Declaring Worldviews in SSM for Community Sustainability

This paper examines how a systems-based approach can help communities learn together and turn shared values about sustainability into action. It reports a proposal to combine long-standing soft systems ideas with a double-loop learning cycle to explore underlying worldviews and mental models within communities. The authors argue that starting conversations about models for sustainability—such as Doughnut Economics, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and Circular Economy principles—can help bridge the gap between intentions and actions. The proposed approach aims to shift awareness from ego-centric perspectives to ecosystem and intergenerational views and to support meaningful collective action around sustainability.

What the study examined

The work looks at how a systems-based methodology that has been used for decades can support community-based learning focused on sustainability. The authors are interested in co-creating sustainable value by encouraging groups to explore the assumptions and worldviews that shape their decisions and behaviour.

They outline a proposal that blends a long-standing method with a double-loop learning cycle. This combination is intended to reveal deeper mental models and create space for conversations about relevant sustainability frameworks such as Doughnut Economics, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and principles for a Circular Economy.

Key findings

The paper proposes that initiating structured conversations about different sustainability models can help communities find common ground and trigger new learning. It frames the gap between stated values and actual behaviours as a values-action gap phenomenon, which can occur at individual, organisational, or community levels.

By examining underlying beliefs and assumptions through a double-loop cycle, the approach aims to support a shift from ego-centric thinking to an ecosystem level of awareness. The authors suggest this shift can help people adopt a longer-term, intergenerational perspective when making choices that affect sustainability.

Why it matters

The proposal matters because many sustainability goals are currently off track and because sustainability concerns are often marginalised. The paper argues there is an ethical imperative to create a just and safe space for humanity within planetary limits, and that community learning can play a role in achieving that aim.

Incorporating a deeper learning cycle into a systems-based method may make it easier for organisations and communities to align shared values with meaningful actions. The outcome hoped for is greater systems consciousness and collective steps that reflect common values about sustainability.