First James Lovelock, and recently Prince William and David Attenborough believe that we have reached a tipping point in the process of climate change. Whether they are right or not, it is certainly true that the impact of humankind upon the ecology of the earth has reached a point where real changes in human behaviour are required. If managers are to be enablers of planetary survival then we need to develop a new approach to risk, which explicitly includes ecological limits upon economic behaviour. This implies a fundamental reorientation of their role in allocating resources to minimise risk and maximise reward.
This book brings together some of the brightest contemporary thinkers on leadership, complexity and sustainability to consider the big ideas that we will need to make the changes required, and to outline the major themes that can inform a new approach to constructing a green world. It looks at how to ensure that local models of sustainability are able to flourish in the context of global networks and presents specific case studies of markets and organisations that offer insights into the development integrated solutions and the leadership lessons we can learn.
Combining both theory and practice, this book serves to guide business managers and provides deeper insight and critical perspectives on some of the key issues facing leaders moving towards the green economy. It also provides useful supplementary reading for students in business and environmental studies.
1. Introduction
Andrew Taylor
Part I: Shaping the Leadership Challenge
2. Speaking Truth to Power: The perils of (scientific) leadership in the Green Economy
David Collins
3. Values and Leadership in the Anthropocene
Chris Rose and Pat Dade
4. What can young Social Entrepreneurs tell us about Environmental Leadership? Perspectives from Brazil and India
Bharati Singh
5. Frontiers of Freedom: US Environmental Leadership
Heather Crawford and Adam Bronstone
6. The Weaponisation of Climate Change: Environmental Leadership in the Age of Trump
Elesa Zehndorfer
Part II: Systems and Complexity
7. Complex Systems Literacy: Social dilemmas – the setup for managerial decision-making in a complex world
Ligia Cremene
8. Green Shoots: Emergent Systemic Leadership and Critical Systems Practice
Amanda J. Gregory and Jonathan P. Atkins
9. Complexity and Networks
Yasmin Merali
Part III: Looking Forward
10. Stewardship and Strategy in Turbulent Times
Andrew Taylor
11. The ‘Undergrowth Movement’ and the Virtues of Leadership
Sr Margaret Atkins
12. The ‘Interesting’ Case of EU Commission Leadership and the Emission Trading Scheme
Vanessa Oakes and Adam Bronstone
13. Reshaping Green Retail Supply Chains in a New World Order
David B. Grant, Dan-Cristian Dabija and Virva Tuomala
14. Climate Risk and Adaptation in Wales: Leadership for Future Generations?
Alan Netherwood and Andrew Flynn
Part IV: Further Reading
15. Bibliometric analysis of management and leadership in the sustainability agenda
Dr Ashish Dwivedi
16. Conclusion
Biography
Andrew Taylor has won global awards for projects bringing street children and managers together, diversity and environmental policy. He leads Connect CEE and the NGO Transilvania Executive Education. Andrew has a PhD in environmental politics from Cardiff University and has published two co-authored books.
"I very much welcome this new book, which provides guidance on the values and systemic leadership required to enable us to manage during the Anthropocene and transition to a green economy. While fully recognising the difficulties that will be encountered, the authors offer both useful theoretical insights and examples of good practice"
Emeritus Professor Michael C. Jackson, OBE
