Innovation and sustainability transition

Aim

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

• discuss the relationship between technological innovation, organizational and institutional changes and sustainability transitions
• explain and discuss models and concepts that describe innovation and sustainability transitions from a business, industry and societal perspective
• based on empirical examples, evaluate and apply models and concepts to analyze transition processes

Content

Sustainability transitions are the core of the course. The course positions organizations and players at the center, with a particular focus on companies and industry. Based on empirical examples of historical and ongoing transition processes, the course highlights how technology, infrastructure, industrial structures and institutions limit companies' room for action but also enable them to act to transform the systems in which they operate. Students will reason about and analyze the transition of various socio-technical systems such as energy, transport, and industrial production. The reasoning and analysis starting point is studies of strategic change and transition work in industrial sectors such as heavy vehicles, chemistry and process, and power generation, but also in service sectors such as tourism and hospitality.