Nachhaltige Entwicklung ist angesichts der großen und dringenden globalen Herausforderungen eine für die gesamte Gesellschaft mehr denn je fordernde Aufgabe. Bildung ist ein Fundament zur Sensibilisierung, Bewusstseinsbildung und Entwicklung von Kompetenzen, die Menschen zukünftig befähigen, im Sinne einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung aktiv zu agieren. Doch wie kommen die erforderlichen Kompetenzen in das Bildungssystem?

Successfully coping with complex, real-world challenges, such as those related to sustainable development and the resilience of coupled human–environment systems, calls increasingly for adapted forms of education and extended competences. Hence, we argue that, beyond knowledge and expertise in professional domains, additionally, personal, systemic, creative, and sociocultural competences are required to meet such challenges. Herefor, institutions of higher and continuing education play a crucial role. In this paper, universities as institutions of higher education are critically considered in relation to delivering education for sustainable development by raising awareness and providing the necessary competences to cope with complex problems such as sustainable development through effective forms of higher and continuing education as well as training. Research on attitudes and perceptions regarding sustainable development and the perceived need for comprehensive competences required to deal with such complex problems is still lacking. Our study provides a first attempt to elucidate core aspects of these attitudes, perceptions, and competences aiming to contribute to future, more tailored education approaches. We discuss the outcomes of a survey on sustainability in teaching and learning conducted at four Austrian universities. The analyzed sample comprised 3200 students as the recipients of, and 498 lecturers as the providers of, sustainability education in various academic disciplines at four distinct Austrian universities. Applying a questionnaire-based investigation of self-reported sustainability-related perceptions, attitudes, and competences and conducting factor analysis and cluster analysis, five sustainability types were identified that revealed a type of specific core awareness of sustainability and the perception of required competences related to sustainable development. The results presented are positioned to build a basis for further investigation that goes beyond the self-reported assessments to enable a comparison with sustainability-related, real-world problem-solving performance.

Why solely rely on governmental action, private sector management or science as the principal providers of solutions to societal problems, if most citizens could become fully self‐reliant troubleshooters and problem solvers for the complex challenges and crises our societies face? Even though in times of acute crisis, top–down interventions may be necessary to keep a societal system viable, citizen‐driven innovation policy could be a better long‐term approach to society's challenges. We, as a society, should focus on the collaborative capabilities and creativity of ourselves; civic change processes should be based on a broad system understanding, strong values and citizen participation. To foster a climate inspiring collaboration across various levels of society, changes within governmental, political and private sector management policies must accompany this approach. Further, to equip citizens with the particular competences needed to successfully participate in citizen‐driven innovation when dealing with crises, educational programs from kindergarten to graduate school should include training in social responsibility and sustainable development. Combinations of both top–down interventions and citizen‐driven innovations will likely lead to more sustainable crises resolution than either approach alone. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We argue that civic change processes must be based on a broad system understanding, strong values, and citizen participation. This article addresses how each citizen could become a responsible, self-reliant problem solver and troubleshooter by exploiting their own inherent innovation potential. We call for a society, which takes advantage of the collaborative capabilities and creativity of all its members as principal remediators of societal problems, instead of solely relying on governmental action, private sector management, and/or science, with all their oftentimes unwanted ancillary effects, including possibly even a curtailment of innovativeness. We use the C2P2S framework of problem solving competence as a model to describe five competence dimensions which we consider crucial for problem solvers, including citizens, in crisis resolution. Changes within governmental, political, and private sector management policies must accompany citizen participation in order to foster and support collaboration. Supportive measures should include educational tools to help citizen groups become proactive stakeholders and to develop the competence sets required to socially responsibly participate in innovation generation in order to meet society’s challenges.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present how the Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) Graz‐Styria as well as RCEs as instruments can contribute to regional development. The RCE Graz‐Styria is representing a case study of Central European RCEs.Design/methodology/approachThe paper describes the development process of RCE Graz‐Styria. Regional challenges to strengthen sustainable regional development have been investigated by literature review and interviews with regional actors.FindingsThe paper discusses challenges of establishing an RCE and describes how an RCE can face regional and global challenges by innovative actions.Practical implicationsThe paper provides an insight of the establishment of the RCE Graz‐Styria. Readers who would like to establish an RCE in their own region can learn from the process of RCE Graz‐Styria. The reader has to take into account that the regional challenges might be different, and thus the RCE Graz‐Styria is a role model regarding its management structure for RCEs based at universities.Originality/valueBy 2008 and since 2006, every year more than ten new RCEs have been officially acknowledged by the United Nations University. Specially for those new RCEs coming in the next years, which can learn from reading about different management structures and different challenges experienced by different RCEs. For already established RCEs, RCE case studies are useful not only for learning from other RCEs but also for getting in contact with RCEs with common interests and initiating common projects.

Abstract This contribution explores what modern managers have in common withheroes in ancient myths. Myths and religions have always tried to explain truths by means of symbols to some degree. It is the purpose of thiscontribution to uncover some of the truths behind the figures in ancient myths by investigatingsome examples and letting the old meaning become apparent byitself. Innovative leaders need to gain certain competences for severalmanagement,fields and they have to be flexible in their thinking and acting.One function of a leader is to help the organization define and achieve itspurposes. This means formulating strategies, visions, and challenges. Another function of a strong leader is to embody,the spirit of the community,and helphold it together. Once it is apparent that the differences between ancient myths andtoday’s myths are much smaller than is popularly supposed, this paper may

There is a tendency to take the human verbal communication within an organization for granted, and to underestimate its effects on many levels. This contribution addresses the question of which interactive human language is suitable for complex business systems such as innovative organizations. To be innovative - briefly speaking - means to be in a permanent state of change and problem solving. Very often it is not so much a question of the causal principle, if - then (e.g. if we introduce a new machine, then we will make more profit), it is more a matter of how everything is connected, or rather, how everything fits together (e.g. how can persons in middle management transfer new ideas from top management to product developers? What language do they use to make themselves and others understandable and vice versa? What can be done to consider the wishes of employees by the leadership). In most organizations there are traditionally "top down instructions" (e.g. from top manager to employees) either verbal or through medium such as written documents, e-mails, instant messaging and others. Very often there is a block in the flow of information and people often do not know about higher objectives and what they are really working for. This leads to a lack of identification and motivation with one's work and subsequently with the whole organization. Behind those "top down instructions" one can find willingness, unwillingness, appreciation, refusal and so on. In this contribution some suggestions will be made for a better "understanding" between people within a company. A special focus thereby lies on the use of human verbal language.