Theorizing how the Three Horizons approach supports transformative learning: insights from advancing climate action in a Canadian Biosphere Reserve

Abstract

For society to make progress on sustainability requires businesses, alongside governments and non-government organizations, to take ambitious actions. Engaging small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is crucial in this context, as they represent one of the most common organizations in many economies and collectively contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. In response, this research investigates how the Three Horizons approach (THA) can support SMEs through transformative learning to explore opportunities for climate actions in the Mont-Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve (Canada). Using interviews and workshops, we examine the extent to which the THA leads to changes in assumptions and perspectives among SME owners. Our results demonstrate that in each horizon, participants went through transformative learning phases in a sequential order, i.e., developing assumptions based on experiences followed by challenging perspectives and transformation of perspectives. Furthermore, employing the THA (1) enabled participants to make sense of challenging situations, (2) generated experiences that helped participants to question established perspectives, and (3) created an innovation space conducive to producing action-oriented knowledge. Building on these findings, we theorize how the THA supports transformative learning processes and create conditions conducive for sustainability transformations.

Keywords

• transformative learning
• three horizons approach
• smes
• climate action
• biosphere reserves
• transdisciplinary sustainability research