Universities as Learning Organizations for Sustainability? The Task of Climate Protection

Abstract

For two decades the Leuphana University of Lüneburg has addressed socio-ecological issues in research, education and administration. Realizing projects such as “Agenda 21 and University of Lüneburg” (1999), “Sustainable University” (2004) and its mission statement of “Carbon-Neutral University” (2007) entails non-trivial organizational changes. Creating an authentic “Carbon
Neutral University” induces multi-level learning and decision problems within the organization. Concepts of organizational learning are considered as most promising approaches to analysing and understanding sustainability-oriented projects. Past, present, and future sustainability projects are explored in this chapter. An organizational learning perspective is applied in order to identify specific phases and mechanisms of organizational developments towards realizing the university’s mission statements. Empirical facts are discussed against the theoretical background of organizational learning. A conceptual perspective is developed for organizational learning in complex fields such as sustainable development.

Full text

UniversitiesasLearningOrganizationsforSustainability?
TheTaskofClimateProtection

Authors
FlorianLüdeke‐Freund
ResearchAssistant,PhDCandidate
CentreforSustainabilityManagement(CSM)
LeuphanaUniversityofLüneburg
Scharnhorststraße1
21335Lüneburg
04131677‐2522
luedeke@uni.leuphana.de
SimonBurandt
ResearchAssistant,PhDCandidate
InstituteforEnvironmental&SustainabilityComm unication(INFU)
Leuphana
UniversityofLüneburg
Scharnhorststraße1
21335Lüneburg
04131677‐1564
burandt@uni.leuphana.de
This is a pre-published manuscript version. The final version was published as:
Lüdeke-Freund, F. & Burandt, S. (2010): Universities as Learning Organizations for
Sustainability? The Task of Climate Protection, in: Leal Filho, W. (Ed.): Universities
and Climate Change: Introducing Climate Change at University Programmes.
Climate Change Management Vol. 1. Berlin: Springer, 179-192.

 2
Abstract
Purpose:FortwodecadestheLeuphanaUniversityofLüneburgaddressessocio‐ecologicalissuesin
research,educationandadministration.Torealizeprojectslike“Agenda21andUniversityof
Lüneburg”(1999),“SustainableUniversity”(2004)anditsmissionstatementof“CarbonNeutral
University”(2007)entailsnon‐trivialorganizationalchanges.Creatinganauthentic
“CarbonNeutral
University”inducesmulti‐levellearninganddecisionproblemswithintheorganization.Conceptsof
organizationallearningareconsideredasmostpromisingapproachestoanalyzeandunderstand
sustainabilityorientedprojects.
Design/methodology/approach:Past,presentandfuturesustainabilityprojectsareexplored.An
organizationallearningperspectiveisappliedtoidentifyspecificphasesand
mechanismsof
organizationaldevelopmentstowardsre alizingtheuniversity’smissionstatements.Empiricalfacts
arediscussedagainstthetheoreticalbackgroundoforganizational learning.
Findings:Fromanorganizationallearningperspective,formalizedandsharedknowledgeare
necessarybutinsufficientpreconditionsforcomplexsustainabilityrelatedactivitiesinuniversities.If
universitiesfollowdemandingmissionstatementstheyhave
tocontinuouslytriggerindividuals’
willingnessandabilitytolearn,generatenewkindsofknowledgeandcontributetoorganizational
problemsolving.
Originality/value:Aconceptualperspectiveisdevelopedfororganizationallearningincomplexfields
likesustainabledevelopment.
Keywords:OrganizationalLearning,SustainableDevelopment, CarbonNeutralUniversity

