IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v34y2025i7p8620-8648.html

Enablers and Constraints of Environmental Sustainability Integration: A Structuration Perspective on Professional Sports Organizations

Author

Listed:
  • Niccolò Maria Todaro
  • Gianluca Gionfriddo
  • Owais Ur Rehman Khan
  • Tiberio Daddi

Abstract

Integrating environmental sustainability (ES) into organizational strategies and operations remains a persistent challenge, particularly in fields where environmental concerns are not yet embedded within dominant institutional norms and standards of behavior. In such contexts, ES risks being overshadowed by economic and operational priorities, hindering meaningful organizational change toward sustainability. This study addresses this challenge by examining how ES is integrated within organizations operating in a field where it is still in the early stages of institutionalization—namely, the European football sector. Drawing on structuration theory, the research applies the notions of signification, legitimation, and domination as sensitizing devices to explore factors that enable or constrain organizations in gradually altering societal structures to embed environmental concerns into strategies and operations. Methodologically, the study draws on a multiple case study of four National Football Associations operating in Europe. By focusing on the football sector, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how organizations respond to institutional pressures for ES in the absence of fully established norms, exercising agency to shape meanings, transform expectations of behavior, and mobilize power and resources to drive organizational change toward sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Niccolò Maria Todaro & Gianluca Gionfriddo & Owais Ur Rehman Khan & Tiberio Daddi, 2025. "Enablers and Constraints of Environmental Sustainability Integration: A Structuration Perspective on Professional Sports Organizations," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(7), pages 8620-8648, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:7:p:8620-8648
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.70035
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70035
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.70035?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katherine Raw & Emma Sherry & Nico Schulenkorf, 2022. "Managing Sport for Development: An Investigation of Tensions and Paradox," Sport Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 134-161, January.
    2. Anna Eitrem & Anita Meidell & Sven Modell, 2024. "The use of institutional theory in social and environmental accounting research: a critical review," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(7), pages 775-810, November.
    3. Andrew J. Hoffman & William Ocasio, 2001. "Not All Events Are Attended Equally: Toward a Middle-Range Theory of Industry Attention to External Events," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(4), pages 414-434, August.
    4. Tobias Hahn & Jonatan Pinkse, 2014. "Private environmental governance through cross-sector partnerships: Tensions between competition and effectiveness," Working Papers hal-00961234, HAL.
    5. Sylvia Trendafilova & Kathy Babiak & Kathryn Heinze, 2013. "Corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability: Why professional sport is greening the playing field," Sport Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(3), pages 298-313, July.
    6. Haylee Uecker-Mercado & Matthew Walker, 2012. "The Value of Environmental Social Responsibility to Facility Managers: Revealing the Perceptions and Motives for Adopting ESR," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 110(3), pages 269-284, October.
    7. Linnenluecke, Martina K. & Griffiths, Andrew, 2010. "Corporate sustainability and organizational culture," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 357-366, October.
    8. Calvin Nite & Jonathon Edwards, 2021. "From isomorphism to institutional work: advancing institutional theory in sport management research," Sport Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(5), pages 815-838, October.
    9. Magali A. Delmas & Michael W. Toffel, 2008. "Organizational responses to environmental demands: opening the black box," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(10), pages 1027-1055, October.
    10. Lai Hong Chung & Lee D. Parker, 2008. "Integrating hotel environmental strategies with management control: a structuration approach," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 17(4), pages 272-286, May.
    11. Kathy Babiak & Sylvia Trendafilova, 2011. "CSR and environmental responsibility: motives and pressures to adopt green management practices," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(1), pages 11-24, January.
    12. Aguinis, Herman & Glavas, Ante, 2013. "Embedded Versus Peripheral Corporate Social Responsibility: Psychological Foundations," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(4), pages 314-332, December.
    13. Aravind, Deepa & Christmann, Petra, 2011. "Decoupling of Standard Implementation from Certification: Does Quality of ISO 14001 Implementation Affect Facilities’ Environmental Performance?," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(1), pages 73-102, January.
    14. Jean-Pascal Gond & Assâad El Akremi & Valérie Swaen & Nishat Babu, 2017. "The psychological microfoundations of corporate social responsibility: A person-centric systematic review," Post-Print halshs-01698534, HAL.
