10/04/2025 12:00

Sala Descubre. Edificio 8E. Acceso J - 4ª Planta | Universitat Politècnica de València. 46022 Valencia

Abstract: The progress of societies and economies encompasses not only periods of growth but also of decline and renewal, driven by competing imperatives of material growth and biospheric limits. In the medium to long term, supply failures arising from ecological breakdown are likely to present an existential risk to many companies and fundamentally constrain public authorities’ operations. The academic fields of management in general and purchasing and supply management (PSM) in particular, however, have overly focussed on generating knowledge to support organizations during periods of growth, disregarding possible periods of decline or renewal. This narrow focus is contested today from ecological, energy/resources, and global health angles. As a response, the post-growth narrative shifts the focus from pursuing GDP growth to putting social justice within planetary boundaries at the core of the socioeconomic system. In this seminar, I present a study that explores how business and its PSM can align with post-growth principles by shifting from being an agent of efficiency and growth to being an agent of sufficiency and purpose. Based on a multi-phase, iterative research process of literature review, disciplined imagination and sense-making with experts, we propose an imaginary structured on network learning theory for organizations collectively seeking to transform the socio-economic landscape.

Biography: Desirée Knoppen holds a Ph.D. in Management Science from EADA Business School (Spain) and a M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands). Her research focuses on organizational learning and innovation capabilities in the context of value creation networks. She has published her research in international peer reviewed journals such as Business Strategy & the Environment, Environmental Science and Policy, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Supply Chain Management, International Journal of Production and Operations Management, and Management Learning. Her teaching focusses on circular economy and on companies´ transformation roadmaps towards genuine sustainability. Desirée has ample consulting experience in a wide range of sectors and in different countries (the Netherlands, Spain, Colombia, Mexico). She is currently Head of the sustainability hub and the Marketing, Operations and Supply Department of EADA Business School (Barcelona).