 3
UniversitiesasLearningOrganizationsforSustainability?
TheTaskofClimateProtection

1. Introduction:SustainableDevelopmentandUniversities
Universitieshavealwaysplayedanimportantroleinandforsociety.Duringthelastdecades,a
changecouldbeobservedinboth,theorganization andtheroleofuniversities:Universitiesare
professionalizing
andarebecomingfurtherintegratedintosociety.Atthesametime,societyisever
morequestioninguniversities;hencetheyareconfrontedwithanincreasedneedforaccountability
againstsocietyingeneralandtheirspecificstakeholdersinparticular.Nowadays,universitiescannot
hidefromtheirobligationtocontributetooneofthemajor
challengestheworldisfacing:
sustainabledevelopment(Albrecht2009).
Withregardtosustainabledevelopmentuniversitiesactondifferentlevels:Ontheonehand,
science,researchandtechnicaldevelop mentscontributetoglobalchangeandprogress–entailing
quitenoteworthyenvironmentalimpacts,e.g.byinventions,energyconsumptionortravelactivities 
of
scientists(Adomssentetal.2008).Ontheotherhand,theyare adriverforfindingsolutionsto
faceunsustainabledevelopmentsbyexploringnewresearchquestions,problemorientation,
technicaladvancement andthereflectionofresearchresults.
Sustainabilitychallenges requireintegratedinterdisciplinarysolutionsandactorswithcorresponding
competenciestotakenecessaryactions.We
areconfrontedwithgrowingcomplexit i esintermsofan
explosionofknowledgeandinformationand,atthesametime,withgrowinguncertainties
(Adomssent2004).Teachinginuniversitiescancontributetosustainabledevelopmentbyfostering
interdisciplinaryandtransdisciplinaryviews(Barthetal.2007).Consequently,interdisciplinaryand
transdisciplinaryteachingandresearchcultures
areindispensableandhavetobediscussedinthe
contextofsustainability(Grunwald&Ott2005).

 4
Onanormativelevel,universitiesasorganizationswithsignificantsocietalimpactscanactasrole
modelsorcatalystsforsustainabledevelopment.Therefore,itisnecessarytocomplywiththe
criteriaofsustainabledevelopmentinareaslikeorganization,professionalcultureandunderstanding
ofscience(Kehm&Pasternack2000).Ontheorganizational
levelimplementingsustainabilityas
guidingprinciplecanbeviewedasaconsiderabledriverfororganizationalchange(Wals&Corcoran
2006,Albrechtetal.2007).
Alteringenvironments,e.g.intermsofshiftingparadigmslikesustainabledevelopmentand
changingsocietalneeds,requireorganizationalchangethroughorganizationallearning(Schreyögg
1999).Universitieshave
toadjusttheirorganizationaswellincludinginstrumentaland institutional
aspectsandderivateslikestructures,processesandcultures.
Generally,acertainlearningaptitudeistheprerequisitefororganizationalchangeandlearning.In
thefollowing,universitieswillbeinvestigatedaslearningorganizationsandpossiblebarriersto
learningwillbeintroducedtheoretically.Against
thisbackgroundorganizationaldevelopmentsand
activitiesoftheLeuphanaUniversityofLüneburgtowardsbecominga“SustainableUniversity”are
discussedwithspecialfocusoneffortstobecomea“CarbonNeutralUniversity”.
1

2. ThePurposeofOrganizations
Organizationsframeindividualbehaviourandgiveinternalandexternalshapestocomplexsystems
(Schreyögg1999).Organizationsalsobundlepowerandcapacitiestomultiplyandexpand
individuals’outputs.Therefore,anessentialtaskistoprovideforcoordinationandcooperation
amongindividualsandunitsunderacommon
objective.Managementactsinresponsetothe
challenge“toaligntheinterestsofindividualswiththoseoftheorganization(thecooperation
problem)andtoharmonizeindividuals’actions(thecoordinationproblem)”(Grant2009,7).


