Managing the unmanageable challenge of sustainable development: An innovative framework

Much organisational effort has been poured into the quest for sustainable development. However, several crucial challenges remain. The pursuit of sustainability means addressing dimensions as diverse as energy, ecology, psychology, society, and the economy. Then there is the question of optimisation of initiatives now and in the future. There is also the question of satisfying the full spectrum of stakeholders and their divergent, often conflicting interests. Right now, there is no perfect approach to the pursuit of sustainable development. The notion of global optimisation is practically impossible. Meanwhile, narrow-, short-sighted approaches ignore the myriad aspects that must be considered. This paper proposes a novel approach to sustainable development by presenting a conceptual framework built on several bodies of theory. Its novelty derives from its ability to guide critical reflection on the limitations of sustainable development efforts and thereby help manage the unmanageable challenge of sustainable development as effectively as possible.