In his doctoral thesis, Niklas Fernqvist shows that the sustainability transitions of large technical systems, such as energy and transport systems, are not driven solely by political decisions or corporate leadership. It can also be initiated from within established organisations by committed employees who, drawing on their personal values and professional expertise, champion pathbreaking innovation from the bottom up. “I refer to these individuals as sustainability intrapreneurs”.
What challenges do you focus on in your research?
“Large technical systems are designed to operate over very long periods of time and are characterised by extensive regulation and well-established ways of working. As a result, they are often slow to change, even as society faces the need for far-reaching sustainability transitions. My research examines how pathbreaking innovation can emerge in these environments, with particular attention to the role that individual employees play in this process.”
How do you address the problem?
“I study a dozen cases from the Swedish energy sector. Through interviews and case studies, I analyse how pathbreaking innovations are initiated and developed. Building on the findings, I develop a new framework, sustainability intrapreneurship, which explains how employees can contribute to the early stages of sustainability transitions from within established organisations. I also test this framework against Vision Zero to assess its broader explanatory power.”
What are the main findings?
“The central findings are that individual employees in established organisations can be key agents of change in sustainability transitions, even without formal mandates or support from senior management. I identify three recurring roles that these sustainability intrapreneurs tend to assume: the agenda setter, who shapes visions and mobilises support; the demonstrator, who develops and tests new solutions; and the networking educator, who fosters knowledge and capabilities among others. The thesis also shows that personal values and a strong sense of responsibility are key motivations for these individuals. Overall, my work challenges the prevailing view that sustainability transitions are driven primarily by external entrepreneurial actors or by top-down leadership and policy.”
What do you hope your research will lead to?
“I hope my research will contribute to a new way of understanding sustainability transitions in large technical systems. We often focus on politics, technology and corporate strategy, but my research shows that committed employees can also play a decisive role as agents of change, particularly in the early stages of the sustainability transitions. If organisations and policymakers become better at identifying and supporting such initiatives, they can create more favourable conditions for developing the innovations needed to build a more sustainable society.”
Read the thesis: Sustainability intrapreneurship: The role of employees in early-stage sustainability transitions of large technical systems
Public defence: 10 September 2026 at 10.00
Portrait photo: Malin Huusmann
Supervisor
- Vice President, Utilization, innovation and lifelong learning