Organizational learning to manage sustainable development

Citation

Siebenhuner, B. (2008), "Organizational learning to manage sustainable development", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 22 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2008.08122aad.006

Organizational learning to manage sustainable development

Organizational learning to manage sustainable development

Siebenhuner B., Arnold M. Business Strategy and the Environment, July 2007 Vol 16 No 5, Start page: 339, No of pages: 15

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore when and why companies commence learning leading to the adoption of sustainability management. Design/ methodology/approach – The paper observes that learning literature has focused on the adoption of technological and market-oriented innovations, considers that sustainability literature has paid insufficient attention to organizational learning, and draws on organizational learning theories to both define organizational learning and to develop a framework of organizational learning processes. Includes company size, personnel structure, learning mechanisms, values and norms, leadership styles, conflict, change agents, market pressure, state regulation, stakeholder demand, public opinion, and single- and double-loop learning, in the framework, validating the framework by case studying six companies. Findings – Reports that medium-sized companies had undertaken radical change, whilst larger companies had followed an incremental change strategy, lists learning mechanisms found that included integration of milestones in research and development processes, and presence of goal- and guideline-oriented learning processes, emphasizes the importance of organizational change agents, and of values and norms supporting sustainability, and records differences between large and medium-sized companies in the type and effect of external factors driving sustainability, concluding that companies initiate sustainability learning when sustainability requirements are anchored in the personnel and culture of the company. Originality/value – This paper adds to sustainable development literature.ISSN: 0964-4733Reference: 36AU321DOI: 10.1002/bse.579

Keywords: Corporate culture, Innovation, Large enterprises, Learning, Small to medium-sized enterprises, Sustainable development