1
http://www.leuphana.de/nachhaltigkeitsportal/klimaneutral.html

 5
Thisviewcannotbetransferreddirectlytouniversities .Duetotheirhistoricaloriginsandstructures 
universitiesdonotfollowcommonobjectivesonthe“practical”level.Theyare“political
organizations”thatdonotdrawlegitimacyfrompracticalactionslike“actionorganizations”do
(Weick1988,Brunsson1989).However,organizationscanbeloose
andcoupledsystemsatthesame
time(Weick1988).Professionalizeduniv ersitiesfitinthisdescriptionbyhavingauniversity
managementandadministrationthatarecoupled,whereasthedistributedunitsinthescientificarea
areusuallynot.Additionally,whenuniversitiesarefacingrealwordproblems,likeopeningupto
societyor
workingonsustainabledevelopment,theybecome(atleastpartly)“actionorganizations”
–i.e.theydrawlegitimacyonthe“practical”levelaswell(Albrechtatal.2007).Tocontributetoa
centralpurpose,theactionsofindividualsaswellas(looseandcoupled)systemswithinuniversities
havetobealignedand
harmonized.
Hence,fromamanagementperspectiveuniversitiescanbeseenaslooseandcoupledorganizations
(Weick1988)facingthecooperation andcoordinationproblem(Grant2009)underspecial
circumstances.Consequently,universitieshavetopasscomplexlearningprocessestoimprove
performanceandtoadapttochangingenvironmentsanddemands.Butuniversi ties face
specific
barriersandchallengesforlearningprocessesduetotheirspecialcharacter.Inthisarticlethree
differentmechanismsarediscussedas“theoreticalenablers”fororganizationallearningagainstthe
specificbackgroundoftheLeuphanaUniversity ofLüneburg(LULG).
3. OrganizationalLearningattheLeuphanaUniversityofLüneburgasaContributionto
Sustainable
Development
InthefollowingthedevelopmentoftheLULGisbeingintroducedandreviewed,a)withaspecial
emphasisonapproachesofimplementingtheguidingprincipleofsustainability,andb)froman
organizationallearningperspectivethatdistinguishesdifferenttheoreticallearningmechanisms.An
adequateschemecanbefound inWinter1997
(22‐27)whodiscussesthreebasicmechanismsof
organizationallearning.Organizational learningcanbebasedon

 6
• formalizationandinstitutionalization,
• sharedknowledgeandorganizationalmaps,
• distributedlearningandknowledge.
Thetimelineofsustainabilityrelatedactivitiesfromtheyears2000to2009(seetable1nextchapter)
servesasbackgroundforidentifyingdifferentphasesoforganizationallearning.Thesephasescanbe
characterizedintermsof
theabovementionedmechanisms.Theauthorsarguethatdiffere ntiating
thesewaysoforganizationallearningisavaluabletheoreticalheuristicforpurposesofdescription
andinterpretation.Theanalysisalsoshowsthatthesemechanismsareinterwoveninpractice.
3.1TheCaseLeuphanaUniversityofLüneburg
TheLULGhasrecognizedandacceptedthe
needtoengageinandforsustainabledevelopmentquite
earlyasoneofthefirstuniversitiesworldwideandisnowfacingsustainability challengesinboth,the
coreactivitiesofresearch,educationandtransfer,andindailyworkingprocesses.Somemilestones
ofthedevelopmenttowardsbecominga“SustainableUniversity”areshownin
table1.

[‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐inserttable1‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐]

Animportantstepforclimateprotectionwastheadoptionoftheobjectivetobecomea“Carbon
NeutralUniversity”until2012.
2
Focalpointsofactivitiesrefertoenergysupply,consumptionand
mobility.CurrentlytheLULGisdevelopingavastportfolioofinternalactivitiestoreduceand
compensateforitsCO
2
emissions.


2
Theuniversity’smaincampuswasoperatingcarbonneutralin2007
(http://www.leuphana.de/nachhaltigkeitsportal/klimaneutral/konzept.html).

 7
Thisportfoliocombinesapproachesfromdiversefieldsofresearchandeducation.Existingaswellas
futureinfrastructuresaresubjecttoinvestment plansandorganizationaldevelopments.Anexample
isthedevelopmentofaresearchprojectonenergymanagementsystemsbasedonAmbientAssisted
LifeandITapproachescombinedwithperspectivesfrom
socialsciences.
3
Moreover,theInstituteof
EcologyandEnvironmentalChemistryandtheRepresentativeforClimateProtectioninitiated
researchconcernedwithanintegratedenergysupplyincluding maximumsharesofrenewable
energiesoncampus.Inthefieldofeducationaspecialseminarconceptwassetupfor2007and
2008:Severalseminarswerecarried
outbystaffandstudentswhoanalyzedCO
2
sourcesand
investigatedpossibilitiesofmitigation.Atechnicalweaknessanalysiswascarriedoutand
improvementswereimplemented.Forexample,theuniversityusesspecialenergysavinglamps
almosteverywhere,theilluminationiscontrolledbyphotoelectricswitches,andheatingisadjusted
totheusageofbuildings(especiallyduring“Christmasbrake”,weekendsand
publicholidays).
Foryearsseveralcampaignshavebeenrealizedtoraiseusers’awarenessandtofosterresponsible
energyconsumption.Asaresultmorethan6%ofenergywassavedthroughoutthecampaign“nix‐
verschwenden”(“don’tsquander”)thatmainlyfocusedongivingfeedbackontheenergydemandby
visualizationofdaily
dataathighlyfrequentedpointsoncampus(Adomßentetal.2008a,41ff).
Thechallengingdemandof“carbonneutrality”shallbereachedwithintheyears2007to2012.All
sites(includingalltypesofmobility)areplannedtobeoperatingcarbonneutralinaccordancewith
furtherstructuraldevelopmentsoftheuniversity
andthemissionstatementofbeinga“Sustainable
University”.
AfterthisbriefintroductiontotheLULGananalyticalperspectiveistakenaccordingtothree
differenttheoreticalmechanismsoforganizationallearning:formalizationandinstitutionalization,
sharedknowledgeandorganizationalmaps,anddistributedknowledgeandlearning.


