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Recipes for Successful Sustainability: Empirical Organizational Configurations for Strong Corporate Environmental Performance

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  • Kent Walker
  • Na Ni
  • Bruno Dyck

Abstract

We examine 45 existing case studies of firms with strong corporate environmental performance (CEP) to empirically identify four organizational configurations for successful sustainability. These four configurations represent different combinations of variables describing a firm's external environment, organizational structure, and its strategy‐related activities. More specifically, these configurations vary in having a benign or challenging external environment, a mechanistic or organic structure, a low‐cost or differentiation strategy, hands‐on or hands‐off participation by the top management team, high or low consideration given to stakeholders, and a short‐ or long‐term time orientation. Taken together the four organizational configurations introduce an understanding of equifinality for achieving CEP. In other words, given an adequate variety of ingredients, there are multiple recipes for successful sustainability. Implications for scholars, practitioners and policy‐makers and other stakeholders are discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Kent Walker & Na Ni & Bruno Dyck, 2015. "Recipes for Successful Sustainability: Empirical Organizational Configurations for Strong Corporate Environmental Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(1), pages 40-57, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:24:y:2015:i:1:p:40-57
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.1805
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    2. Mejía-Dugand, Santiago & Hjelm, Olof & Baas, Leo, 2017. "Public utility companies in liberalized markets – The impact of management models on local and regional sustainability," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 137-144.
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    5. Quick, Reiner & Münch, M. & Mayer, J. H., 2023. "Going Beyond Compliance Fulfillment: a Literature Review on ESG Performance Management," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 142481, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
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    8. Frans Melissen & Andrew Ngawenja Mzembe & Uwafiokun Idemudia & Yvonne Novakovic, 2018. "Institutional Antecedents of the Corporate Social Responsibility Narrative in the Developing World Context: Implications for Sustainable Development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 657-676, September.
    9. Yuan Ma & Qiyue Yin & Yajun Pan & Wei Cui & Baogui Xin & Ziqian Rao, 2018. "Green Product Innovation and Firm Performance: Assessing the Moderating Effect of Novelty-Centered and Efficiency-Centered Business Model Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-13, June.
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