Enhancement and sustainability in cultural heritage management. The contribution of a systems perspective

In this work issues of enhancement and sustainability in Cultural Heritage Management (CHM) are investigated and discussed by examining methodological aspects in-depth from the perspective of business management. A conceptual and theoretical framework is proposed, based on the adoption of a systems perspective and, in particular, of the Viable Systems Approach (vSa), an Italian research stream that applies the principles of systems thinking to the study of business management issues. Through the lens of the vSa, the notion of enhancement as well as that of value clearly appear as multi-dimensional concepts, whose interpretation implies the definition of the viewpoint and the perspective adopted in the evaluation process. In the light of the “structure-system” paradigm – which distinguishes between a structural and a systems perspective when investigating any business or social phenomenon –, the subjective nature of value clearly emerges, highlighting that value is not intrinsic to goods, but dynamically emerges from interaction with them. The outcome of such interaction is inevitably affected by the goals and perspective of the observer. Any strategy designed to valorize cultural heritage should take these aspects into account. In a similar manner and coherently with this view, the concept of sustainability, which emerges as an issue to address when managing cultural heritage, cannot be generalized, and requires those interested to adopt and share a context of reference and a perspective of observation in order to define an effective line of action. In the light of a systems view, any cultural heritage management approach aimed at complying with sustainability goals should overcome the dominant logics of regulation that appear in contrast with established assumptions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Stakeholder Theory (ST). By building upon CSR and ST research streams, the Viable Systems Approach provides an interpretative framework that frames the issues of enhancement and sustainability in Cultural Heritage Management more effectively on both a theoretical and a practical level. The expected outcome is an enrichment of the methodological approach to cultural heritage management that becomes more effective, efficient, and sustainable. The paper presents references to Italian reality, though the proposed methodological approach is valid and can be used in other contexts as well.