Reflexivity and Learning
The path towards system change is unpredictable, and that reminded me on the book Risk Society by Ulrich Beck. Beck's concept of the risk society highlights the need for a new approach to managing risks based on cooperation, reflexivity, and sustainability in a context of complexity and uncertainty. The book contains valuable lessons for to be applied on topics as Climate change and Biodiversity. Learning is a key ingredient in Beck's risk society and learning involves a continuous process of reflexivity and adaptation in response to new information and changing circumstances. Important to realize is that this learning is not only at an individual level, but also on group and even societal level. Companies, citizens and communities, NGOs, governments and scientists and experts all play an important role in this collective learning process.
Understanding these actors and their interactions is essential for developing effective strategies for managing the risks of the modern world and working towards solutions to our current crisis. These suggestions also resonate in notions on Resilience.
How to use these ideas to identify areas of cooperation for hotels? Options for cooperation are very diverse. Previously I have referred to initiatives of the Front runner group on Circular Hotels initiated by the city of Amsterdam. A setting in which hotels explored ways of how to make their operations more circular. Learning from other participating hotels and setting up project to explore joined challenges and also exchanging ideas with the supply chain via suppliers helped to identify solutions towards a more circular and regenerative hospitality. To make next steps in solving the climate crisis more cooperation is needed with for instance citizens and communities connected to hotels, but also NGOs. First steps are already visible with hotels actively reaching out to residents(groups) around their properties. Next steps might also include cooperation on for instance local energy systems. Opening the conversation with different actor groups will generate great opportunities for cooperation and progress to solve these urgent topics.
Beck, U. (1992). Risk society. Towards a new modernisation. London: SAGE
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