Understanding the role of mindsets in sustainability transformations: How do employees in Norwegian municipalities engage with change?

Abstract

As humans, the mindsets that we hold affect how we respond to crises, and how we perceive and enact agency to achieve transformations towards sustainability. Yet, surprisingly little research has been done on how personal dimensions such as mindsets affect the agency of people working on the ground with sustainability issues. The overarching goal of this master’s thesis is to contribute to understanding individual’s roles in social innovation processes, including how personal change relates to political and practical changes. The personal sphere refers to how both individuals and groups think, feel, understand, and perceive the world. This is at the core of how we build and organize society. Despite its importance for understanding and tackling crises such as climate change, the personal sphere is just beginning to receive attention in sustainability science. This thesis looks at how mindsets influence how municipal employees engage with sustainability issues. The research focuses on municipal employees who participated in a social innovation initiative called Kommuneinkubatoren (municipality incubator) – an incubator for employees in Norwegian municipalities that aims to increase their leadership capacities to tackle complex sustainability-related challenges. I conducted semi-structured interviews, along with observations, which are analysed using the three spheres of transformations framework. The findings suggest that the barriers to deep and rapid transformations may be linked to a lack of questioning or challenging systems and structures and a gap between self-awareness and the enactment of agency. This highlights the importance of addressing sustainability issues through a system understanding. This research argues that the personal sphere represents opportunities for deep and rapid transformation, including transformations in everyday practices that influence sub-systems and systems. The thesis emphasises the importance of reflexive research that contributes to a greater understanding of the potential that lies within each individual’s decision to learn more, be more mindful about intentions, and organise change initiatives that are aligned with sustainability goals.