مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد ادغام و تغییر سازمانی به سوی پایداری – الزویر 2017

This interdisciplinary study examines why and how corporate leaders operationalize sustainability in organizational strategy, systems and activities. Through interviews with sustainability professionals using a cross-industry sample of multinational organizations recognized as top performers by multiple sources (Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Newsweek Green Rankings, GRI, and KLD), the research identified drivers, enablers, evaluation methods and change management practices for corporate social, environmental and financial initiatives. Using multiple coders, and an analysis of responses to structured interview questions, we determine how sustainability professionals influence the alignment of sustainability goals, mission and values at leading organizations. Scholarly contributions include insight into how top performing companies manage change involving social and environmental responsibility. Insights come from primary research with the individuals who anchor those corporate sustainability initiatives providing a foundation for further theory development and testing of propositions. The key findings include integration as a systems-based approach to sustainability, change management, innovation, and corporate strategy. Integration takes place through the alignment of performance metrics within and across business units and functions with a call for Integrated Bottom Line performance measurement throughout organizations and value chains to inform management decision-making, transparency, and external reporting. Predictions are that integration and change management are critical success factor for the advancement of strategic sustainability initiatives.

Introduction

As more organizations elevate sustainability to a strategic priority, the challenges associated with execution of these activities have escalated (Kolk and Pinkse, 2007). Simultaneously, there is a research void in understanding how integrated systems leverage financial, social and environmental benefits (Asif, et. a., 2013). The research presented in this study responds to a growing need to understand how sustainability is operationalized (Dahlsrud, 2006; Marrewijk, 2003; Garcia, et. al., 2016). This research explores who is involved in the integration of sustainability initiatives by focusing on two primary questions: (1) What do sustainability professionals in leading companies do to operationalize sustainability practices in their organizations? (2) How does the ever-changing sustainability paradigm affect the evolution of management systems and decision-making? The findings from a series of global sustainability studies by McKinsey suggest that a majority of multinational corporations have yet to operationalize sustainability. In a 2010 global survey of 2,000 CEOs, over half described sustainability as “very” or “extremely” important to their organizations, yet only 30 % reported actively seeking opportunities to invest in sustainability or embed sustainability in business practices (Bonini, Gorner, and Jones, 2010). The 2011 McKinsey survey found low integration of sustainability in budgeting, supply chain management, and employee engagement processes (Bonini and Gorner, 2011). More recently, 58 % of respondents claimed that sustainability was integrated into company culture, yet only 38 % reported that sustainability was a factor in performance management (Bonini and Bové, 2014). The 2017 survey results show 90 % of executives see sustainability as important, but only 60% of companies have a sustainability strategy (Kiron, et. al., 2017). There are many explanations for the gap between intent and implementation. By focusing on sustainable development and the transition to a sustainable society (Broman and Robért, 2015) help us to see that sustainability itself should be the end goal. Yet, the language involving sustainability, organizations, and initiatives is confusing.