3
http://www.leuphana.de/institute/forschungsgruppe‐vaust/vaust.html

 8
3.2FirstPhase–FormalizationandInstitutionalization
AftersigningtheCOPERNICUSCharta
4
in1997anenvironmentalworkinggroupwasimplementedin
1999totacklequestionsofenvironmentalprotection.Centralfieldsofactionwereidentifiedand
foundationsforaprofessionalenvironmentalmanagementsystem(EMS)werelaid.Energy,interms
ofelectricityandheat,andenergyrelatedCO
2
emissionsmadeuponeoutoftenidentifiedmajor
fields.Thesecondfieldofimportanceforclimateprotectionwastraffic,includingcommutertraffic
andofficialtrips.Inthefollowingyearthesenatepasseditsfirstenvironmentaldeclarationincluding
official“GuidelinesforEnvironmentalProtection”
5
andtheannouncementofas uccessfully
implementedEMS(LULG2000).Thisdeclarationaimedatincreasingawarenessandatpermanently
integratingenvironmentalprotectionintotheuniversity’sstructuresandprocesses.Consequently,
theenvironmentalmanagementsystemwasvalidatedaccordingtoEMASforthefirsttimein2000.
Tosumup,theenvironmentaldeclaration
andtheimplementationofanEMSweretheformal
foundationsfortheuniversity’ssustainabilitypolicy (Albrechtetal.2007).TodaytheLULGofficially
standsonthreenormativepillars:humanism,sustainability,andactionorientation(LULG2007).
Obviously,theguidingprincipleofsustainabilityisnowlocated onthetoplevelofnormative
orientations.

Thesestepscontributedsignificantlytothedevelopmentofcognitivepreconditionsforintegrating
socialandenvironmentalaspectsinalong‐termscope.Fromanorganizationallearningperspective
theformalizationofnormativeguidelinesandtechnicalskillsonhowtodealwithenvironmental
issuesisonepossibleapproachofstoringknowledgeindependentlyfrom
individuals(Jelinek1979,
Bea&Göbel2006).Accordingly,MarchandOlsen(1976,157)constitute:“Normallyitisarguedthat
organizationstrytoperpetuatethefruitsoftheirlearningbyformalizingthem.”Hence,thisearly
stagecanbecharacterizedbyformalizationandinstitutionalizationofenvironmentalprotection.


4
The“COPERNICUSUniversityChartaforSustainableDevelopment”,setupin1993,definedtheroleandprinciplesof
universityactioninthecontextofsustainabledevelopment(http://www.iisd.org/educate/declarat/coper.htm).
5
Availableonline,
http://www.leuphana.de/fileadmin/user_upload/uniprojekte/Umweltmanagement/files/Umwelterklaerung/ue_2000.pdf

 9

[‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐insertfig ure1‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐]

Figure1describesformalizedknowledgeastheorganizationalbasisforenvironmentalandclimate
protection.Itisavailableasguidelinesormanagementsystemsviaregularadministrativecha nnels.
3.3SecondPhase–SharedKnowledgeandOrganizationalMaps
WhatArgyrisandSchön(1978)callan“organizationalmap”
referstotheassumptionthat,
theoretically,allmembersofanorganizationshareacommonknowledgebasis.Theimplicatio n is 
notthatindividualspossessidenticalcognitivestructures,butthatenoughsimilaritiesexisttoavoid
significantfrictions(Zahn&Greschner1996).Theorganizationalknowledgebasis–representedby
implicitknowledge(“tacitknowledge”;
values,norms,experiences)andexplicitknowledge
(“articulatedandcodifiedknowledge”;forms,data‐storages)(Zahn&Greschner1996,Argyris1999,
Schreyögg1999)–isprincipallyavailablefororganizationaldecisionprocesses.
Learninghappensindividuallyandcontributestosuperior“sharedframesofreference”(Jelinek
1979;Hedberg1981).Theseframescanbeinterpretedasshared
mentalmodelsthatconsistofa
collective“Weltanschauung”andorganizationalroutines(Kim1993).FollowingKim’slearningtheory
individualknowledgecrea tionisinfluencedbytheorganization’ssharedmentalmodelandvice
versa.Hence,theorganizationmustatfirstbecapableofintegratingnewanddeletingold
knowledge,andsecond,itshould
beabletorealizechangeswhichmayresultfromtheintertwined
processesofindividualandorganizationalknowledgecreation(Zahn&Greschner1996).Levittand
March(1988)refertothenecessaryabilityof“metalearning”intermsof“learningtolearn”to
successfullyassimilate(single‐loop‐learning)andaccommodate(double‐loop‐learning)
knowledge

 10
(Kim1993,Zahn&Greschner1996).
6
AtthispointitishelpfultofollowOrtenblad(2004,57;original
emphasis)whosummarizes:“However,mostauthorswhohavewrittenabout‘organizational 
learning’seemtoagreethatboththeindividualsandtheorganizationlearn.Theemployeeslearnas
agentsfortheorganization,andtheknowledgeisstoredinthe
memoryoftheorganization.The
memoryconsistsofroutines,dialogueorsymbols–i.e.knowledgeisembedded,enculturedor
encoded.”
Thequestionarises,howdidroutines,dialoguesandsymbolschangeattheLULGonitswaytowards
becominga“SustainableUniversity”?
Sincethelate1980senvironmentaltopicsweresubjectto
researchandeducationatLULG;in1996
thefacultyofenvironmentalscienceswasfounded.Hence,researchandeducationwerethefirst
areasinwhichknowledgeonenvironmentalissueswassystematicallycreated.Becauseresultsof
researchandeducationdisperseonseveralchannelsthroughouttheuniversity,motivatedby
engagedindividualsandg roups,
thecreationofnewkindsofsharedknowledgewaspossible.Inthe
followingformalizationphaseguidelineswerepassedwhichinfluencedtheuniversity’seducation
andresearchculture.Fouroutoftenprinciplesreferdirectlytothecreationoforganizationalmaps
relatedtoenvironmentalprotection(LULG2006,6;translated):
• Principle6:“Initscurriculatheuniversityoffersmanifoldpossibilitiesforstudentstoworkon
topicsandproblemsofenvironmentalprotectionontheirownauthority[…]”
• Principle7:“Environmentalprotectiononaregional,nationalandinternationalscaleispart
ofresearchactivities[…]”


6
Thelearninghypothesesofsingle‐loop‐anddouble‐loop‐learningplayasignificantroleinthefieldof
organizationallearning.Duetolimitedspacethisdiscussionhastoberescheduled;acontributionworthyof
considerationisKim1993.

 11
• Principle8:“Employeesarefrequentlyincludedindiscussionsontherealizationofthe
‘GuidelinesforEnvironmentalProtection’[…]”
• Principle10:“Indialoguesthepublicisbeinginformedonenvironmentalactivities.Realized
measuresarebeingcommunicatedtoexternalstakeholdersandtheirideasbeingintegrated
[…]”
Theseprinciplesintendtostimulatesus tainabilityorientedbehaviourandprocessesofknowledge
generationinseveraldimensions.Employees,researchers,studentsandexternalstakeholdersare
directlyaddressed
regardingtheirworkingattitude,researchorientation,educationprogramand
possibilitiestoengageactively.Sinceglobalattentivenessthroughouttheinstitutionisacritical
preconditionforcreatingneworganizationalmaps(Bea&Göbel2006)theuniversity’s
environmentalcoordinationusesdiversecommunicationchannels:e.g.mailings,letters,posters,
postcards,asustainability‐portalon
theinternet,visualpresentations athighlyfrequentedplaceson
campus,anannualenvironmentaldeclarationandabiannualenvironmental respectively
sustainabilityreport.

[‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐insertfig ure2‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐]

Figure2describescollectiveknowledgeascommonbasissharedbytheuniversity’smembers.Inthe
caseofclimateprotectionsuchknowledgereferstogeneral
individualandorganizationalactivities.It
isavailableiftheorganizationalknowledgeflowsthroughtheinstitutionandifindividuallearningcan
contributetoit.
Example:Researchproject“SustainableUniversity”(2004‐2007)

 12
Toreviewpossibilitiesandbarriersofimplementingtheoverallconceptofsustainabilityinto
universityoperationsanextensiveandwidelyvisibleresearchprojectwasconductedfrom2004to
2007.Thestatusquoofallcampuscommunitymembers’attitudesandopinionsregarding
sustainabilitywasreflected.“Findingsindicatethatcampuscommunitymembersare
highly
receptivetothenotionofsustainabledevelopment;thissuggeststhatthereishighpotentialon
campustodevelopsustainabilityasaguidingprinciplefortheuniversity.Theseresultsareafertile
groundtoexpandsustainabilityinitiativesinthewaytoasustainableorganization.”(Adomßentet
al.2007)
Thereception
ofsustainabledevelopmentintheuniversitycontextcanbeillustratedwith
numbersgeneratedintheproject(Adomßentetal.2007,2‐3;translated):
• “nearly90%ofthosequestionedareawareoftheterm‘sustainabledevelopment’”
• “approx.86%associate‘caringforfuturegenerations’withsustainabledevelopment”
• “approx.83%agreethatuniversitiesshouldhaveawidelyacceptedguidingprinciple”
• “80%agreethatenvironmentalprotectionisatrademarkoftheuniversity”
Hereitisarguedthatnewkindsofsharedknowledgeand“organizationalsustainabilitymaps”from
the1980sand1990swerecrucialforformalizationandinstitutionalizationintheyears1999‐2001.In
turn,thelatterwasaprerequisiteforcurrentsustainabilityorientedattitudesthroughoutthe
institution.Howisthis“fertileground”used
anddevelopedfurtherinthepresent?
3.4ThirdPhase–DistributedLearningandKnowledge
Currentactivitiesundertheguidingprinciplesof“SustainableUniversity”and“CarbonNeutral
University”areusedtoillustratehowtheorganizationalsustainability map maystimulateinnovative
learningprocessestocontributetoclimateprotection.Themechanism“distributedlearning
and

 13
knowledge”willbeintroducedagainstthebackgroundofactivitiesaimingattheinstallationof
photovoltaicfacilitiesoncampus.
Kirsch(1990)definesorganizationallearningasusage ,changeandfurtherdevelopmentofthe
organizationalknowledgebasis.Inotherwords,givenpoolsofsharedknowledgecanbesubjectto
changesanddevelopmentinitiated
byindividuallearning–thisdoesnothappenasaconcerted
action,butondifferentlevelsandunderdifferentcircumstances(Winter1997).Thethirdmechanism
discussedinthisarticleisbasedondifferentlyscaleddistributedlearningprocessesanddistribute d
piecesofknowledgeondifferentlevelsthroughoutanorganization.Pawlowsky(1994)
refersto
levelsofintra‐personal(insideindividuals),inter‐personal(in‐betweenindividuals)andintra‐
organizationallearning(insideoftheorganization).Winter(1997)alsomentionsinter‐organizational
(in‐betweenorganizations)learningasaconsequenceofnetworksandcooperationonthelevelof
organizations(Hamel1991,Pawlowsky1994,Schreyögg&Noss1995).
COPERNICUScanbe
interpretedasanexampleofinter‐organizationallearning.

[‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐insertfig ure3‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐]

Figure3describesdistributedknowledge.Thislearningmechanismispotentiallythemostfruitfulas
individualspecialistsonseverallevelscreatesolutionsfororganizationalproblems(thereforethebox
isofbiggersizethanin
figures1and2).Itisavailableifthespecializedindividualknowledgecreation
findschannels(intermsofovercominge.g.administrativebarriers)tocontributetoorganizational
decisions.
Twoexamplesofinter‐personalandintra‐organizationallearningareillustratedinthefollowing:
“SoLue”(2005)and“UniSolarLüneburg”(2009)(seetable1).


