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JOURNAL OF LEADERSHIP, ACCOUNTABILITY AND ETHICS
Addressing the Sustainability Challenge: Insights from Institutional
Theory and Organizational Learning
Author(s): Juliana Iarossi, Jeanette Miller, James O’Connor, Mark Keil
Citation: Juliana Iarossi, Jeanette Miller, James O’Connor, Mark Keil, (2013) "Addressing the Sustainability Challenge: Insights from Institutional Theory and Organizational Learning," Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, Vol. 10, Iss. 1, pp. 76 - 91
Article Type: Research paper
Publisher: North American Business Press
Abstract:
A broad range of stakeholders is focusing on corporate sustainability, yet little is known about how
individual firms respond to these institutional pressures. In this paper, institutional theory is integrated
with theories of organizational learning to understand how firms shape their response through
sustainability initiatives. In a case study approach, we find that organizations create diverse responses
through two primary strategies: manipulation and acquiescence. Sustainability initiatives were found to
entail a simultaneous process of exploring new possibilities while exploiting existing capabilities, and to
be facilitated through top management support, an open approach to surfacing initiatives, and intra- and
inter-organizational alliances.
