Towards Systemic Innovation Programmes for Sustainability Transitions: A Comparative Study of Two Design-Led Cases

Abstract

Sustainability Transitions challenge current practices deeply entrenched through vested interests in dominant regimes. In this sense, actors are locked into paradigms that are systemic and resilient to change. In response, opportunities within designerly approaches encompassing systemic innovation’s dynamic, multi-stakeholder and interconnected nature are investigated. The adoption of such approaches is evident among progressive actors facilitating systemic collaborations. Consequently, this paper proposes Systemic Innovation Programmes as a concept to define such initiatives, particularly for addressing sustainability transitions. Two contemporary programmes in Norway are presented, and a comparative analysis is made by linking key frameworks from the systemic design and transition to the management literature to clarify their tangency to intentional, sustainable systems change. The study identifies a spectrum of programmatic and faciliatory considerations in practice that broadly aligns with important frameworks from the systems research; however, they are rarely formalised in the programmes’ methodology or framing conditions. Thus, the theoretical contribution aims to inform systemic practitioners and policymakers in further integrating sustainable transition perspectives into future systemic change initiatives.