 14
Example:Initiative“SoLue”(2005‐2009)
7

“SoLue”wasfoundedin2005bystudentsandemployees.Thepurposewastoenableanetworkof
universitymembersandsupporters(inter‐personallevel)tobringforwardsustainabilityoriented
projects.Agreatsuccesswastheinstallationofa7.5kWpphotovoltaicfacilityinDecember2005.
Partoftheinvestmentwas
madebyuniversitymembersandotherprivatepersons;theuniversity
accountedfortheinvestment’slion’sshare.Incooperationwiththepresident’sboard,
administrationandenvironmentalcoordination(intra‐organizationallevel)internalstructuresand
processeswerearrangedtoinstallandrunthefacility.Intermsoforganizationallearningthe
initiative’smembers‐amateursat
first‐hadtoacquireknowledgeandskillstobuildupandruna
privateinitiative.Theyalsohadtoobtainandcoordinateinternalandexternalknowledgeon
photovoltaictechnologies.Finally,thefacilitywasrealizedbyaprofessionalsolarinstallation
companyandwasentrustedtotheuniversitywhoactsasoperator.
SoLuewasdisbandedinJune
2009.
Example:“UniSolarLüneburg”(beginning2009)
8

In2007theCentreforSustainabilityManagement(CSM)startedaseriesofseminarsonevaluating
thestatusquoanddevelopingconceptsforpossiblemeasuresfromamanagementpointofview.
Studentsfromthe“CarbonNeutralUniversity” (2007/2008)seminarsworkedoutavastanalysisof
renewableenergies,energysavingandmobility
oncampus(Beyeretal.2008).Thefollowing
seminarstitled“FoundationoftheUniSolarInitiativeLüneburg”(2008/2009)werecarriedoutin
ordertoexpandthesuccessfulSoLueapproach.TheideabehindUniSolarLüneburgistorealizea
projectmanytimesbiggerthanSoLue.Asthelegalframechangescontinuously(decreasingfeed
‐in
tariff)UniSolarLüneburgandtheInterdisciplinaryWorkingGroupCarbonNeutralUniversity(see
table1)arepreparingaconcepttoinstallmaximumamountsofphotovoltaiccapacitieson

7
http://www.solarprojekt.uni‐lueneburg.de
8
http://www.unisolar‐lueneburg.de

 15
campus.Fromanorganizationallearningperspectivespecificknowledgehastobeacquiredonthe
intra‐personallevel(e.g.RepresentativeforClimateProtection,solarpowerspecialistatthe
InstituteforEcologyandEnvironmentalChemistry),ontheinter‐personallevel(e.g.UniSolar
Lüneburg,InterdisciplinaryWorkingGroup),andontheintra
‐organizationallevel(e.g.in‐between
theEnvironmentalCoordination,theInterdisciplinaryWorkingGroupandthepresident’sboard).
IncontrasttoSoLueUniSolarLüneburgneedstomobilizevastprivateinvestments,developacase
specificbusinessandoperatormodel,andfinallythewholeconcepthastobeintegratedintothe
university’sprocesses
andstructures.
ThemechanismofdistributedlearningandknowledgewascrucialforrealizingtheSoLueprojectin
2005.Theuniversity’sabilitytodealwiththeincreasingcomplexityoftheUniSolarLüneburg
approachwillbedecisiveforenablingnextgenerationphotovoltaicprojectsoncampus.UniSolar
Lüneburgstillisanopenprocessthatmightchange
atanytime.
4. Conclusion:SustainabilityProjectsasaMeanstoovercomeBarriersofOrganizational
Learning?
Threemainchallengescanbeidentifiedintheorganizationallearningliterature(Steinmann&
Hennemann1997):securingtheapplicationofexistingknowledge;collectivizingindividual
knowledge;permanenttriggeringofindividuallearning.Theauthorsarguethattheabove
prescribed
mechanismsarecrucialformeetingthesechallenges.

[‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐insertfig ure4‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐]

Figure4suggestsastartingpointforanadequatereflectionprocess.Thefirstmechanismbasesupon
aformalandinstitutionalcoreofknowledgethatsecuresthenecessaryminimum(guidelines,

