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Shadow Spaces for Social Learning: A Relational Understanding of Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change within Organisations

Author

Listed:
  • Mark Pelling

    (Department of Geography, Kings College London, Strand, London WC2R 2LS, England)

  • Chris High

    (Centre for Complexity and Change, Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, England)

  • John Dearing

    (Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZH, England)

  • Denis Smith

    (Department of Management, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, Scotland)

Abstract

Recent UK government policy on climate change, and wider policy movement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, emphasise the building of adaptive capacity. But what are the institutional constraints that shape capacity to build adaptive organisations? The authors synthesise theory from social learning and institutional aspects of multilevel environmental governance to help unpack the patterns of individual and collective action within organisations that can enhance or restrict organisational adaptive capacity in the face of abrupt climate change. Theoretical synthesis is grounded by empirical work with a local dairy farmers group and two supporting public sector bodies that are both local actors in their own rights and which also shape the operating environment for other local actors (the Environment Agency and the Welsh Assembly and Assembly-sponsored public bodies). Providing space within and between local organisations for individuals to develop private as well as officially sanctioned social relationships is supported as a pathway to enable social learning. It is also a resource for adaptation that requires little financial investment but does call for a rethinking of the personal skills and working routines that are incentivised within organisations.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark Pelling & Chris High & John Dearing & Denis Smith, 2008. "Shadow Spaces for Social Learning: A Relational Understanding of Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change within Organisations," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 40(4), pages 867-884, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:40:y:2008:i:4:p:867-884
    DOI: 10.1068/a39148
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mark Pelling, 1998. "Participation, social capital and vulnerability to urban flooding in Guyana," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(4), pages 469-486.
    2. Barry Smit & Ian Burton & Richard Klein & J. Wandel, 2000. "An Anatomy of Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 223-251, April.
    3. John Seely Brown & Paul Duguid, 1991. "Organizational Learning and Communities-of-Practice: Toward a Unified View of Working, Learning, and Innovation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 2(1), pages 40-57, February.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Matthew L. Hamilton & Mark Lubell, 2019. "Climate change adaptation, social capital, and the performance of polycentric governance institutions," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 307-326, March.
    3. Gigi Owen & Daniel B. Ferguson & Ben McMahan, 2019. "Contextualizing climate science: applying social learning systems theory to knowledge production, climate services, and use-inspired research," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 157(1), pages 151-170, November.
    4. Xinyu Fu & Bowen Sun & Kathryn Frank & Zhong-Ren Peng, 2019. "Evaluating sea-level rise vulnerability assessments in the USA," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 155(3), pages 393-415, August.
    5. Jhannel Tomlinson & Kevon Rhiney, 2018. "Assessing the role of farmer field schools in promoting pro-adaptive behaviour towards climate change among Jamaican farmers," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 8(1), pages 86-98, March.
    6. Daniel Kangogo & Domenico Dentoni & Jos Bijman, 2020. "Determinants of Farm Resilience to Climate Change: The Role of Farmer Entrepreneurship and Value Chain Collaborations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, January.
    7. Anamaria Bukvic, 2019. "Visualizing the Possibility of Relocation: Coastal Relocation Leaf," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-12, June.
    8. Alison Shaw & Patti Kristjanson, 2014. "A Catalyst toward Sustainability? Exploring Social Learning and Social Differentiation Approaches with the Agricultural Poor," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(5), pages 1-33, May.
    9. H. M. Vinaya Kumar & M. Shivamurthy & V. Govinda Gowda & G. S. Biradar, 2017. "Assessing decision-making and economic performance of farmers to manage climate-induced crisis in Coastal Karnataka (India)," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 142(1), pages 143-153, May.
    10. Gopal Datt Bhatta & Hemant Raj Ojha & Pramod Kumar Aggarwal & V. Rasheed Sulaiman & Parvin Sultana & Dhanej Thapa & Nimisha Mittal & Khemraj Dahal & Paul Thomson & Laxman Ghimire, 2017. "Agricultural innovation and adaptation to climate change: empirical evidence from diverse agro-ecologies in South Asia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 497-525, April.
    11. Beth Perry & Zarina Patel & Ylva Norén Bretzer & Merritt Polk, 2018. "Organising for Co-Production: Local Interaction Platforms for Urban Sustainability," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(1), pages 189-198.
    12. Roberto Alejandro Sánchez Rodríguez & Aarón Eduardo Morales Santos, 2018. "Vulnerability Assessment to Climate Variability and Climate Change in Tijuana, Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-21, July.
    13. Christoph Oberlack, 2017. "Diagnosing institutional barriers and opportunities for adaptation to climate change," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 805-838, June.
    14. Andrea Grant & Ray Ison & Robert Faggian & Victor Sposito, 2019. "Enabling Political Legitimacy and Conceptual Integration for Climate Change Adaptation Research within an Agricultural Bureaucracy: a Systemic Inquiry," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 32(5), pages 573-600, October.
    15. Aravindakshan, Sreejith & Krupnik, Timothy J. & Groot, Jeroen C.J. & Speelman, Erika N. & Amjath- Babu, T.S. & Tittonell, Pablo, 2020. "Multi-level socioecological drivers of agrarian change: Longitudinal evidence from mixed rice-livestock-aquaculture farming systems of Bangladesh," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    16. E. Carina H. Keskitalo (ed.), 2013. "Climate Change and Flood Risk Management," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14967.
    17. Jones, Lindsey & Ludi, Eva & Jeans, Helen & Barihaihi, Margaret, 2017. "Revisiting the Local Adaptive Capacity framework: learning from the implementation of a research and programming framework in Africa," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 84970, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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