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The Corporation is Ailing Social Technology: Creating a ‘Fit for Purpose’ Design for Sustainability

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  • L. Metcalf
  • S. Benn

Abstract

Designed to facilitate economic development, the corporate form now threatens human survival. This article presents an argument that organisations are yet to be ‘fit for purpose’ and that the corporate form needs to be re-designed to reach sustainability. It suggests that organisations need to recognise their agent status amongst a much wider and highly complex array of interconnected, dynamic economic, environmental and social systems. Human Factors theory is drawn on to propose that business systems could be made sustainable through re-design. They could fit their environment more appropriately by improving: Efficiency, Adaptability and Social Cohesion. Leaders of organisations would also need to take a holistic approach to alter the organisation proactively to adapt to the systems within which it is embedded. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

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  • L. Metcalf & S. Benn, 2012. "The Corporation is Ailing Social Technology: Creating a ‘Fit for Purpose’ Design for Sustainability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 111(2), pages 195-210, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:111:y:2012:i:2:p:195-210
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1201-1
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    Cited by:

    1. Teresa J. Rothausen, 2017. "Integrating Leadership Development with Ignatian Spirituality: A Model for Designing a Spiritual Leader Development Practice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(4), pages 811-829, November.
    2. Louise Metcalf & Sue Benn, 2013. "Leadership for Sustainability: An Evolution of Leadership Ability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(3), pages 369-384, February.
    3. Irene Chu & Mai Chi Vu, 2022. "The Nature of the Self, Self-regulation and Moral Action: Implications from the Confucian Relational Self and Buddhist Non-self," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(1), pages 245-262, September.
    4. Danilo Boffa & Antonio Prencipe & Luciano D’Amico & Christian Corsi, 2023. "Gender Inclusiveness and Female Representation on the Board of Directors of the Benefit Company Model: Evidence from Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-20, March.
    5. Janine Hiller, 2013. "The Benefit Corporation and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 287-301, December.
    6. Blanche Segrestin & Armand Hatchuel & Kevin Levillain, 2021. "When the Law Distinguishes Between the Enterprise and the Corporation: The Case of the New French Law on Corporate Purpose," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(1), pages 1-13, June.
    7. Maya Chreif & Panteha Farmanesh, 2022. "Applying Green Human Resource Practices toward Sustainable Workplace: A Moderated Mediation Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-18, July.
    8. Nicos A. Scordis & Yoshihiko Suzawa & Astrid Zwick & Lucia Ruckner, 2014. "Principles for Sustainable Insurance: Risk Management and Value," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 17(2), pages 265-276, September.
    9. Cristian E Villanueva & Adrianela Angeles & Luz Cecilia Revilla, 2018. "Tying Strong Ties In Informal Entrepreneurship: A Constraint Or An Entrepreneurial Driver?," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(01), pages 1-19, March.
    10. Matthijs Bal & Andy Brookes, 2022. "How Sustainable Is Human Resource Management Really? An Argument for Radical Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-14, April.
    11. Blanche Segrestin & Armand Hatchuel & Kevin Levillain, 2020. "When the law distinguishes between the enterprise and the corporation: the case of the new French law on corporate purpose," Post-Print hal-02441287, HAL.
    12. Blanche Segrestin & Armand Hatchuel & Kevin Levillain, 2021. "When the Law Distinguishes Between the Enterprise and the Corporation: The Case of the New French Law on Corporate Purpose," Post-Print hal-02465609, HAL.

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