GPSS Student Publishes Paper on Transdisciplinary Conceptualisations of Stewardship

GPSS MSc Student Christopher Martin together with his supervisor, Ishihara Hiroe, have published a study in Sustainability Nexus Forum titled, "Establishing a Typology for Stewardship: A Nexus of Opportunity for Organisational and Environmental Management."

The paper explores the diverse and disparate interpretations of stewardship as a management ethic, seeking opportunities and synergies between its application in a diverse range of practices. The research offers historical context to current debates in the field and makes the case for an integrative typology that enables comparative research between unique implementations. Based on a subsequent conceptual review, the paper proposes three common archetypes of stewardship, primarily defined by the roles and relationships between key actors. The resulting discussion raises questions regarding the applicability of stewardship as a unifying environmental philosophy, the impact that the structure of principal-agent relationships can have on outcomes, and the different ways in which maximum benefit is achieved by each of proposed archetypes.

"Interpretative flexibility and a general proximity to the value of social responsibility has contributed to the increasing interest in stewardship. However, it is these same factors that pose an ongoing challenge to developing a robust, transdisciplinary definition. By offering this typology, and taking a nexus perspective, we hope to enrich ongoing discussions in both environmental and organisational management, plus enable easier integration into sustainability science," Christopher Martin.

The full, open-access paper can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00550-024-00543-z

Readers are invited to engage in the ongoing discussions surrounding stewardship and how such management philosophies intersect with the development of a sustainable future.