Discursive Closure and Discursive Openings in Sustainability

Lars Thøger Christensen, Mette Morsing, Ole Thyssen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Sustainability is an ambiguous and open-ended concept with many different meanings. Researchers as well as practitioners often express frustration with this fact and frequently call for more consistent, measurable, and univocal definitions of sustainability to ensure agreement, mutual understanding, and collective action (Jahdi & Acikdilli, 2009; Kolk, 2003). This essay, by contrast, explores the potential of appreciating and embracing ambiguity in the sustainability arena. We argue that lack of a clear-cut sustainability definition has potential to mobilize stakeholders to challenge existing understandings and explore new ideas and practices. Accepting conceptual ambiguity, in other words, is not necessarily to evade responsibility or critique. Whereas discursive closure may bind the concept to the past and make an organization blind to new and unexpected issues of sustainability problems, an open-ended conceptualization may stimulate sensitivity, quick adaption, and innovative solutions. We refer to this practice as “license to critique.” Instead of presuming to provide final answers to sustainability issues, sustainability program can, as a license to critique, authorize and invite stakeholders to participate, challenge, and debate.
Sustainability is an ambiguous and open-ended concept with many different meanings. Researchers as well as practitioners often express frustration with this fact and frequently call for more consistent, measurable, and univocal definitions of sustainability to ensure agreement, mutual understanding, and collective action (Jahdi & Acikdilli, 2009; Kolk, 2003). This essay, by contrast, explores the potential of appreciating and embracing ambiguity in the sustainability arena. We argue that lack of a clear-cut sustainability definition has potential to mobilize stakeholders to challenge existing understandings and explore new ideas and practices. Accepting conceptual ambiguity, in other words, is not necessarily to evade responsibility or critique. Whereas discursive closure may bind the concept to the past and make an organization blind to new and unexpected issues of sustainability problems, an open-ended conceptualization may stimulate sensitivity, quick adaption, and innovative solutions. We refer to this practice as “license to critique.” Instead of presuming to provide final answers to sustainability issues, sustainability program can, as a license to critique, authorize and invite stakeholders to participate, challenge, and debate.
LanguageEnglish
JournalManagement Communication Quarterly
Volume29
Issue number1
Pages135-144
ISSN0893-3189
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015

Cite this

Christensen, Lars Thøger ; Morsing, Mette ; Thyssen, Ole. / Discursive Closure and Discursive Openings in Sustainability. In: Management Communication Quarterly. 2015 ; Vol. 29, No. 1. pp. 135-144
@article{cf49fc3fe755473f857f0accd34f963d,
title = "Discursive Closure and Discursive Openings in Sustainability",
abstract = "Sustainability is an ambiguous and open-ended concept with many different meanings. Researchers as well as practitioners often express frustration with this fact and frequently call for more consistent, measurable, and univocal definitions of sustainability to ensure agreement, mutual understanding, and collective action (Jahdi & Acikdilli, 2009; Kolk, 2003). This essay, by contrast, explores the potential of appreciating and embracing ambiguity in the sustainability arena. We argue that lack of a clear-cut sustainability definition has potential to mobilize stakeholders to challenge existing understandings and explore new ideas and practices. Accepting conceptual ambiguity, in other words, is not necessarily to evade responsibility or critique. Whereas discursive closure may bind the concept to the past and make an organization blind to new and unexpected issues of sustainability problems, an open-ended conceptualization may stimulate sensitivity, quick adaption, and innovative solutions. We refer to this practice as “license to critique.” Instead of presuming to provide final answers to sustainability issues, sustainability program can, as a license to critique, authorize and invite stakeholders to participate, challenge, and debate.",
author = "Christensen, {Lars Th{\o}ger} and Mette Morsing and Ole Thyssen",
year = "2015",
doi = "10.1177/0893318914563574",
language = "English",
volume = "29",
pages = "135--144",
journal = "Management Communication Quarterly",
issn = "0893-3189",
publisher = "Sage Publications, Inc.",
number = "1",

}

Christensen, LT, Morsing, M & Thyssen, O 2015, 'Discursive Closure and Discursive Openings in Sustainability' Management Communication Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 135-144. DOI: 10.1177/0893318914563574

Discursive Closure and Discursive Openings in Sustainability. / Christensen, Lars Thøger; Morsing, Mette; Thyssen, Ole.

In: Management Communication Quarterly, Vol. 29, No. 1, 2015, p. 135-144.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Discursive Closure and Discursive Openings in Sustainability

AU - Christensen,Lars Thøger

AU - Morsing,Mette

AU - Thyssen,Ole

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - Sustainability is an ambiguous and open-ended concept with many different meanings. Researchers as well as practitioners often express frustration with this fact and frequently call for more consistent, measurable, and univocal definitions of sustainability to ensure agreement, mutual understanding, and collective action (Jahdi & Acikdilli, 2009; Kolk, 2003). This essay, by contrast, explores the potential of appreciating and embracing ambiguity in the sustainability arena. We argue that lack of a clear-cut sustainability definition has potential to mobilize stakeholders to challenge existing understandings and explore new ideas and practices. Accepting conceptual ambiguity, in other words, is not necessarily to evade responsibility or critique. Whereas discursive closure may bind the concept to the past and make an organization blind to new and unexpected issues of sustainability problems, an open-ended conceptualization may stimulate sensitivity, quick adaption, and innovative solutions. We refer to this practice as “license to critique.” Instead of presuming to provide final answers to sustainability issues, sustainability program can, as a license to critique, authorize and invite stakeholders to participate, challenge, and debate.

AB - Sustainability is an ambiguous and open-ended concept with many different meanings. Researchers as well as practitioners often express frustration with this fact and frequently call for more consistent, measurable, and univocal definitions of sustainability to ensure agreement, mutual understanding, and collective action (Jahdi & Acikdilli, 2009; Kolk, 2003). This essay, by contrast, explores the potential of appreciating and embracing ambiguity in the sustainability arena. We argue that lack of a clear-cut sustainability definition has potential to mobilize stakeholders to challenge existing understandings and explore new ideas and practices. Accepting conceptual ambiguity, in other words, is not necessarily to evade responsibility or critique. Whereas discursive closure may bind the concept to the past and make an organization blind to new and unexpected issues of sustainability problems, an open-ended conceptualization may stimulate sensitivity, quick adaption, and innovative solutions. We refer to this practice as “license to critique.” Instead of presuming to provide final answers to sustainability issues, sustainability program can, as a license to critique, authorize and invite stakeholders to participate, challenge, and debate.

UR - http://sfx-45cbs.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/45cbs?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/sfxit.com:azlist&sfx.ignore_date_threshold=1&rft.object_id=960238898529&rft.object_portfolio_id=&svc.holdings=yes&svc.fulltext=yes

U2 - 10.1177/0893318914563574

DO - 10.1177/0893318914563574

M3 - Journal article

VL - 29

SP - 135

EP - 144

JO - Management Communication Quarterly

T2 - Management Communication Quarterly

JF - Management Communication Quarterly

SN - 0893-3189

IS - 1

ER -

Christensen LT, Morsing M, Thyssen O. Discursive Closure and Discursive Openings in Sustainability. Management Communication Quarterly. 2015;29(1):135-144. Available from, DOI: 10.1177/0893318914563574

Access to Document