ABSTRACT
Sustainably competent professionals need to be decisive and able to act at the right moment. This can be problematic when faced with dilemmas that require weighing competing issues. The fictitious case of a food company involving child labor, pesticides, and employment security serves as an example. This is followed by a real-life example of a peacekeeper recalling negotiations with the infamous Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony. Other examples of conflicts pitting environmental, social, and economic issues against one another and the practice of compensation for negative consequences are mentioned. In another case study, a sustainability consultant for The Natural Step discusses how he helps clients deal with uncertainties in a shifting business environment through the technique of backcasting. The authors give additional examples for when the precautionary principle might need to be applied. Finally, the notion that no action can sometimes be the best solution is illustrated by a history teacher and Taoist expert who explains the ancient Chinese principle of achieving action without action – wu wei – by making use of forces at just the right time and avoiding resistance.
