The role of learning and development in promoting social sustainability

The potentially catastrophic implications of the environmental degradation we are now witnessing across the world are at last, if much too slowly, making us all aware of the impact human existence is having on the planet, and making some of us reflect on what we can do in our personal and professional lives to change the negative environmental dynamic.

This is certainly true in the learning and development world, where ideas about ‘green L&D’ and ‘sustainable HRD’ are moving into mainstream professional practice. However, in thinking about what we as L&D professionals can do to make our organisations more environmentally sustainable, we should remember that environmental degradation is a direct consequence of the socio-economic system that we (and by that I mean those of us in advanced Western economies) have decided to create and maintain. Tackling environmental sustainability therefore means that we must also address issues of social sustainability, as arguably the only way that we can realistically move towards environmental sustainability is by living in societies that are less obsessed by individual wealth and power.

And in reality it is these issues of social change where the work of L&D professionals can probably have the greatest impact, as we are directly responsible for how the societies within our organisations function. So, if we can strengthen our organisations’ internal societies and help our organisations to strengthen external societies we should be able to play a significant part in protecting our natural environment.

But how can we do this? Immediately we run into some problems. Firstly, while there is generally some general understanding about what the big problems are in our natural environment (even though there is little consensus about how to tackle them), there is much less agreement about what is wrong with societies, let alone how they can be improved. This is because social sustainability is an inherently political question, and as a consequence of that what issues need to be considered as contributing to social sustainability are highly contested. Secondly, as well as considering the impact our organisation may have on society, we also have to consider our organisation’s internal social sustainability: does our organisational culture, structure and general functioning walk whatever talk it may have about its commitment to sustainability?

Given these challenges, what are the issues pertaining to social sustainability that L&D needs to address? Academic research into the subject over the last 30 years has struggled to come up with a framework that has the same clarity as something like the Stockholm Resilience Centre’s planetary boundaries concept, but my reading of this work suggests that there are four interconnected and overlapping areas that are important:

Some of these have less obvious relevance to L&D professionals, but some such as meeting basic needs and social equity are clearly within the remit of those working in Human Resource Management, if we distinguish this from Human Resource Development.

It is also useful for us in L&D to reflect on the concept of ‘capability’, as put forward by the development economist Amartya Sen. Sen distinguished between ‘functioning’, which he defined as including factors such as those described above, and the capability to lead a life which allows people to take advantage of such functionings. Here we can clearly see that the role of L&D is to ensure capability, to make sure that people have the necessary knowledge and skills to take advantage of social sustainability-related functioning.

So what are the practical implications for L&D? There will be many, but as a starting point we need to make sure that the learning programmes we design and deliver are available to all who contribute to our organisations, irrespective of whether or not they are contracted employees or self-employed. The design and content of learning should take into consideration the needs and interests of all people, regardless of race, faith, sexuality, ableness, and other factors. Learning activities should promote discussion, collaboration and knowledge sharing between people. We also need to evaluate the external, societal implications of our learning and development activities, rather than obsess over whether just internal objectives have been met.

We also need to acknowledge external social sustainability responsibilities. Organisations exist within communities, and we in L&D have skills that can contribute to a wider society. It is time to forget the Friedman Doctrine, the idea enunciated by Milton Friedman in the 1960s that businesses have no social responsibility other than to deliver profit to their shareholders. That is the sort of thinking that has led to the environmental and social crises we face today.

Social sustainability is inextricably linked with environmental sustainability. Building a healthy, cohesive society will make it more likely that we can together take the actions we need to save our environment. And I think that strengthening social sustainability is something that is most definitely in the hands of L&D professionals right here, right now.