Implementing Sustainability Co-Creation between Universities and Society: A Typology-Based Understanding

Gregory Trencher, Masafumi Nagao, Chiahsin Chen, Kentaro Ichiki, Tobai Sadayoshi, Mariko Kinai, Mio Kamitani, Shojiro Nakamura, Aiko Yamauchi and Masaru Yarime
Additional contact information
Gregory Trencher: Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-0845, Japan
Masafumi Nagao: Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan
Chiahsin Chen: Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8561, Japan
Kentaro Ichiki: Hakuhodo Inc., Tokyo 107-6322, Japan
Tobai Sadayoshi: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Japan, Tokyo 105-0014, Japan
Mariko Kinai: World Vision Japan, Tokyo 164-0012, Japan
Mio Kamitani: Oraga Otsuchi Yume Hiroba, Iwate 028-1131, Japan
Shojiro Nakamura: Accenture Japan Ltd., Center for Innovation in Fukushima, Fukushima 965-0006, Japan
Aiko Yamauchi: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Japan, Tokyo 105-0014, Japan
Masaru Yarime: School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 4, 1-28

Abstract: Universities are under mounting pressure to partner with societal stakeholders and organizations to collaboratively create and implement sustainability-advancing knowledge, tools, and societal transformations. Simultaneously, an increasing number of societal organizations are reaching out to partner with universities to achieve organizational objectives and increase the effectiveness of strategies to further societal sustainability. Using a conceptual framework of “sustainability co-creation”, this study empirically examines the historical and ongoing experiences of five organizations in Japan that actively partner with universities to enhance sustainability activities and strategies to transform society. We examine motivations for partnering with universities, innovative models of practice, factors hampering the co-creative potential of the university, and desired changes to overcome these. Our empirical study leads to the proposal of a typology that might assist in categorizing and understanding key attributes of differing types of sustainability co-creation. We build our typology from two perspectives: First, in terms of the primary objective of the co-creation (ranging from knowledge production to the transformation of society), and second, in terms of the approach taken (ranging from either socially or technologically-centered). We then reflect on the organizations’ experiences to offer several strategies that could increase the effectiveness of the university when partnering with stakeholders in sustainability co-creation. We also highlight several factors effecting the university’s capacity to move beyond knowledge production towards implementation measures to transform society with external stakeholders.

Keywords: co-creation; sustainability; university; partnerships; collaboration; transformational science; knowledge co-production; societal transformation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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