Gail Whiteman
Biographic Data
| ID | 4588029 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gail Whiteman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gail |
| FAMILY NAME | Whiteman |
| SIGNATURE | WHITEMAN G |
| AFFILIATIONS | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4152-5538 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 33 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 60 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 33 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
A framework for assessing global health impacts of polar change
Research on the human health risks of climate change is expanding, yet the influence of polar region shifts on these risks remains underexplored. This paper presents a framework to assess global and regional health risks stemming from polar physical changes. The polar regions are experiencing rapid environmental transformations, including melting ice, ocean warming, ocean acidification, permafrost thaw, intensifying wildfires, and alterations to …
City–company collaboration towards aligned science-based target setting
Cities and companies have great potential to reduce pressures on Earth system boundaries. Science-based target setting has emerged as a powerful tool to help achieve the potential, but its uptake has been limited. Moreover, cities and companies usually develop their targets separately, even though many are co-located. Focusing on the top 200 cities and 500 companies by greenhouse gas emissions, we analyse the current state and potential of adopti…
Translating Earth system boundaries for cities and businesses
All options, not silver bullets, needed to limit global warming to 1.5 °C
Climate science provides strong evidence of the necessity of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. The IPCC 1.5 °C special report (SR1.5) presents 414 emissions scenarios modelled for the report, of which around 50 are classified as ‘1.5 °C scenarios’, with no or low temperature overshoot. These emission scenarios differ in their reliance on individual mitigation levers, including reduction of global energy …
A framework for assessing the economic impacts of Arctic change
The scientific literature on physical changes in the Arctic region driven by climate change is extensive. In addition, the emerging understanding of physical feedbacks and teleconnections between the Arctic and the rest of the world suggests that the warming in the Arctic region is likely to cause impacts that extend well beyond the region itself. However, there is only limited research on how Arctic change may affect economies and individual ind…
Systems thinking
Scholars from a wide range of disciplines and perspectives have sought to unravel the high complexities of sustainability. A mature understanding of sustainability management requires studies to adopt a multidisciplinary systemic lens capable of appreciating the interconnectivity of economic, political, social and ecological issues across temporal and spatial dimensions. Yet the field of systems thinking in the context of sustainability managemen…
Three years to safeguard our climate
Research priorities for managing the impacts and dependencies of business upon food, energy, water and the environment
Delivering access to sufficient food, energy and water resources to ensure human wellbeing is a major concern for governments worldwide. However, it is crucial to account for the 'nexus' of interactions between these natural resources and the consequent implications for human wellbeing. The private sector has a critical role in driving positive change towards more sustainable nexus management and could reap considerable benefits from collaboratio…
Environmentalism and Corporate Sustainability
Environmentalism refers to the advocacy of the conservation and restoration of the natural world. It may be considered as a broad philosophy or ideology of a political, ethical, and social movement concerned by the degradation of the natural environment because of human activity. Its modern conceptualization is rooted in the time of the industrial revolution (circa 1750–1850) and has developed through debates concerning both the intrinsic value o…
Conflict and Astroturfing in Niyamgiri
Traditional models of transnational advocacy networks (TANs) and stakeholder management do not capture the nuance and dynamics of (counter-)organizing processes around anti-corporate mobilization. Based on the case of a resistance movement against a planned bauxite mine on tribal land in India, we develop a process theory of interactions between local, national and international actors within transnational advocacy networks. These encounters are …
Voices from the front lines of the climate wars
Future imaginings
Climate change has rapidly emerged as a major threat to our future. Indeed the increasingly dire projections of increasing global average temperatures and escalating extreme weather events highlight the existential challenge that climate change presents for humanity. In this editorial article we outline how climate change not only presents real, physical threats but also challenges the way we conceive of the broader economic, political and social…
Detecting and Coping with Disruptive Shocks in Arctic Marine Systems
Ecological Sensemaking
Karl Weick's classic study of “sensemaking” showed that there is much to be learned from a wildland fire. In this tradition, we present an ethnographic tale from the subarctic to introduce the concept of ecological sensemaking—the process used to make sense of material landscapes and ecological processes. We then reanalyze data from the Mann Gulch fire and conclude that ecological sensemaking and ecological materiality were underappreciated dimen…
“First You Have To Get Outside”
Most methodology books do not explain how nature—or in the author’s case, heavy wet snow and swampy muskeg—can be an intrinsic part of a qualitative research design. Yet the author’s inability to make sense of the subarctic not only limited her preliminary qualitative analysis, but this lack of skill also nearly killed her. This article describes the author’s emergent belief that first-hand situated knowledge of the local ecology is an essential …
Strong emotions at work
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the emotional experiences from qualitative research can enrich organization and management studies. Design/methodology/approach The paper's approach includes a review of the literature in sociology, anthropology, psychology, and feminist studies, in which scholars have argued convincingly for the explicit need to acknowledge and utilize the emotions of researchers as they study social and or…
All My Relations
Research on organizational justice typically investigates how perceptions of justice affect encounters between internal organizational actors, with few studies analyzing perceptions between firms and external stakeholders. In addition to a narrow focus on employer—employee relations, the organizational justice literature is dominated by western and European cultural perspectives. My paper addresses these gaps by exploring how justice theory may b…
