To read this content please select one of the options below:

Setting the research agenda for measuring sustainability performance – systematic application of the world café method

Samanthi Silva (Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM), Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany)
Edeltraud Guenther (Chair of Business Administration, esp. Environment Management and Accounting, Faculty of Business and Economics, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany)

Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal

ISSN: 2040-8021

Article publication date: 11 June 2018

Issue publication date: 18 September 2018

1243

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to first present potential areas of research for measuring sustainability performance that emerged in a joint researcher–practitioner workshop at the 19th Environmental and Sustainability Management Accounting Network Europe Conference, organized in cooperation with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Second, the methodology applied to gain these insights, the world café approach, is critically reviewed.

Design/methodology/approach

The applied method, a world café approach, facilitates collaborative dialogue and was used in the workshop to uncover underlying research themes. A generalized process flow diagram for a world café is presented, highlighting critical aspects that can guide researchers considering the use of the world café method. The results are structured by means of the 5 W (who, what, where, when, why) and 2 H (how) questions, also known as the elements of circumstance.

Findings

Key topics discussed by conference attendees are identified and an overview of potential areas of research are established concerning “measuring sustainability performance”, with a topical focus on impact measurement and value of sustainability. Furthermore, based on the topics identified by practitioners and researchers, this paper develops a list of questions that can guide future research. Finally, the world café method as a means of generating insights into complex topics such as sustainability performance is evaluated.

Practical implications

The list of research questions identified in this paper can serve as guidance for researchers for selecting relevant, practice-oriented research topics. The value of the world café method as an approach to facilitating the generation of participatory and collaborative insights was confirmed for sustainability management. The generalized process flow diagram can act as a starting point when considering the world café method for facilitating large transdisciplinary groups.

Social implications

The world café is a method for facilitating practitioners and researchers exchange, and thereby presents an opportunity for spanning the research–practice gap. By bringing practitioners and researchers together to identify research areas, future research is more likely to have positive social implications.

Originality/value

The paper presents a recent interpretation of future research gained from a large number of sustainability professionals, including practitioners and researchers, by bringing them together using a world café. The world café is a valuable method for a collaborative set-up with immediate feedback loops, which encourages dialogue, in contrast to surveys or individual interviews, on future developments in the field.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Birte Freudenreich for her valuable comments as well as her efforts during the conference, the conference hosts, Rodney Irwin and Amanda Williams (both WBCSD) and Stefan Schaltegger (chairman of EMAN) as well as Steve Kennedy.

Citation

Silva, S. and Guenther, E. (2018), "Setting the research agenda for measuring sustainability performance – systematic application of the world café method", Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 455-469. https://doi.org/10.1108/SAMPJ-06-2017-0060

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles