Green Gown Awards 2019 - Dr Karen Thompson, Bournemouth University - Highly Commended

Leading the development of a new concept – Responsible Project Management (RPM) - I am raising awareness of sustainability and empowering project management practitioners, educators, researchers and professional bodies to improve practice. Projects deliver change across the globe and are worth billions annually.   

RPM combines project management and sustainability by proposing the SDGs as a framework for better decision-making and project managers as advocates for beneficial change in business and society.  The Guide I co-created with practitioners and researchers is now being used as an educational resource and inspiration for dialogue in the UK, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Palestine and Vietnam.     

Success of RPM is encouraging me to challenge colleagues to transform their education and research by using sustainability as a lens rather than an add-on to their disciplines. Re-thinking of many existing business models is urgent, so I am organising a “Sustainability Symposium” to facilitate discussions, build networks, identify new opportunities and commit to action. 

Top 3 learnings:

• My social learning approach to research and collaboration was both challenging and highly rewarding. 
• I needed patience to handle the naysayers who still think sustainability is optional. 
• My belief in the value of harnessing diverse perspectives and options was re-affirmed.   

Videos

• Dr Karen Thompson (click to hide)