Sally Paulin

In this chapter, we seek to advance the notion that the evolution of ‘Self’, organisational design and leadership thinking and an Eco-centric versus Ego-centric worldview—are a precondition for true sustainability and survival for organisations and interdependent local and global ecosystems in 2017 and beyond. We develop this position with reference to Historical, Sociological, Literary and Philosophical precedents, leading-edge organisational and leadership theory, topical reports on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) global standards, practices and metrics, and our own reflective practice narratives. This rich body of knowledge and expertise is used to illustrate the potential costs of the contested relationship between humans and nature from classical times into the current digital era. We argue that to truly understand human, organisational and broader ecosystems dynamics in a complex and emerging environment, non-linear interpretive methodologies are required versus traditional positivist empirical investigations. Based on this approach and extensive conversations with other experienced academic researchers, teachers, and consultants actively involved in organisational change and design, stakeholder and community engagement, we conclude that even the most progressive Corporate Social Responsibility and corporate social integration organising and leadership models such as Conscious Capitalism and Shared Value are trapped in the Ego-centric self-serving worldview. By contrast we explore the potential of the Eco-centric worldview and allied organisational design and reward practices based on—shared values, self-transcending purpose, personal insight, and creative use of digital technologies for collaboration, problem-solving, and knowledge sharing in high trust social networks. Having explored how some of these principles can be applied within leading-edge, radical leadership and organisational design frameworks such as—Theory U and Teal organisations, we revisit the notion of the digital double-edged sword. This represents massive, previously unimaginable power and agency which human beings can exercise through interconnected digital networks for better or for worse. We argue that ‘for better’ translates as a unique opportunity to change the way that we lead and design organisations and balance risk and opportunity for humankind, natural systems, and the planet.

The bottom of the pyramid (BoP) approach popularised Prahalad (2004) as well as other writers such as Hart (2005) and London (2007), calls for the engagement of business with the bottom segment of the global income pyramid, and has attracted considerable attention and debate. The BoP lens is applied chiefly to communities experiencing ‘extreme poverty’ in low income countries with little reference to the growing number of people living in ‘relative poverty’ in high income countries. For the purpose of stimulating academic debate this paper seeks to explore the role of the so-called fourth sector, a domain for hybrid business ventures of social (and, in the case of this paper, Indigenous) entrepreneurs, at what we refer to as ‘the bottom at the top of the income pyramid’ in Australia. Using examples of Indigenous and social entrepreneurship within disadvantaged communities, we seek to highlight the scope for fourth sector enterprises at the lower end of the income spectrum within developed countries. It is suggested that the business models found within the fourth sector offer promising, alternative approaches for addressing the economic as well as social and cultural needs of those living on the fringes of today’s increasingly fragmented high-income societies.

The title of this book reflects my desire to capture some of the very real activities that communities in Western Australia have established 'for themselves’. Community engagement is a cornerstone of sustainable development. It is based on the concept of encouraging an active citizenry, empowered to make choices and become involved in decision-making processes, policy formation and resulting implementation at the local, national and global scale. If the community is not engaged with attempts to effect the changes needed to ensure a sustainable society then there is little hope of achieving widespread acceptance of the need for such change and its promulgation on the local and global scale is considerably weakened. The refusal of the United States and Australian Governments to sign the Kyoto Agreement is a stark example of the primacy of economic and political considerations over the concerns of the wider community to implement cleaner production and create improved outcomes for their local and global environment. The premise of this book, therefore, is to provide some theoretical background from a social science viewpoint coupled with a series of practical case studies to illustrate how community engagement and civic participation is taking place in Western Australia within the space created by the concept of sustainability. The book’s limited geographical focus does not preclude the lessons from being widely applicable both in Australia and internationally. The case studies range from stories of activists saving forests from logging, to efforts by Indigenous communities to retain aspects of their culture and claim a voice in matters which concern them. They focus on the different ways in which people come together in the community to achieve sustainability outcomes, encompassing environmental, social, cultural and economic goals. Some of these groups are purely community supported, but others have forged relationships with corporate groups or governments. Some of the groups have been very successful and have achieved productive longevity, while one was less successful with miscommunication contributing to its ultimate demise. Where groups of people come together to work as a community interest group, they experience many of the issues that also face corporate entities such as leadership and group dynamics, funding needs, marketing and the need for continuing relevance to their memberships; all or some of which may create particular challenges which need to be addressed.

The stories in this book confirm that the notion of a truly sustainable community is not necessarily an unreachable idyll bandied around as a care-all solution for what is wrong in our society with glib references to what happened in the ‘good old days’. Everywhere there are individuals interested in bringing people together in support of an issue close to their hearts and to build a more joined-up community. What is clear is that successful community groups are those that have a strategic purpose, encourage open communication between members and, most importantly, have enough passion for their particular area of interest to ensure ongoing commitment from their membership. In terms of government—community relationships, the new approaches to encouraging community participation in decision making are encouraging but it is also vital that all parties to such processes are on a level playing field and that the power relations are not skewed so as to alienate particular groups.’ This conclusion touches on some of the issues faced by the community at a time when people’s time is short and there is competition for their attention.