Dr. Ricarda Schmidt-Scheele 

Abstract of the workshop project

Energy sectors worldwide urgently need to be transformed towards more sustainable forms of energy

production and consumption. Organizations play a central role in such transformations. They drive

sustainable innovations and accelerate institutional change while also being exposed to social, political and

economic dynamics of transitions. So far, sustainability transition studies predominantly look at

organizational strategies in the context of higher-level systems changes. Little work has zoomed into what

is going on within organizations during phases of transitions and how transition dynamics at the systems

level impact organizational change processes. In organization studies, there is indeed an interest in studying

organizational initiatives and responses to sustainability. Yet, approaches focus on improving firm-level

performance. Both fields have evolved in parallel even though scholars are interested in similar issues,

albeit from different perspectives. My workshop brings together scholars from both transition and

organization studies in order to explore theories and methods to systematically integrate system-level

perspectives on socio-technical transitions and organizational-level processes of change. This

interdisciplinary exchange is particularly relevant in light of recent developments in the energy sector, such

as the use of digital technologies and the required new knowledge, capabilities and collaborations between

organizations.