Sixty-six ways to get it wrong
Gail Whiteman learned to be a beaver trapper by working in the field with a Cree tallyman in Eastern James Bay, Québec. An account of her managerial experiences and some potential lessons for organizations were reported in Whiteman and Cooper (2000). Central to her managerial experience was the sense of being ecologically embedded – literally being grounded in the local ecology. From that experience we suggested that resources are more likely to …
Last words
The Impact of Economic Development in James Bay, Canada
Although there has been a tremendous amount of past and future development in the James Bay region of northern Canada, there has been very little empirical research that examined the impact of economic development on Cree tallymen, who are the senior grassroots managers of this vulnerable ecosystem. This oversight is particularly important because the region is currently facing the possibility of additional large-scale hydroelectric development a…
Resilience and Vulnerability of Northern Regions to Social and Environmental Change
The arctic tundra and boreal forest were once considered the last frontiers on earth because of their vast expanses remote from agricultural land-use change and industrial development. These regions are now, however, experiencing environmental and social changes that are as rapid as those occurring anywhere on earth. This paper summarizes the role of northern regions in the global system and provides a blueprint for assessing the factors that gov…
Bringing Feedback and Resilience of High-latitude Ecosystems into the Corporate Boardroom
This paper discusses the role of companies in high-latitude regions, which are conceptualized as socially and economically mediated ecosystems, and identifies a number of important social actors within the business environment. We present three examples of corporate activity at high latitudes and discuss a variety of common threads. Notably, we argue that business theory and practice needs to move beyond a narrow social or economic concept of org…
Bringing Feedback and Resilience of High-latitude Ecosystems into the Corporate Boardroom
This paper discusses the role of companies in high-latitude regions, which are conceptualized as socially and economically mediated ecosystems, and identifies a number of important social actors within the business environment. We present three examples of corporate activity at high latitudes and discuss a variety of common threads. Notably, we argue that business theory and practice needs to move beyond a narrow social or economic concept of org…
Ecological Embeddedness.
Sustainability for the Planet
"This perspective presents a case for environmental scientists to mobilize their communication efforts and to develop a systematic approach to marketing scientific knowledge to a range of key target audiences. Examples of environmental marketing are presented, and a call to action is presented in the spirit of discussion."
All My Relations
Research on organizational justice typically investigates how perceptions of justice affect encounters between internal organizational actors, with few studies analyzing perceptions between firms and external stakeholders. In addition to a narrow focus on employer—employee relations, the organizational justice literature is dominated by western and European cultural perspectives. My paper addresses these gaps by exploring how justice theory may b…
Resilience and Vulnerability of Northern Regions to Social and Environmental Change
The arctic tundra and boreal forest were once considered the last frontiers on earth because of their vast expanses remote from agricultural land-use change and industrial development. These regions are now, however, experiencing environmental and social changes that are as rapid as those occurring anywhere on earth. This paper summarizes the role of northern regions in the global system and provides a blueprint for assessing the factors that gov…
Detecting and Coping with Disruptive Shocks in Arctic Marine Systems
Bringing Feedback and Resilience of High-latitude Ecosystems into the Corporate Boardroom
This paper discusses the role of companies in high-latitude regions, which are conceptualized as socially and economically mediated ecosystems, and identifies a number of important social actors within the business environment. We present three examples of corporate activity at high latitudes and discuss a variety of common threads. Notably, we argue that business theory and practice needs to move beyond a narrow social or economic concept of org…
Translating Earth system boundaries for cities and businesses
A framework for assessing the economic impacts of Arctic change
The scientific literature on physical changes in the Arctic region driven by climate change is extensive. In addition, the emerging understanding of physical feedbacks and teleconnections between the Arctic and the rest of the world suggests that the warming in the Arctic region is likely to cause impacts that extend well beyond the region itself. However, there is only limited research on how Arctic change may affect economies and individual ind…
Research priorities for managing the impacts and dependencies of business upon food, energy, water and the environment
Delivering access to sufficient food, energy and water resources to ensure human wellbeing is a major concern for governments worldwide. However, it is crucial to account for the 'nexus' of interactions between these natural resources and the consequent implications for human wellbeing. The private sector has a critical role in driving positive change towards more sustainable nexus management and could reap considerable benefits from collaboratio…
City–company collaboration towards aligned science-based target setting
Cities and companies have great potential to reduce pressures on Earth system boundaries. Science-based target setting has emerged as a powerful tool to help achieve the potential, but its uptake has been limited. Moreover, cities and companies usually develop their targets separately, even though many are co-located. Focusing on the top 200 cities and 500 companies by greenhouse gas emissions, we analyse the current state and potential of adopti…
Old Man Yearning for the Thaw
Walking in the Woods
Poems from James Bay
Tallyman Talking
A Field Trip
Fish Dinner
Looking into the Mouth of James Bay I
Sustainable Development of the Boreal Forest
Chapin, F. and G. Whiteman 1998. Sustainable Development of the Boreal Forest: Interaction of Ecological, Social, and Business Feedbacks. Conservation Ecology 2(2):12. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-00083-020212
Sustainability for the Planet
"This perspective presents a case for environmental scientists to mobilize their communication efforts and to develop a systematic approach to marketing scientific knowledge to a range of key target audiences. Examples of environmental marketing are presented, and a call to action is presented in the spirit of discussion."
