Creating Viable Pockets of Sustainable Change – Infusing Soft Systems Methodology with Cybernetic Principles

Abstract In this paper we derive three design principles for the development of a practice-oriented methodology aimed at contributing to structuring complex and unstructured problems related to sustainability transitions in a multi-actor setting: (i) assuring self-reference of stakeholders and recognizing conditions for effective control as building blocks of the methodology, (ii) gradual alignment and development of the building blocks and (iii) recognizing and including both human and non-human elements. As a theoretical foundation for our work, we combine the key strengths and features of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), Cybernetics and Socio-Ecological Systems (SES). We derive the principles from theoretically reflecting on three consecutive empirical research projects in Norway through which an initial methodology gradually was refined. The projects were different in terms of the sustainability challenge addressed, however, they shared the same fundamental problem characteristics in terms of complexity and unstructuredness.We argue that locally developed methodologies based on the principles derived can be helpful when dealing with such challenges.