Uncovering the systems archetypes of sustainability transitions

Abstract

Moving towards sustainable and resilient energy practices is a challenge with profound organisational and behavioural implications. While the importance of systems approaches in transition management is recognised, key principles of systems thinking such as understanding how complex systems behave, and our role within them, are often overlooked. This paper highlights interconnections, feedback mechanisms, and misperceptions shaping transitions at the intersection of business and societal risks. It uses Senge and Meadows’ work on systems archetypes, such as ‘policy resistance’, ‘growth and underinvestment’ or the ‘tragedy of the commons’, as a diagnostic tool to illuminate and anticipate transition bottlenecks. This approach responds to growing calls for more systemic conceptualisations of the multi-system dynamics hindering sustainability transitions. It can enrich understanding across disciplines, complement energy modelling, and spark stakeholder conversations to contribute to collaboration in a world increasingly shaped by conflicting narratives.