Rights statement: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Scandinavian Journal of Management. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Scandinavian Journal of Management, 34, 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.scaman.2017.11.002
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Available under license: CC BY-NC-ND: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Lost in Delegation?
T2 - (Dis)organizing for Sustainability
AU - Allen, Stephen
AU - Brigham, Martin
AU - Marshall, Judi
N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Scandinavian Journal of Management. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Scandinavian Journal of Management, 34, 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.scaman.2017.11.002
PY - 2018/3
Y1 - 2018/3
N2 - Using actor-networks as our conceptual lens for appreciating complex sociomaterial interdependencies, we explore how a vision to “do things differently” for sustainability becomes enacted and significantly diluted at a major brownfield development project in the UK. We show how visions for sustainability can become substantially delegated into a range of specialised and functionally differentiated practices, with nonhuman mediators producing significant agency. Additionally, extending actor-network approaches, we develop the concept of localised hybridity to consider how the possibilities for progressive sustainability practices are interdependent with mediators in other ‘locals’ across times and spaces. We suggest that greater reflexive attention and inquiry to the types of relational work required to form alliances with nonhuman mediators is crucial to realise visions for sustainability.
AB - Using actor-networks as our conceptual lens for appreciating complex sociomaterial interdependencies, we explore how a vision to “do things differently” for sustainability becomes enacted and significantly diluted at a major brownfield development project in the UK. We show how visions for sustainability can become substantially delegated into a range of specialised and functionally differentiated practices, with nonhuman mediators producing significant agency. Additionally, extending actor-network approaches, we develop the concept of localised hybridity to consider how the possibilities for progressive sustainability practices are interdependent with mediators in other ‘locals’ across times and spaces. We suggest that greater reflexive attention and inquiry to the types of relational work required to form alliances with nonhuman mediators is crucial to realise visions for sustainability.
KW - Sustainability
KW - Sociomaterial
KW - Actor-network
KW - Translation
KW - Hybrid
KW - Mediator
KW - Delegation
KW - Reflexive
U2 - 10.1016/j.scaman.2017.11.002
DO - 10.1016/j.scaman.2017.11.002
M3 - Journal article
VL - 34
SP - 29
EP - 39
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Management
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Management
SN - 0956-5221
IS - 1
ER -