 16
principles,declarations,managementsystems).Thesecondreferstoco mprehensiveimplicitand
explicitknowledgethatissharedandcreatedbyalluniversity’smembers(commonknowledgeon
contributionslikeenergy savingandenvironmentallyfriendlymobility).However,formalizedand
sharedknowledgeisnecessarybutinsufficientforcomplexsustainabilityrelatedactivities(like
photovoltaicprojects
managedbyamateurs).IftheLULGfollowsitsmissionstatementsithasto
continuouslytriggerindividuals’willingnessandabilitytolearn,tocreatenewkindsofknowledge
andtocontributetoorganizationalproblemsolving.
Becomingasustainableorganizationisa challengingtaskforuniversities:First,themission
statementsof“Sustainable
University”and“CarbonNeutralUniversity”standona(multi‐
dimensional)normativefundament.Sincenor msand values arealwayssubjecttosocio‐cultural
negotiationsonalllevelsfrominter‐personaltointer‐organizational,the“whattolearn?”addstothe
“howtolearn?”.Second,theessentialfactthat“[universities]havenoother
brainsandsensesthan
thoseoftheirmembers”(Hedberg1981,6),andthatthosemembers belongtostructurallytwo‐
facedunits(looseandcoupled)requiresdemandingprocessesofreflectionabouthowtoimprove
organizationallearning–asafirststep,aholisticperspectiveforthelatterquestionisdiscussedin
thisarticle.
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

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Tables,Figures


Event Year
“FacultyofEnvironmentalSciences”founded 1996
“COPERNICUSUniversityChartaforSustainableDevelopment”signed 1997
Project“Agenda21andUniversityofLüneburg“started(until2001) 1999
Workinggroup“Environment”implemented
“GuidelinesforEnvironmentalProtection”passedbysenate
EMASvalidationofmaincampus
AnnualEnvironmentalDeclarationreleasedfirsttime
2000
“LüneburgDeclaration“adoptedduringtheinternationalconference“HigherEducation
forSustainability–TowardstheWorldSummitonSustainableDevelopment(Rio+10)“
2001
EnvironmentalCoordinationnominated 2002
Workinggroup“Health‐Management”implemented 2003
Project“SustainableUniversity–SustainableDevelopmentintheContextofUniversity
Remits”started(until2007)
2004
UNESCO‐Chair“HigherEducationforSustainableDevelopment“disposedtothe
“InstituteforEnvironmentalandSustainabilityCommunication”(INFU)
“SoLue”(“SolarProjectUniv ersityofLüneburg”)realized7.5kWpphotovoltaicfacility
2005
“FacultyofEnvironmentandTechnology”founded 2006
MissionStatement“CarbonNeutralUniversity”in2012
SustainabilityReport2005/2006released(“StepstowardstheFuture”)
2007
Emphasisonsustainabilitysciencesinfuturedevelopmentplans,strengtheningof
department“SustainabilitySciences”
“RepresentativeforClimateProtection”nominated
“InterdisciplinaryWorkingGroupCarbonNeutralUniversity”implemented,pla tformfor
energyrelatedactivities
2008
“UniSolarInitiativeLüneburg”founded 2009

Table1Milestonestowardsa“Sustaina ble University”

 22


Figure1FormalizedKnow ledge


Figure2SharedKnowledge


Figure3DistributedKnowledge

distributedknowledge
indirectly:dependsonspecialized
individuallearningandovercoming
individual‐organizationalbarriers
Availability
Mechanism
Description
sharedknowledge
directly/indirectly:dependson
overcomingindividual‐
organizationalbarriersanddegree
ofdispersion
implicitandexplicitcommon
knowledgeoncontributions:
e.g.energysavingbehaviour
Availability
Mechanism
Description
formalizedknowledge
organizationalbasisfor
environmentalandclimate
protection:e.g.mission
statements,guidelines,EMS
Availability
Mechanism
Description
directly:dependsonprocesses‘
andstructures‘quality,e.g.in
termsofadministrative
coordination

specificknowledgeonspecific
contributions:e.g.photovoltaic
installations,privateinitiatives

 23


Figure4MechanismsofOrganizationalLearning

distributedknowledge
sharedknowledge
formalizedknowledge
directly:dependsonprocesses‘a.
structures‘quality,e.g.intermsof
administrativecoordination
directly/indirectly:dependson
overcomingindividual‐
organizationalbarriersanddegree
ofdispersion
indirectly:dependsonspecialized
individuallearningandovercoming
individual‐organizationalbarriers
Availability
Mechanism
Description
specificknowledgeonspecific
contributions:e.g.photovoltaic
installations,privateinitiatives
implicitandexplicitcommon
knowledgeoncontributions:e.g.
energysavingbehaviour
organizationalbasisfor
environmentalandclimate
protection:e.g.mission
statements,guidelines,EMS