Towards a Knowledge-based Theory of Developing Sustainable Visions: The Theory Wave

Abstract

Although research and practice agree that visions are essential for organizations, the process of vision development remains elusive in academic literature. Presenting the “theory wave“, this paper proposes a knowledge-based theory for developing sustainable visions to guide the creation of measures and actions in the future. Central to the theory wave, we suggest three features that characterize the development of sustainable visions; (1) learning from an envisioned future, (2) need orientation and (3) a wavelike process combining top-down and bottom-up approaches. Furthermore, by enhancing the creation of different kinds of knowledge, the theory-wave entails aspects of research on knowledge creation and thereby, it provides a new perspective on the field of vision development.