Leadership For Sustainable Development: A Humble Reflection While in “London Sojourn”

Few question to start with…

1. Why SD? (Simon Sinek)

2. Is there a specific content/course/program to develop a leader/leadership for SD?

3. If yes – is it process or the outcome?

4. What kind of program may produce/create/nurture leaders for SD?

5. Leading vs. managing for SD

6. Are leaders born or made?

Reflection 1

The journeys that shaped and moulded…

• A Kampong Boy grown up in poverty settlement area (FELDA) – A Showcase of Sustainable Village

• Head of School, Secondary Science School, Raub, Pahang

• President of Human Science and Revealed Knowledge Students Society, International Islamic University

• Deputy President of ASEAN Student Society during graduate studies at IUJ – with 200 students from 40 different countries at Urasa – a remote area in Japan

• Ph.D in Political Economy from Waseda University, Tokyo – thesis - Japanese Technology Transfer to Malaysia - and lived in Tokyo hi-tech Japan city but indulged in sakura viewing

Reflection 2

• Post-doc at UN University - a year of close interaction with of 10 fellows – physicist, biologist, economist, geographer, educationist, chemist with regular seminar, conference and meeting on SD at national and international level

• Regional Centre of Expertise on ESD – 7 pioneering Centres for DESD

• Centre for Global Sustainability Studies – championing USM sustainability agenda

• The MAD conferences in between – Knowledge Dialogue with 5 Noble Laureates

• Centre for Leadership Training, AKEPT, Ministry of Higher Education – pushing and mainstreaming SD as part of Ministry’s agenda

• Currently at Education Malaysia, London – con”fusion” of the above – pushing towards nation building while abroad and questioning the Oxbridge Leadership Model?

“The journey of ….learning and unlearning and relearning”

Reflection 2..cont

Fundamental answers found 1. The missing link between formal education and real life – “distorted/misleading”

education

2. The continuous detachment between sciences and social sciences (and humanities) - leading to sustainability science

3. The diverse culture – developed vs developing vs less developing “superficial division” (created by global organisation adopting “universal values” as standard of references/benchmark)

4. The choice of BAU (business as usual) vs Transformational Leadership (vs. Transactional Leadership) – just be MAD

5. The need to contextualise and build from local values

“PASSION, CONVICTION, FULL SUBMISSION TO THE MISSION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, SUSTAINABILITY AND SUSTAINABILTY SCIENCE”

Reflection 3

If there are fundamental criteria for leadership for SD…

• Shifting KAVS (knowledge, attitude, values and skills) - from niche to default KAVS

• System thinking (inter, multi and transdisciplinary) * Notes 5 and 6

• Multitasking (Jack of all trade Master of SD)

• T-shaped personality (against hyper specialisation)

• SD as heartware (the SOUL – S-ustainability O-f U-niverse and L-ife)

Reflection 4

What should be the approach of nurturing sustainability leaders?

“teaching disciplinary knowledge with interdisciplinary competencies and transdisciplinary perspective”

Hardware (technologies etc.)

Software (KAVS)

HEARTware (soul)

Reflection 4…cont

SYSTEM THINKING Reflection 5

ACADEMIC

POLICY MAKER NGO

INDUSTRIES

The challenges of

COORDINATION and CONNECTIVISM

COLLABORATORS OF RCE PENANG

•Penang Environmental Working Group (PEWOG)

•Friends of the Earth (Penang)

•Don & Mylene Theseira (Individual)

•World Wide Fund For Nature Malaysia (WWF)

•Taiping Peace Initiative (TPI)

•Socio-Economic & Environmental Research

Institute (SERI)

•Water Watch Penang (WWP)

•Malaysian Nature Society, Penang Branch (MNS)

•Association For Science And Mathematics

Education Penang (ASMEP)

•Regional Centre For Education in Science And

Mathematic (SEAMEO RECSAM

Primary Schools

Secondary Schools

Penang Heritage Trust, Consumer

Association of Penang, Third World

Networks, Malaysian Nature Society,

Social Economic Research Institute,

Community based NGOs. Media and

Local Business Community

Ministry of Higher Education,

Ministry of Education, Ministry

of Natural Resource and

Environment

USM’s Research Centres,

Fisheries Research, Penang

Botanical Garden, Penang

National Park, Taiping Peace

Initiative, Matang Mangrove

Reserve

Polytechnic Seberang Perai,

Community College Kepala

Batas, Community College

Bayan Lepas, UiTM , Teachers

Training Colleges, RECSAM

Private Colleges, Other

Universities

State Government of Penang and Its

Agencies, Penang Municipal Council,

Seberang Perai Municipal Council,

Penang Development Corporation,

Penang Regional Development Authority

Formal Education Non-formal Education

The journey begins …..August 2005 With other 6 RCE pioneers

RCE Penang Council Consultative Meeting

Sustainable Penang Initiatives II Roundtable Workshop

“Penang as Sustainable Living Space”