Ecological Embeddedness.
The Impact of Economic Development in James Bay, Canada
Although there has been a tremendous amount of past and future development in the James Bay region of northern Canada, there has been very little empirical research that examined the impact of economic development on Cree tallymen, who are the senior grassroots managers of this vulnerable ecosystem. This oversight is particularly important because the region is currently facing the possibility of additional large-scale hydroelectric development a…
Resilience and Vulnerability of Northern Regions to Social and Environmental Change
The arctic tundra and boreal forest were once considered the last frontiers on earth because of their vast expanses remote from agricultural land-use change and industrial development. These regions are now, however, experiencing environmental and social changes that are as rapid as those occurring anywhere on earth. This paper summarizes the role of northern regions in the global system and provides a blueprint for assessing the factors that gov…
Bringing Feedback and Resilience of High-latitude Ecosystems into the Corporate Boardroom
This paper discusses the role of companies in high-latitude regions, which are conceptualized as socially and economically mediated ecosystems, and identifies a number of important social actors within the business environment. We present three examples of corporate activity at high latitudes and discuss a variety of common threads. Notably, we argue that business theory and practice needs to move beyond a narrow social or economic concept of org…
Bringing Feedback and Resilience of High-latitude Ecosystems into the Corporate Boardroom
This paper discusses the role of companies in high-latitude regions, which are conceptualized as socially and economically mediated ecosystems, and identifies a number of important social actors within the business environment. We present three examples of corporate activity at high latitudes and discuss a variety of common threads. Notably, we argue that business theory and practice needs to move beyond a narrow social or economic concept of org…
Sixty-six ways to get it wrong
Gail Whiteman learned to be a beaver trapper by working in the field with a Cree tallyman in Eastern James Bay, Québec. An account of her managerial experiences and some potential lessons for organizations were reported in Whiteman and Cooper (2000). Central to her managerial experience was the sense of being ecologically embedded – literally being grounded in the local ecology. From that experience we suggested that resources are more likely to …
Last words
Strong emotions at work
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the emotional experiences from qualitative research can enrich organization and management studies. Design/methodology/approach The paper's approach includes a review of the literature in sociology, anthropology, psychology, and feminist studies, in which scholars have argued convincingly for the explicit need to acknowledge and utilize the emotions of researchers as they study social and or…
All My Relations
Research on organizational justice typically investigates how perceptions of justice affect encounters between internal organizational actors, with few studies analyzing perceptions between firms and external stakeholders. In addition to a narrow focus on employer—employee relations, the organizational justice literature is dominated by western and European cultural perspectives. My paper addresses these gaps by exploring how justice theory may b…
“First You Have To Get Outside”
Most methodology books do not explain how nature—or in the author’s case, heavy wet snow and swampy muskeg—can be an intrinsic part of a qualitative research design. Yet the author’s inability to make sense of the subarctic not only limited her preliminary qualitative analysis, but this lack of skill also nearly killed her. This article describes the author’s emergent belief that first-hand situated knowledge of the local ecology is an essential …
Ecological Sensemaking
Karl Weick's classic study of “sensemaking” showed that there is much to be learned from a wildland fire. In this tradition, we present an ethnographic tale from the subarctic to introduce the concept of ecological sensemaking—the process used to make sense of material landscapes and ecological processes. We then reanalyze data from the Mann Gulch fire and conclude that ecological sensemaking and ecological materiality were underappreciated dimen…
Detecting and Coping with Disruptive Shocks in Arctic Marine Systems
Conflict and Astroturfing in Niyamgiri
Traditional models of transnational advocacy networks (TANs) and stakeholder management do not capture the nuance and dynamics of (counter-)organizing processes around anti-corporate mobilization. Based on the case of a resistance movement against a planned bauxite mine on tribal land in India, we develop a process theory of interactions between local, national and international actors within transnational advocacy networks. These encounters are …
Voices from the front lines of the climate wars
Future imaginings
Climate change has rapidly emerged as a major threat to our future. Indeed the increasingly dire projections of increasing global average temperatures and escalating extreme weather events highlight the existential challenge that climate change presents for humanity. In this editorial article we outline how climate change not only presents real, physical threats but also challenges the way we conceive of the broader economic, political and social…
Environmentalism and Corporate Sustainability
Environmentalism refers to the advocacy of the conservation and restoration of the natural world. It may be considered as a broad philosophy or ideology of a political, ethical, and social movement concerned by the degradation of the natural environment because of human activity. Its modern conceptualization is rooted in the time of the industrial revolution (circa 1750–1850) and has developed through debates concerning both the intrinsic value o…
Sociology (16 works) · Political science (13 works) · Environmental resource management (12 works) · Ecology (10 works) · Geography (10 works) · Computer Science (9 works) · Ecology (9 works) · Economics (9 works) · Engineering (9 works) · Business (8 works)