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Abstract
The interdependent character of sustainability challenges calls for collaboration among actors with different capabilities, interests, and knowledge frames. Behavioral simulations offer good opportunities to learn about dealing with these differences. They are based on an “experiential learning” approach that integrates the direct experience of the participants during a simulation exercise with reflection, theorizing, and acting. As such the simulation is able to mobilize the “minds, hearts, and hands” of the participants to stimulate not only cognitive, but also affective and moral learning in an embodied way. This is considered of utmost importance in education for sustainable development. The simulation exercise presented in this manuscript is inspired by a real case in the Southern Andes of Ecuador, where an existing multi-actor committee for the co-management of the regional UNESCO Biosphere is challenged by the arrival of an international mining company. The results are based on an analysis of the simulation sessions with three different groups: (1) social and environmental experts that have experience in the context of the case; (2) students in International Business Management; and (3) students in Water Engineering. The participants tap into the potential of individual and group reflection to learn from their own experience. They demonstrate an increased awareness of the importance of the relations between the stakeholders to deal adequately with the wicked nature of the case. The innovation of the tool consists in the possibility to address in a systematic and explicit way the relational tasks that are needed in local contexts to address global sustainability challenges. Especially the attention given to ambidexterity to address the tough tension between collaboration and power plays is rarely covered by other tools.
Highlights
All the main sustainability challenges, like climate change, food insecurity, poverty, increasing inequality, loss of biodiversity, resource depletion, health problems related to contamination, etc. are interconnected and value-laden
We conclude with a discussion about the unique value of this simulation as a versatile learning instrument to learn about the relational tasks that need to be addressed in concrete local contexts to advance global sustainable development
Two main questions guide our analysis of the learning process with the “Mining in the Biosphere” simulation, to deal with complex sustainability challenges:
Summary
All the main sustainability challenges, like climate change, food insecurity, poverty, increasing inequality, loss of biodiversity, resource depletion, health problems related to contamination, etc. are interconnected and value-laden. Behavioral simulations have been described as learning instruments for individuals involved in multi-actor initiatives (Vansina et al, 1996; De Weerdt et al, 2009; Prins, 2009) and for sustainability related challenges (Annandale and Morrisson-Saunders, 2007; Svoboda and Whalen, 2007; Stefanska et al, 2011; Magnuszewski et al, 2018) They consist of a description of a problematic situation in which different interested actors have to interact to resolve the problematic situation. The simulation is based on existing documents and firsthand information by two alumni of former training programs regarding multi-actor collaboration for sustainability (facilitated by the first author) They were both actively involved in the multiactor process which resulted successfully in the acknowledgment by UNESCO of the area as Biosphere in 2013 (one representing the local government of the nearby city and one representing an important environmental NGO). They have to enrich the learning insights by linking them to the conceptual theories of these publications
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