My holiday wish list for the sustainability 2.0 (S2.0) research community:
1. Understanding how/why firms excel in sustainability management
Better understanding of why certain firms excel in terms of energy/ghg reductions relative to peers, in particular, the role of information systems and information management capabilities (e.g., energy and carbon management systems, social media) as complements/enablers/drivers of environmental strategies and practices.
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2. Understanding qualitative aspects of residential energy feedback systems
James Pierce and colleagues call on researchers to understand and focus on the ineffectiveness of residential home energy feedback systems. They identify several areas in need of further research:
- what are considered non-negotiable interactions / patterns (e.g., using a clothes dryer)
- unintended effects: sustaining the unsustainable (e.g., do these systems actually promote behavior counter to intended outcomes?)
- alternative aims (e.g,. other objectives such as symbolism and aesthetics of energy).
- design details (e.g., subtleties of how design details shape perceptions and actions)
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3. Understanding and systematizing mechanisms of S2.0 change
We need to extend understanding of mechanisms that underlie individual and organizational sustainability behavior and the role of information systems therein. For example, a simple mechanism that arises from decades of scholarship on organizational use of information systems is what I call “the illusion of information system functionality,” meaning, if a system is well designed and performs its functions as intended (data validity, ease of use, integration with other systems, etc.) then it will be deemed a success. To what extent might Kahneman’s “system 1″ and “system 2″ mental systems drive this thinking (which often leads to disastrous results, e.g., non-use of a costly system and blame game)?
