In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, characterized by technological advancements, organisations are placing significant emphasis on digital transformation (DT) to survive. Concurrently, considerations of sustainability impacts have become crucial factors that organisations must take into account. The combination of the two is known as a sustainable digital transformation (SDT). There is currently a lack of research on how the organisational change of an SDT can occur. In particular, there is a lack of management tools that managers can use to actualise SDT. The actualisation of a SDT is what this study looks to explore by contextualising an organisational change model, known as Kotter’s 8-step model, to an SDT. The aim of the thesis was to provide guidance to practitioners on how to implement an SDT, and to add new knowledge to the theoretical understanding of how Kotter's 8-step model can be contextualised to an SDT. The thesis utilised semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, identifying 18 activities that can be executed during an SDT initiative across the 8 steps of Kotter's model. These 18 activities extend existing knowledge by emphasising the importance of highlighting the need for change in relation to sustainability, financial, and diverse stakeholder perspectives. The thesis also contributes new insights by emphasising the significance of engaging external actors such as regulatory bodies, like-minded businesses, and industry associations. During the vision for change phase, we found the necessity of strategically drawing out a long-term strategy that corresponds with sustainability goals, rather than solely focusing on immediate wins for leadership. Furthermore, our study highlights the value of providing training to overcome resistance to digital change and enhance digital literacy, acknowledging that digital transformation is a time-consuming process. Lastly, we found that sustaining an SDT requires retaining and promoting change leaders and selectively hiring individuals who align with the change, as reverting to previous practices can hinder progress. For future study it is recommended that further interviews be conducted with relevant professionals, and that a case study or observational study be done with an organisation that conducts an SDT using Kotter's model.

The food we consume and how it is produced constitutes a significant driver of environmental change, degrading the ecological base on which life depends. Moreover, the food system is highly globalized and geographically scattered, connected by global value chains. This creates potential vulnerabilities. The covid 19 pandemic exposed many of these vulnerabilities and disrupted daily life globally in an unprecedented manner. Some argue that a re-localization of supply chains could constitute a crucial role in crisis response and in making food systems more adaptive, resilient, and sustainable over time. The present research weaves together resilience thinking and social-ecological transformation theory to study the alternative food network REKO in Sweden during the covid 19 pandemic. Through an interpretive logic of enquiry including a practitioner’s perspective, this study explores the effects of the pandemic on REKO and what role it played in the crisis response in the Swedish food system. Results show that parts of the network could adapt to the crisis, and by constituting an alternative for consumers and producers, it played a role in the national crisis response. Further, this study indicates an accelerated interaction between REKO and actors dominating the current food regime. However, the findings also reveal weaknesses of the network exposed by the pandemic. This study goes on to question whether a shortening of supply chains is the answer to the problems imposed by a global food system and suggests a repositioning of the long-short dichotomy. Lastly, this study conclu des with reflections on the need to move away from studying crises as singular events and instead suggests that future attempts to transform food systems should consider a crisis landscape.

Regenerative Agriculture (RA) is increasingly promoted as a sustainable agri-food solution. Agronomic studies find that RA practices (e.g. cover crops, reduced tillage, crop rotation, and agroforestry) can regulate soil moisture, sequester atmospheric carbon, enhance biodiversity, and reduce the impacts of droughts and floods. Diverse public, private, and civil society initiatives therefore aim to increase farmer adoption of RA. However, empirical knowledge about the social processes underlying transformation to a regenerative food system is limited. Most research has focused on discourse analyses of RA and farmer experiences employing RA practices. While local institutions are recognized as potentially vital to facilitating RA transformations, there is a lack of empirical research documenting how institutions work to stimulate RA. This thesis presents a case study of Associacion AlVelAl, a grassroots RA movement based in Southeast Spain. Operating since 2015, AlVelAl has more than 500 members, most of whom are almond farmers. Employing concepts of adaptive capacity and bricolage, I examine the social innovations and institutional network that AlVelAl has built to nurture a RA transformation in the region. Specifically, I ask how does AlVelAl navigate sociocultural, ecological, and political-economic contexts at different scales to amplify the transformative potential of its social innovations? I conducted nine weeks of grounded research, involving participation at 7 events and interviews with 16 local actors who included AlVelAl employees, farmer members, and collaborators. My findings suggest that RA transformations depend on enabling farmers while also advancing systemic change. My study answers calls to identify strategies that can amplify adaptive capacity’s potential to generate transformational change. I point to four strategies that AlVelAl relies upon to translate RA practices into contextually-feasible steps for farmers and to mobilize collective action from diverse actors: 1) leveraging synergies among social innovations, 2) social mobilization through a vision for a desired future, 3) employing social-ecological relational thinking, and 4) adopting a systemic cross-scale approach.

