Abstract
Proclaimed the “greenest television programme in the world,” the award-winning soap opera Coronation Street is seen as an industry success story. This paper explores how the integration of carbon literacy training (CLT) led to a widespread transformational change of practice within Coronation Street. Using the theoretical lens of Communities of Practice (CoP), this study examines the nature of social learning and the enablers and barriers to change within the organization. Specifically, how boundary spanning practices, objects and people led to the transformation on both a personal and group level. Based on a qualitative analysis of 22 interviews with Heads of Departments and other staff, the paper argues that CLT is a boundary practice which has evolved into a boundary spanning CoP. The importance of infrastructures supporting boundary objects and practices is highlighted as reinforcers of the CLT, both as a boundary object and a community, with the “ultimate” boundary spanning object being the show. A significant enabler in social learning and change in practice is the creation of discursive and creative space, both within CoP and across the boundaries. Findings also highlight the role of “self” in the process of social learning and organizational change. Distinct patterns emerged in the relationship between self-identity, social learning and change across a range of boundary objects, practices and communities both in the CLT and CoP. This suggests that in a diverse social learning setting such as CLT there are different transformational catalysts within the CoP and these identities can influence how knowledge is translated into practice.
Highlights
Coronation Street, produced by ITV in Manchester UK, is one of the longest running soap operas
This paper aims to explore how an industry focussed Carbon Literacy Training (CLT) program acted as a catalyst for this change within Coronation Street by assessing the impacts of the CLT on individual Heads of Department (HoD) and exploring the process of social learning, translation and adaptation of practice within and across departments
This manager negotiated across both Coronation Street and ITV to gain support and buy-in for the training and, as a result, the CLT training was compulsory for the HoD within Coronation Street
Summary
Coronation Street, produced by ITV in Manchester UK, is one of the longest running soap operas. It is a much-loved British institution reflecting the daily lives of a workingclass community in the North of England. Coronation Street has acquired the accolade of the “greenest soap opera in the world,” making the show an industry sustainability success story (Manchester Evening News 2015). Coronation Street was one of the first production units within ITV to ask all their Head of Departments (Editorial, Production and Post Production) to take part in the newly developed CLT program which resulted in an overall reduction of carbon emissions of 96 tonnes between 2014 and 2016. All three soap operas have achieved Albert certification, a certificate awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA 2017) for successful Greenhouse Gas Management
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