appearance of open innovation is the ecosystem; different types of organizations with their specific competences work together to pick up challenges. In order to make any ecosystem successful, it is important that
- the participating employees subordinate the interests of their organization to those of the ecosystem;
- that they are primarily motivated and rewarded by the ecosystem and to a lesser extent by their organization
For us at the Open University (OU) open innovation requires changes in culture, processes, structures and Key Performance Indicators.
Gas transition
Look at the benefits of open innovation to achieve sustainability in the current gas transition in the Netherlands. Municipalities and housing corporations committed to take all premises in the Netherlands off gas supply. Eliminating gas requires technical, social, institutional and economic changes. The Dutch Ministry of Home Affairs designated 27 municipalities for a testing ground. The first signs are that these municipalities cannot take on this transition alone. Open innovation is needed to realize the societal and legal requirements. The competences of a diverse group of parties, such as (local) companies, residents, authorities, universities, and non-profit organizations are necessary. How and in which form all these parties will collaborate differs depending on, for example, the local conditions and the parties involved.
About sustainability and the Open University
At the OU research is done on open innovation and sustainability. One of the projects within Safety in urban environments, the research project of the OU, is investigating how citizens can participate and what chances are found for heating sources. Another project within the Veilige Stad is looking on what type of leader is required for successful functioning of ecosystems. Still enough challenges left, but first steps are being made! Do you want to know more about sustainability and how open innovation can contribute to this? Follow the Open University on its its social media channels! A number of interesting developments are coming up!