Table Of Content“Professor Beehner offers useful lessons for us all in applying the concepts of
systems analysis to the urgent challenge of providing leadership for sustainable
development. He rightly sees an appreciation for complexity and a commitment
to integrative thinking as keys to the leadership we need that focuses on
the whole and on the whole’s interconnections to natural systems. I highly
recommend his instructive book to all those who seek a sustainable world.”
James Bacchus , Distinguished University Professor of
Global Affairs, Director of the Center for Global Economic
and Environmental Opportunity, University of Central Florida,
former U.S. Congressman, and former chief judge at
the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization
“This insightful book gives one multiple examples into current applications
of much needed system leadership and system leaders for sustainability, such
as determined (US) local government leaders, who have impact within and
beyond their communities. The multilaterally agreed SDGs are end result
based. This book guides us on what governance is needed across the board
(NGOs, INGOs, different levels of government, businesses, and citizens) to
make change real in today’s network society.”
Dr. Dorine van Norren , ex-diplomat, researcher at
Tilburg University, PhD Development as Service,
The Netherlands
“A sustainable future does require system leaders, who orchestrate interactions
among multiple stakeholders transcending system and subsystem boundaries.
This book clearly presents the how-to of system leadership for business,
government, non-profit, and educational organizations. It stimulated me to
create new partnerships for local and global action.”
Dr. Dennis Heaton , Professor, Sustainable Business MBA,
Maharishi University of Management , USA
“In S ystem Leadership for Sustainability, Beehner has zeroed in on the most
critical aspect of solving wicked problems: it cannot be done without an integrated,
collaborative effort across multiple arenas of influence. Sustainability is such
a wicked problem, requiring innovation across boundaries and stakeholders.
Beehner explores this holistic leadership approach in depth, with clarity and
ample illustrations, exploring both the strengths of this systems approach to
sustainability leadership and the barriers to it.”
Dr. Toni L. Blum , Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness,
The University of Texas at El Paso , USA
System Leadership for
Sustainability
This book is the first to explore the application of system leadership to promote
sustainable solutions for contemporary and future environmental and social
problems. The combination of synthesized research summaries and case
studies of individuals and organizations contribute considerably to the field
by expanding system leadership concepts from theory to practical application.
System leadership has been identified as a method by which complex societal
problems can be addressed, but it has as yet not been applied to sustainability.
The first chapters introduce the background and fundamentals of system
leadership and its relevance to sustainability. The chapters that propose methods
of developing system leadership, examples of system leaders, and practical
application of system leadership in industry, academic, government, nonprofit,
and NGO settings. Each chapter includes a chapter case, interview, and/
or reflection questions in order to stimulate critical thinking and provide
instructional tools for academic use and practical application. The book is
particularly relevant to researchers and students internationally in the fields
of social development and sustainability. It is also relevant to public, private,
and nonprofit/NGO management practitioners who are curious about the
leadership styles and skills necessary to develop a sustainable future.
Christopher G. Beehner is Professor of Business and Information Management,
Seminole State College of Florida, USA. He is the author of S pirituality,
Sustainability and Success: Concepts and Cases . He has also frequently published
and presented about sustainable business education.
Routledge Frontiers in Sustainable Business Practice
Editor: Satinder K. Dhiman
This Series focuses on the practice of business as it relates to environmental
sustainability – making responsible decisions that will reduce business’ negative
impact on the environment.
It explores topics such as climate change, air and water pollution, water con-
servation, ecology and habitat, green buildings and eco-villages, sustainable food
systems, waste management and recycling, energy conservation and renewable
energy, smart manufacturing and the role of sustainable business practice.
System Leadership for
Sustainability
Christopher G. Beehner
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Christopher G. Beehner
The right of Christopher G. Beehner to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Beehner, Christopher G., author.
Title: System leadership for sustainability / Christopher G. Beehner.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2020. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019035949 (print) | LCCN 2019035950 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367342180 (hardback) | ISBN 9780429324512 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Sustainable development. | System theory. | Leadership.