60 participants from 10 NGOs

Prioritizations of

Environmental Issues

ESD Training and Planning Workshop –

Faculty and Community Leaders

Training workshop with Penang High School Teacher (UNESCO grant)

EfSD for the kids – carried out by USM EfSD

messengers

UNIVERSITY-COMMUNITY PROJECT

Transition of knowledge development towards Transdisciplinary knowledge

History Policy sciences Complexity

research Sociology

Ecology

Action Grounded

theory consultancy Applied

Participatory

MODE 3 Stronger

emphasis on community as critical helix

Notes 6

• Mode 1 of knowledge production refers primarily to basic university research (basic research performed by the higher education sector) that is being organized in a disciplinary structure.

• Mode 2 focuses on knowledge application and a knowledge-based problem-solving that involves the following principles: “knowledge produced in the context of application”; “transdisciplinarity”; “heterogeneity and organizational diversity”; “social accountability and reflexivity”; and “quality control” (Gibbons et al. 1994 ; see also Nowotny et al. 2001, 2003, 2006 (triple helix)

• Mode 3 Knowledge Production System architecture focuses on and leverages higher order learning processes and dynamics that allow for both top-down government, university, and industry policies and practices and bottom-up civil society and grassroots movements initiatives and priorities to interact and engage with each other toward a more intelligent, effective, and efficient synthesis. (quadruple helix)

“Mode 3 advocates for higher-order learning processes and dynamics that allow for both “top-down” government, university, and industry policies and practices, and “bottom-up” civil society and grassroots movements initiatives and priorities to interact and engage with each other toward a more intelligent, effective, and efficient synthesis.” “Mode 3 ensures a tighter and more robust coupling of a vision with reality and helps reify the socio-economic and socio-political being. (Carayannis and Campbell, 2011)

Reflection 6…cont

Mathematics of Un/Sustainable Development and Leadership Style

Math formula Types of Interaction among 3 SD pillar (environment, economic, social)

Leadership Style State of SD

1 + 1 + 1 = 3 Silo Business as Usual Status quo = Unsustainable

1 + 1 + 1 = 2.5 Compromise Transaction Unsustainable

1 + 1 + 1 = less than 3 Defensive Contention Unsustainable

1 + 1 + 1 = -1, -3, -10 Hostility Contention Very unsustainable

1 + 1 + 1 = 3, 10, 100 Synergistic Transformational Sustainable

Reflection 7

Mathematics of Un/Sustainable Development and Stakeholders’ Participation

Math formula Types of Interaction among Stakeholders

Dominancy of stakeholder

Outcome on Development

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4 Silo Industry, Government Academic, Community

Status quo

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 3.5 Compromise - - community + + industry

Industrial driven dev

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = less than 4 Defensive + + academic Unrealistic solution

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = -1, -4, - 10 Hostility + + government bureaucracy

Slow development

1 + 1 + 1 = 3, 10, 100 Synergistic Fusion One common interest

Reflection 7…cont

The bigger picture challenges:

The antagonism between West and ROW (rest of the world) (POLEMIC)

‘Global’ (west?) knowledge vs. local knowledge and wisdom (POLEMIC)

International pledge and declaration vs. small local practical real saving the planet action (POLEMIC AND SOLUTION)

University paradox in redefining the knowledge paradigm, teaching and learning, research and development and community engagement (SOLUTION)

Science vs. Social science vs. sustainability science (approach) (SOLUTION)

Reflection 8

Final thoughts

• Institutionalisation of:

• capacity building program

• incentives structure

• Collective approach in addressing the resistance to change

• Conversational approach instead of confrontational

• Appreciating diversities in approach, contents and understanding

LEADERS ARE BORN

AND MADE

Are leaders BORN or MADE?

Leaders are made more by the unexpected than by the usual routine……

Died 1978