A New Understanding of Transformation Research

 

Researchers from RWTH have written a new book that provides actionable insights for practical application.

The global environmental crisis, technological developments, the COVID-19 pandemic and advancing economic and political globalization are just some of the developments that have strongly increased the pressure on regions, companies, and society as a whole to transform and innovate. In addition, the digital age is accelerating the transformation processes that have already begun.

Researchers from RWTH are highlighting these developments in a new book, presenting a new framework for transformation research and practice developed and validated at RWTH. They apply interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches from many disciplines, looking at technological and social change from different perspectives. Accordingly, the book is entitled Transformation Towards Sustainability - A Novel Interdisciplinary Framework from RWTH Aachen University. It was published as an open access book by Springer-Verlag with support from the RWTH Profile Areas.

"It is the responsibility of science and research to systematically collect, expand, document, and disseminate knowledge. Based on falsifiable theories, science enables a better understanding of scientific and social phenomena and brings them into line with reality. Scientific findings enable predictions to be made about the future and provide impetus for social and technical developments. Without the foundations laid by science and the innovations resulting from them, neither the current state of technology nor the social and economic systems in which we live today would be possible," said Professor Peter Letmathe from RWTH’s Chair of Management Accounting at RWTH and one of the initiators and authors of the book.

The book includes contributions on the REVIERa Transformation Platform for the Rhenish Mining Area, on "Sustainability, the Green Transition, and Greenwashing", on infrastructures and their transformation, on the transdisciplinary development of neuromorphic hardware for artificial intelligence applications, and on the transformation of organizations, among others. "Our aim is not only to create a new understanding of transformation research, but also to provide actionable insights for researchers and practitioners in various fields. It is quite unique that a university known for its interdisciplinary breadth produces such a book," said Peter Letmathe.

In addition to Letmathe, RWTH researchers Christine Roll, Almut Balleer, Stefan Böschen, Wolfgang Breuer, Agnes Förster, Gabriele Gramelsberger, Kathrin Greiff, Roger Häußling, Max Lemme, Michael Leuchner, Maren Paegert, Frank T. Piller, Elke Seefried, and Thorsten Wahlbrink have co-edited this book.

In 17 chapters, the book focuses equally on analysis, that is, research to understand social transformation processes; impact, that is, transformation research aimed at achieving real-world effects; and research transformation, that is, the paradigm shift in research methods and processes increasing the degree of innovation and the impact of research.