The global climate crisis calls for transitioning away from fossil fuels towards sustainable energy sources. However, research on energy transitions highlights their disruptive nature and potential to reinforce preexisting injustices, such as gender inequality. Despite recognising gendered impacts, scholarly discussions on the intersection between gender, justice, and energy transitions are still scarce. This thesis contributes to bridging this gap by examining gender justice within energy transitions through an intersectional feminist lens. Drawing upon feminist and sustainability transformations scholarship, I propose a gender-just energy transitions analytical framework and apply it to the Brazilian context. I examine the national level through government documents and women’s perspectives at the civil society level through in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that the energy transition in Brazil lacks significant efforts to foster transformative change in terms of gender equality. There are significant gaps between national strategies and women’s experiences, resulting in disproportionate burdens and limited participation for women, whose marginalisation is further exacerbated based on their intersectional identities. This study highlights the need to integrate recognitional, procedural, and distributional justice principles into energy transition policies to address underlying power asymmetries and advance gender equality instead of deepening gender-based injustices.

South Korean cities have experienced remarkable economic growth starting from the 1980s, characterised by energy-dependent models coupled with a rapid, dense urbanisation process. This growth model has incrementally induced carbon-intensive urban structures that have consequently produced socio-environmental degradation and severe challenges to sustainability. A range of efforts to solve such challenges has not succeeded in breaking strong path-dependencies on existing unsustainable structures, and this concern has raised the necessity to develop a new urban approach towards sustainability. Given that concern, a growing body of literature has endeavoured to understand the processes of ‘sustainability transformations’, and shares an underlying assumption that such change co-evolves with societal agency that collectively creates networks, within which decisions and strategies are developed, negotiated, and implemented. This recognition has raised the essential question about which factors are required for the agency to initiate and perform such transformations in the process of urban development. Against this background, this research aims to examine factors that critically influence the emergence of urban transformation processes by exploring interrelations that appear between them. In particular, the research focuses on the critical role of governance characteristics to influence the emergence of transformation factors. In order to explore the factors in practice, a case study is conducted through document analysis and in-depth interviews. The real-world case selected in this research is the Eco-capital Suwon in South Korea, a pioneering model of sustainability-oriented urban development that employs a set of transformative experiments across action domains. Additionally, this case is critical in that its wider context—in which a more state government-led, centralised practice is dominant—would generate abundant dynamics of interactions across administrative scale levels. In order to scrutinise the factors that are employed not only in the Eco-capital in general but more specifically in its different projects, the research selects three projects as the sub-cases based on the different governance characteristics, as well as action domains. The three selected projects cover the domains of (rain) water management, green transportation, and renewable (solar) energy, which display multiple, unique forms of participation of (inter)national/urban/neighbourhood-scale agency from the public and private sector, academia and research institutes, civil society, and Suwon’s individual citizens and residents. The research has derived the primary findings: 1) ‘Inclusive governance’ encompasses collaborative actor networks and partnerships; and 2) Intermediaries working across different domains and scale levels condition the emergence and characteristics of agency-related factors for urban transformations. The research makes a set of contributions not only to theoretical discussions on urban transformation, but also to policy and practice in urban governance and planning. First, the selected case and its analytical design help to display: 1) a less explored phenomenon where cross-scalar interactions are often constrained by wider political systems (‘why cross-scalar interactions could not occur’); and 2) a clearer understanding of the geographical unit that is advantageous for the emergence of multi-system transformations (where multi-system transformations could occur). Second, the empirical findings shed light on discussions surrounding urban transformation by verifying arguments about the significance of governance characteristics. In addition, the case analysis suggests shifting from domain-specific transformations to domain-transecting, co-evolutionary transformations, such as a water-energy nexus approach. By extension, the research provides a set of policy recommendations to accelerate urban transformations. Finally, the research suggests options for future comparative studies on how ‘place’ conditions reconfiguration dynamics in urban development.:Acknowledgements Declaration of authorship Executive summary Table of contents List of tables List of figures Abbreviations Notes on the presentation of findings 1. Introduction 2. Capacity factors for urban sustainability transformation 2.1 Cities for sustainability 2.2 Urban sustainability transformations 2.3 Agency-related capacity factors for urban transformations 2.4 Raising questions 3. Methodology 3.1 Research design 3.2 Research methods 4. Case study of the Eco-capital Suwon 4.1 Suwon city: main characteristics 4.2 The Eco-capital Suwon for urban transformations 5. Agency and governance characteristics 5.1 Inclusive governance at the centre of transformations 5.2 Transformative leadership arising from diverse sectors 5.3 Communities of ‘practice’ beyond a network 5.4 Conclusions 6. Knowledge and social learning through interaction 6.1 New knowledge on systemic dynamics and its application to governance structures and institutions 6.2 (Co-)production of knowledge and transitional goals for the urban future 6.3 Social learning that leads to change 6.4 Conclusions 7. Community-based innovation and enabling environment for its acceleration 7.1 Neighbourhood-scale activities by communities of practice 7.2 Supportive regulatory framework and inclusive planning for community-based activities 7.3 Conclusions 8. Multi-dimensional processes of systems change 8.1 Diverse levels of agency with different contributions 8.2 Trans-scale and cross-scale dynamics 8.3 Conclusions 9. Conclusions Appendix 1 Summary of interviewees Appendix 2 South Korea’s local government system (as of 2018) Appendix 3 Overview of participatory programmes of Suwon Appendix 4 Studies on urban transformative capacity References