Classification: LCC HD75.6 .B44 2020 (print) | LCC HD75.6 (ebook) |
DDC 658.4/092–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019035949
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019035950
ISBN: 978-0-367-34218-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-32451-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
Preface viii
Acknowledgments x
1 Introduction to system leadership 1
2 Why system leadership is appropriate for sustainability 20
3 System leadership characteristics and competencies 41
4 Development of system leadership for sustainability 60
5 System leadership for sustainability in business 79
6 System leadership for sustainability in academia 101
7 System leadership for sustainability in government
and intergovernmental organizations 123
8 System leadership for sustainability in nonprofit
and nongovernmental organizations 143
9 System leadership for individual sustainability 159
10 Future of system leadership for sustainability 175
Index 192
Preface
The topics of sustainability and sustainable development emerged in academic
literature in the late 1980s, following publication of the Brundtland Com-
mission report by the World Commission on Environment and Development
(WCED). Global interest in sustainability further expanded with the introduc-
tion of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000,
and the subsequent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. While a
rapidly growing consensus acknowledges the need for immediate, significant,
and global action toward sustainability, it cannot be achieved without a con-
certed, collaborative, and global response. Leaders are needed who can col-
laborate and influence across boundaries, even when they possess no formal
influence. This book is part of a journey that I have undertaken to promote
sustainability and to assist individuals in becoming leaders for sustainability.
An article entitled “The Dawn of System Leadership” by Senge, Hamil-
ton, and Kania (2015) provided the inspiration for this text. System leadership
originated in the field of education, wherein teachers and principals influenced
beyond their schools and districts to entire systems for the purpose of obtain-
ing sustainable educational advances. In their article, Senge and colleagues
proposed system leadership as a method by which complex societal problems
can be addressed. However, this author was unable to locate any research or
literature examining system leadership as a means of addressing sustainability
within the context of sustainable development. Moreover, existing literature
on system leadership development primarily originated within the field of sec-
ondary education (e.g. Fullan, 2005), with limited literature in other fields or
disciplines. This apparent gap in literature and theory further influenced my
motivation to write this text.
The purpose of this text is to introduce system leadership as a contemporary
solution to the sustainability challenges facing humankind and our planet. My
goal is to provide a framework and model of system leadership for scholars
and practitioners in multiple fields and sectors to address contemporary sus-
tainability issues. The text develops and expands the theoretical base of sys-
tem leadership into practical application for sustainability in organizational and
interorganizational contexts. The first few chapters introduce the background
and fundamentals of system leadership and its relevance to sustainability. The
Preface ix
chapters that follow propose methods of developing system leadership, pro-
vide examples of system leaders, and offer methods for practical application
of system leadership in industry, academic, government, nonprofit, and indi-
vidual settings. The final chapter summarizes the key concepts and themes
of the book and identifies future research opportunities, recommendations,
and trends. Each chapter includes reflection questions, and several chapters
include a chapter case study or personal interview to stimulate critical thinking
and provide instructional tools for academic use and practical application. The
personal interviews explore how several professionals from diverse sectors have
applied system leadership in their careers and organizations to advance sustain-
ability. These interviews provide qualitative support for the premise of the text,
as well as content for reflection questions that readers may use to reflect on how
they would have responded in similar situations and critique the interviewee’s
application of system leadership.
The overarching theme of the book is the development and application of
system leadership to promote sustainable solutions for contemporary and future
environmental and social problems. The combination of synthesized research
summaries, personal interviews and case studies of individuals and organiza-
tions, may contribute to research and knowledge advancement by expanding
the system leadership concept from theory to practical application. This text
is intended to begin a conversation that must take place locally, globally, and
immediately. While the primary target of this text is academic, a secondary
market of public, private, and nonprofit management practitioners may benefit
by learning about system leadership and how it may be applied in developing
and implementing sustainability initiatives.
