Discontinuity, Sustainability, and Critical Learnership

Abstract

It is generally understood that we are in an age of upheaval, accelerating change, and global fragility. The increasing complexity of problems we are facing and the discontinuity we have been experiencing are only likely to escalate as we proceed into the new millennium. These challenges are more daunting when one considers dwindling resources, potential conflict, and environmental vulnerability. Less clear is what we can better do to prepare the next generation of leaders to guide and support engaged employees and citizenry to work together to solve immense problems. The chapter's subtext is that conventional education and professional development are insufficient—if not counterproductive—to equipping current and future generations with the skills and dispositions to contend with the chaos and complexity of the emerging millennium. To the degree this is true, approaches to learning and professional development need to change. To this end, readers might benefit most from the practical and realistic recommendations outlined herein for schools, organisations, and communities.