The Fourth SoL Research Greenhouse Rigor and Relevance for the Triple Bottom Line: Profit, Equity, and Sustainability co-sponsored by Boston College, Department of Organization Studies January 13-15, 2004

Among the highlights, Ed Schein delivered the first annual Edgar H. Schein Keynote Address, so named in recognition of his outstanding contributions to SoL and to the whole field of organizational studies and practice. Other keynote speakers included Joan Bavaria, founder and CEO of Trillium Asset management (the original social investing company), Ann McGee Cooper, consultant to "servant leaders" including South West Airlines, and Peter M. Senge, founding chair of SoL.

Topics: Our theme of Rigor and Relevance for the Triple Bottom Line was brought into focus through sessions highlighting work in a range of topics:

• Science-based stakeholder dialogues
• Renewal and Regeneration of Communities
• Developing Socially Responsible Leadership
• A University/Business Forum on Corporate Citizenship
• Environmental Metrics
• Using Sustainability Frameworks
• Creating Collaborative Space
• Learning through Silence and Dialogue
• Strategic Planning and Sustainability: Socially Constructing a New Corporate Purpose
• A collaborative inquiry workshop
• Creating a leaderful management network

Presenters and participants came from many places, including: Canada, China, Germany, UK, Italy, Mexico.

The Research Greenhouse has become a tradition at SoL in just a few years. As a "knowledge greenhouse", it supports the early stages of the learning-research cycle by bringing all segments of the SoL community together to nurture new ideas, projects, and partnerships while they are still gaining strength. It is a place to test ideas, to share ongoing work (especially action research), and to seek partners for new work.

At last year's Greenhouse, co-hosted by George Washington University, we emphasized that our research demands both rigor and relevance. Relevance is about results and at this year's Greenhouse we are emphasizing three kinds of results through the triple bottom line, highlighting corporate citizenship and long-term sustainability. Research in the SoL community (knowledge creation and sharing) requires diverse perspectives and disciplines: we need practitioners, capacity-builders, traditional researchers, consultants, and others. All are invited.

This two and one-half-day conference took place on the main Boston College campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, about 30 minutes from central Boston (accessible by public transit). Attendance was limited to 180 seats.

Imporant logistical and Hotel information can be found here. For more information please contact: Jackie Tabb

SoL consultant members will held a pre-Greenhouse meeting starting Monday January 12 at 10 am.

The Fourth SoL Research Greenhouse was co-sponsored by Boston College, Department of Organization Studies and its Center for Corporate Citizenship.