Learning as a key leverage point for sustainability transformations: a case study of a local government in Perth, Western Australia

Jayne Bryant,Giles Thomson

doi:10.1007/s11625-020-00808-8

Jayne Bryant, Giles Thomson

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-020-00808-8

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Abstract

This paper presents a case study about embedding sustainability into a local government in Perth, Western Australia, through the introduction of a sustainability policy and the accompanying education and culture change program. This longitudinal case study describes the approach and impact of the program initiated and delivered by internal officers between 2011 and 2016. The use of personal experience, document review and staff interviews present an ethnography of a bureaucracy that casts some light upon the seldom seen inner workings of a local government organisation as it introduced a sustainability program over a period of more than 5 years. The case study provides evidence of the potential power of learning as a key leverage point for transformational sustainability change.

Highlights

Literature on sustainability transformations often highlights the importance of shifts within large and influential institutions, organisations and businesses to bring about wider societal change (Lotz-Sisitka et al 2015; Miller et al 2014; Waddell et al 2015)
According to Yin’s (2013) categorisation of case studies, this single case study is both revelatory and longitudinal. It is a revelatory case study, in that it reveals something that is not accessible or studied; as Bernstein and Mertz (2011) describe the need for more ethnography of bureaucracies to explore the hidden realm of government institutions: “Scholars looking at the negotiation of power in state institutions often focus on situations with clear one-way flows and monologic communication—speeches, announcements—where one can distinguish the voices and the persons representing the state to its people
The Sustainability Strategy (SSS) led to a revision of the Western Australian Local Government Act (1995) through the introduction of an Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework (IPRF) (2010) requiring all local governments to conduct participatory community planning processes and show how this process linked to the creation of local sustainable communities

Summary

Introduction

Literature on sustainability transformations often highlights the importance of shifts within large and influential institutions, organisations and businesses to bring about wider societal change (Lotz-Sisitka et al 2015; Miller et al 2014; Waddell et al 2015). The purpose of this paper is to attempt to describe a process of organisational change towards sustainability within a local government and relate this to existing theories of change and Handled by Julia Leventon, Leuphana University, Germany. Learning represents one such powerful area of intervention as it is capable of shifting values and through human agency, system intent. The background study describes sustainability initiatives and opportunities within the municipality, as well as identifying the enablers and barriers in moving Western Australian local governments towards sustainability. This work informed a number of the approaches applied in the subsequent years as described in the Theoretical Frameworks section below

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