28 March 2011 - Prof. dr. Gail Whiteman will fomally accept the Ecorys NEI chair in Sustainability and Climate Change at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) on Friday 1 April. At that date she will hold her inaugural address, entitled: “Making Sense of Climate Change: How to Avoid the Next Big Flood -- Management Lessons for the 21st Century”. The year 2010 was the hottest year on record, making it the warmest decade since 1880.  In certain places (like Australia and the Arctic), the impacts of climate change are already apparent.  As CO2 continues to rise, we can expect more extreme events like floods, droughts, fires, and melting ice caps. This has profound implications for the way we manage and organise our societies...

Over the past two decades, management studies on sustainability have grown considerably, including a recent surge of research on climate change. However, environmental problems have not been resolved. Part of the problem is that management scholars and practitioners do not take a systems approach to their work.  Instead, the primary focus is on improving the eco-performance of the firm, and not on resolving problems at the interconnected, systems level. 

The central theme of Professor Whiteman’s address is about ‘sensemaking’, an interpretive theory in management. In a nutshell, before we can manage something, we have to make sense of the situation.  In a complex environment, people need to pay attention to subtle cues, overcome barriers, and collectively develop ‘sensemaking’ across organisations.  If people do not pay sufficient attention, they will encounter a ‘predictable surprise’ – a crisis situation that could be avoided but isn’t because of existing social and economic structures. 
Professor Whiteman applies this theory to climate change.  In an increasingly unpredictable and unstable global environment, how do people and businesses make sense of the local and global changes that are occurring? How do we create a connection between knowledge – the result of management research – and the very real, destructive impact of climate change that we see played out in the media almost daily?

During her address, Professor Whiteman will argue that in order to make sense of climate change, it is essential that we listen to two groups of experts: natural scientists and local, often indigenous, people who are ‘close to the action’ and observe environmental changes first-hand. Both groups are paying close attention to fluctuations in the natural environment which can provide early warnings of abrupt change; their combined knowledge is valuable for managers and communities around the world. To derive the full and essential benefit from both groups means sharing knowledge across a wide selection of actors and locations. And this, says Professor Whiteman, requires a fresh approach in organisation and management research.

Professor Whiteman’s ‘Management Lessons’ will include:

• Focus on the system, not just the firm
• Make better sense of climate change
• Share ecological sense making across organisations
• Anticipate predictable surprises and be ready to adapt

The issue of sustainability is one of the core values that identifies RSM and is integrated into the School’s teaching, research, and facilities management. Prof. Whiteman leads the RSM Centre for Corporate Eco-Transformation, which aims to help companies to make the transformation to a more sustainable system of low-carbon production and consumption. This Chair is sponsored by the Netherlands Economic Institute (NEI) and Ecorys, a leading European research and consultancy company with a mission to improve public policy, economic, social and environmental conditions worldwide.
Professor Whiteman’s inaugural address will take place at the Aula of Erasmus University, on the Woudestein campus. Doors of the Aula open at 15.45 – guests are asked to take their seats - the official ceremony starts at 16.00 sharp and is followed by a reception at 5pm.

Special Eco-Toga
For her inaugural address on 1 April 2011, Professor Gail Whiteman, Ecorys NEI Chair in Sustainability & Climate Change at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, will wear an Eco-Toga. This Eco-Toga is made of  Returnity fabric. The fabric is Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certified and care has been taken to produce it with a low environmental and social impact and is, after use, totally recyclable on the same level. The toga has been developed as a result of the cooperation between sustainable fashion label DutchSpirit, Gail Whiteman, and  de Togamaker. It is the very first time such a toga (gown) has been developed and it is a unique experiment in eco-fashion. 
In academia, it is the tradition in for professors to wear a long black gown during formal cortèges and academic events such as inaugural addresses. This is meant to signify wisdom. Some traditions become static, while others develop with the times. As a new professor with a specific interest in Sustainability and Climate Change, Gail Whiteman wondered how best to ‘walk her talk’ - starting with her toga. Whiteman: ”An academic gown is made of cloth: fabric that has an impact on the planet like all products we consume. I wondered whether it could be produced in a more eco-effective way?"  
Whiteman: “Of course, an Eco-Toga cannot save the world (even if it is the first).  But this small act of innovation by like-minded individuals is a step in the right direction. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

About Gail Whiteman
Gail Whiteman is Ecorys NEI Professor of Sustainability and Climate Change at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. She has a PhD from Queen’s School of Business in Canada. Whiteman is co-founder and the Director of the Centre for Corporate Eco-Transformation at RSM. Her research on sustainability has been published in leading management and ecology journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, Nature, Ecology & Society, Organisation Studies, Business Strategy & The Environment, among others. Media coverage includes The Wall Street Journal (European Edition), Business Week, Yahoo Finance, European Management Journal, Greenbiz, Climatebiz, Reuters.co.uk, BBC Radio Scotland, Ode Magazine, AD Rotterdam, TV Rijnmond, BBC Radio World Service and the Financial Times.

The Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM) is the research school in the field of management of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The founding participants of ERIM are Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE). ERIM organises the Erasmus Doctoral programme in Business and Management for the training of young, promising scientists. Over 300 researchers are attached to ERIM. www.erim.nl

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 business schools in Europe. It is located in the international port city of Rotterdam where core Dutch values of openness, flexibility and acceptance of diversity have attracted businesses on a global scale. Our emphasis is on groundbreaking research and practices relevant to business; our primary focus is on developing business leaders who carry their innovative ideas into a sustainable future. Our portfolio includes a broad array of bachelor, master, doctoral, MBA and executive education programmes. http://www.rsm.nl/.

Special Ecorys webpage on Sustainability & Climate Change

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