    15. Petra Christmann & Glen Taylor, 2006. "Firm self-regulation through international certifiable standards: determinants of symbolic versus substantive implementation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(6), pages 863-878, November.
    16. Michel Desbordes, 2023. "Analysis of the Sport Ecosystem and Its Value Chain, What Lessons in an Uncertain World?," Sports Economics, Management, and Policy, in: Bhaskar Basu & Michel Desbordes & Soumya Sarkar (ed.), Sports Management in an Uncertain Environment, pages 109-142, Springer.
    17. Dubois, Anna & Gadde, Lars-Erik, 2002. "Systematic combining: an abductive approach to case research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 55(7), pages 553-560, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Frances Bowen, 2019. "Marking Their Own Homework: The Pragmatic and Moral Legitimacy of Industry Self-Regulation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(1), pages 257-272, April.
    2. Hammad Riaz & Abubakr Saeed & Muhammad Saad Baloch & Nasrullah & Zeeshan Ahmad Khan, 2019. "Valuation of Environmental Management Standard ISO 14001: Evidence from an Emerging Market," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Ying Zhang & Hongfei Ruan & Guiyao Tang & Li Tong, 2021. "Power of sustainable development: Does environmental management system certification affect a firm's access to finance?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 3772-3788, December.
    4. Jesus Valero‐Gil & Tiberio Daddi & Sabina Scarpellini & Luca Marrucci, 2024. "Determinants and benefits of over‐certification: A signaling theory perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(6), pages 5984-5999, November.
    5. Laurence Vigneau & Michael Humphreys & Jeremy Moon, 2015. "How Do Firms Comply with International Sustainability Standards? Processes and Consequences of Adopting the Global Reporting Initiative," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 469-486, October.
    6. Lijun Tang & Victor Gekara, 2020. "The Importance of Customer Expectations: An Analysis of CSR in Container Shipping," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(3), pages 383-393, September.
    7. Fabien Martinez, 2021. "Ecological responsiveness and business performance: Four scenarios of compatibility and a multi‐faceted strategies framework," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 3606-3625, December.
    8. Byung‐Jik Kim & Min‐Jik Kim, 2026. "Beyond Good Intentions: Unraveling the CSR‐Employee Health Nexus Through the Lens of Job Stress and Work Overload: A Three‐Wave Time‐Lagged Study," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(1), pages 894-924, January.
    9. Pablo Arocena & Raquel Orcos & Fedaous Zouaghi, 2021. "The impact of ISO 14001 on firm environmental and economic performance: The moderating role of size and environmental awareness," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 955-967, February.
    10. Marcos Carchano & Inmaculada Carrasco & Angela González, 2025. "Examining environmental proactivity in the Spanish wine industry: The moderating role of size," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(1), pages 127-157, January.
    11. Mengyu Cai & Nan Zhou, 2025. "A CEO’s Childhood Family Decline and Corporate Social Responsibility: The Mediating Role of Long-Term Orientation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 200(3), pages 623-648, September.
    12. Ine Hugaerts & Jeroen Scheerder & Kobe Helsen & Joris Corthouts & Erik Thibaut & Thomas Könecke, 2021. "Sustainability in Participatory Sports Events: The Development of a Research Instrument and Empirical Insights," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, May.
    13. James Van Alstine, 2009. "Governance from below: contesting corporate environmentalism in Durban, South Africa," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(2), pages 108-121, February.
    14. Patnaik, Swetketu & Munjal, Surender & Varma, Arup & Sinha, Sujay, 2022. "Extending the resource-based view through the lens of the institution-based view: A longitudinal case study of an Indian higher educational institution," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 124-141.
    15. Lai, Kee-hung & Wong, Christina W.Y., 2012. "Green logistics management and performance: Some empirical evidence from Chinese manufacturing exporters," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 267-282.
    16. Mehran Nejati & Azadeh Shafaei, 2023. "Why do employees respond differently to corporate social responsibility? A study of substantive and symbolic corporate social responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 2066-2080, July.
    17. Conghua Xue & Lijun Tang & David Walters, 2021. "Decoupled implementation? Incident reporting in Chinese shipping," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 42(1), pages 179-197, February.
    18. Hammad Riaz & Abubakr Saeed, 2020. "Impact of environmental policy on firm's market performance: The case of ISO 14001," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 681-693, March.
    19. Christopher Durugbo & Joseph Amankwah‐Amoah, 2019. "Global sustainability under uncertainty: How do multinationals craft regulatory policies?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1500-1516, November.
    20. Carmen Castro‐Casal & Guadalupe Vila‐Vázquez & Romina García‐Chas, 2025. "How and when employees' attributions of their employers' CSR activities affect their extra‐role work behavior," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(4), pages 1399-1411, October.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:34:y:2025:i:7:p:8620-8648. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.