Transformative partnerships for a better world: Practices, capacities, and opportunities

Riedy, C; Bless, A; Bohensky, E; Carrard, N; Davila, F; Kligyte, G; Leitch, A; le Hunte, B; Niklas, S; Parsons, M; Pratt, S; Wearne, S

Transformative partnerships for a better world: Practices, capacities, and opportunities

Riedy, C

Bless, A Bohensky, E Carrard, N

Davila, F Kligyte, G Leitch, A le Hunte, B Niklas, S

Parsons, M Pratt, S Wearne, S

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Publisher:: Wiley
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Earth Stewardship, 2025, 2, (2)
Issue Date:: 2025-04

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Riedy, C https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3668-737X
dc.contributor.author	Bless, A
dc.contributor.author	Bohensky, E
dc.contributor.author	Carrard, N https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3371-9113
dc.contributor.author	Davila, F
dc.contributor.author	Kligyte, G
dc.contributor.author	Leitch, A
dc.contributor.author	le Hunte, B
dc.contributor.author	Niklas, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3757-6527
dc.contributor.author	Parsons, M
dc.contributor.author	Pratt, S
dc.contributor.author	Wearne, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2860-3896
dc.date.accessioned	2025-05-28T20:32:44Z
dc.date.available	2025-05-28T20:32:44Z
dc.date.issued	2025-04
dc.identifier.citation	Earth Stewardship, 2025, 2, (2)
dc.identifier.issn	2835-3617
dc.identifier.issn	2835-3617
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/187549
dc.description.abstract	<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Transformations toward sustainable, regenerative, and just futures require fundamental changes that can only be achieved by working in partnership. Partnerships across diverse disciplines and perspectives also have the potential to normalize and act on a vision of earth stewardship. In 2023, scholars and practitioners working on transformations gathered at the biennial Transformations Conference to explore how to build, maintain and learn from transformative partnerships for a better world. This article offers a synthesis based on a collective sensemaking of the conference. Drawing on the conference presentations, discussion forums, session outputs and organizer reflections, it takes an appreciative approach to identify capacities and practices that support transformative partnerships and proposes an agenda for further research. The article frames transformative partnerships as processes with six stages: preparing/entering; connecting/relating; cohering/integrating; amplifying/transforming; learning/adapting; and releasing/renewing. These stages are loosely sequential in that each is more prominent at a particular time but progression through them may not be linear. For each stage, multiple supporting practices or capacities are identified, drawing on conference contributions. The article then discusses five priorities for further research, including how to: effectively develop the inner capacities needed for partnership; decolonize partnerships; make partnerships “safe enough” spaces that allow for agonism, action and political struggle; evaluate partnerships; and move from partnerships to building transformation systems.</jats:p>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Wiley
dc.relation.ispartof	Earth Stewardship
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1002/eas2.70010
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Transformative partnerships for a better world: Practices, capacities, and opportunities
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)/Institute For Sustainable Futures
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Provost
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Provost/TD School
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF)/Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) Associate Members
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2025-05-28T20:32:39Z
pubs.issue	2
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	2
utslib.citation.issue	2

Abstract:

AbstractTransformations toward sustainable, regenerative, and just futures require fundamental changes that can only be achieved by working in partnership. Partnerships across diverse disciplines and perspectives also have the potential to normalize and act on a vision of earth stewardship. In 2023, scholars and practitioners working on transformations gathered at the biennial Transformations Conference to explore how to build, maintain and learn from transformative partnerships for a better world. This article offers a synthesis based on a collective sensemaking of the conference. Drawing on the conference presentations, discussion forums, session outputs and organizer reflections, it takes an appreciative approach to identify capacities and practices that support transformative partnerships and proposes an agenda for further research. The article frames transformative partnerships as processes with six stages: preparing/entering; connecting/relating; cohering/integrating; amplifying/transforming; learning/adapting; and releasing/renewing. These stages are loosely sequential in that each is more prominent at a particular time but progression through them may not be linear. For each stage, multiple supporting practices or capacities are identified, drawing on conference contributions. The article then discusses five priorities for further research, including how to: effectively develop the inner capacities needed for partnership; decolonize partnerships; make partnerships “safe enough” spaces that allow for agonism, action and political struggle; evaluate partnerships; and move from partnerships to building transformation systems.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/187549