ABSTRACT
In this chapter sustainability is used as an exemplar topic for describing the integral metatheory for organisational transformation. This topic demonstrates the value of metatheorising for an applied fi eld of organisational studies. Some foundational combinations of lenses will be presented and arguments made for how these frameworks can provide new insights into transformation within a sustainability context. It is common practice in metatheory building to apply an innovative metatheoretical framework to particular exemplar topics as a means for describing the whole conceptual system and exploring its various elements. For example, having outlined his AQAL framework in 1995, Wilber subsequently applied this approach to the fi elds of consciousness studies (1997), the philosophy of science (1998), psychology (2000c) and spirituality (2006). Similarly, Torbert has applied his DAI to the domains of social power (1991), social science research (1999) and personal and organisational transformation (Fisher et al., 2003). The same method will be adopted here in that, having identifi ed and described our lenses for transformation and described some key relationships, this chapter will lay out a detailed description of the metatheory within the more focused topic of sustainability.