本論文では、これまでの社会、生態的レジリエンス理論についての検討を行った。これまで個別に扱われてきた社会と生態系システムを統一的な構造を持つシステムとしてとらえ、持続可能なシステムの変化を生み出すメカニズムについての理論的な構築を提案した。これまで個別に扱われてきた社会と生態系システムを統一的な構造を持つシステムとしてとらえ、持続可能なシステムの変化を生み出すメカニズムについての理論的な構築を提案した。 / The objective of my dissertation is to build and develop a theoretical framework about understanding what social-ecological transformative change is and how social-ecological transformative change happens. / 博士(理学) / Doctor of Philosophy in Science / 同志社大学 / Doshisha University

Growing ecological challenges [1][2][3] can be addressed by the media industry through proactive engagement with holistic sustainability transformation that covers all activities within their value-chain. With at least 60% of vertebrate species already lost [1] and 40% of insect species at risk of the same [2], the time for business-as-usual has past [4][5][6][49]. In order to mitigate negative, and accelerate positive, impacts on global biodiversity integrity, media companies need to look beyond direct impacts, carbon, and segmented actions to a more holistic understanding and approach of sustainability transformation. This study focused specifically on the Nordic region (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland) and the largest incumbent companies within that region (Schibsted, MTG, Bonnier, Egmont and Sanoma) [7][8], to find what actions and pathway are necessary to protect both people and planet [10]. Through understanding the drivers of biodiversity loss, as well as the proposed sustainability transformation roadmaps from the research community, and by quantitatively analyzing how these five companies understand and prioritize sustainability, this study developed a visual Pathway Lens consisting of Seven Focus Areas (SFAs) to enable media companies to look holistically at their activities and value-chain. The SFAs need to be approached holistically, similar to the 17 SDGs (Agenda 2030) [4]. Since incumbent Nordic media companies are not currently looking at impacts on biodiversity integrity, nor focusing on a holistic approach to sustainability, the SFAs of the Pathway Lens are a tool to better understand their unique opportunity to accelerate sustainable lifestyles through their content, marketplaces, products and events, which in turn address impacts on biodiversity integrity. The media industry also shares in the collective opportunity to accelerate sustainable value-chains through prioritizing self-transcendence values, resources, responsible operations, circular business models, iterative stakeholder engagement, and external partnerships. Since the drivers of biodiversity loss are complex and interconnected [3], protecting both people and planet requires complex and interconnected solutions. / Växande ekologiska utmaningar [1][2][3] kan adresseras av medieindustrin genom proaktivt engagemang i holistisk hållbarhetstransformation som täcker alla aktiviteter i värdekedjan. Då minst 60% av arterna bland ryggradsdjur redan har försvunnit [1] och 40% av insektsarterna riskerar att försvinna [2], har tiden för konventionellt företagande (business-as-usual) passerat [4][5][6][49]. För att minska negativa effekter, och accelerera positiva effekter, vad gäller den biologisk mångfaldens integritet, måste företagen se bortom direkta effekter, koldioxidutsläpp, och isolerade åtgärder för en mer holistisk förståelse av och ett mer holistiskt angreppssätt vad gäller hållbarhetstransformation. Denna studie har fokuserat specifikt på Norden (Sverige, Norge, Danmark, Finland) och de största etablerade företagen inom denna region (Schibsted, MTG, Bonnier, Egmont och Sanoma) [7][8], för att ta reda på vilka åtgärder som behövs för att skydda både människor och planeten [10]. Genom att förstå drivkrafterna bakom förlusten av biologisk mångfald, såväl som de föreslagna färdplanerna för hållbarhetstransformation ifrån forskarsamfundet, och genom att kvantitativt analysera hur dessa fem företag förstår och prioriterar hållbarhet, har denna studie utvecklat en visuell lins [Pathway Lens] bestående av sju fokusområden (Seven Focus Areas, SFAs), för att möjliggöra för medieföretag att titta holistiskt på deras aktiviteter och värdekedja. De sju fokusområdena (SFAs) för hållbarhetstransformation måste hanteras holistiskt, likt FN:s 17 globala mål för hållbar utveckling (Agenda 2030) [4]. Eftersom etablerade nordiska medieföretag i dagsläget inte tittar på påverkan på den biologiska mångfaldens integritet, och inte heller fokuserar på ett holistiskt angreppssätt vad gäller hållbarhet, är de sju fokusområdena [SFAs] av den visuella linsen [Pathway Lens] ett verktyg för att bättre förstå deras unika möjlighet att accelerera hållbara livsstilar genom deras innehåll, marknadsplatser, samt produkter och events, vilka i sin tur adresserar påverkan på den biologiska mångfaldens integritet. Medieindustrin delar också den kollektiva möjligheten att accelerera hållbara värdekedjor genom att prioritera värderingar som transcenderar jaget (self-transcendence), resurser, ansvarsfulla verksamheter, cirkulära affärsmodeller, iterativt intressentengagemang, och externa partnerskap. Eftersom drivkrafterna bakom förlust av biologisk mångfald är komplexa och sammankopplade [3], krävs komplexa och sammankopplade lösningar för att skydda både människor och planeten.