IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2022i1p252-d1013252.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Empathize with Whom? Adopting a Design Thinking Mind-Set to Stimulate Sustainability Initiatives in Chinese SMEs

Author

Listed:
  • John Storm

    (Business School, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK)

  • Adam Smith

    (Business School, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK)

Abstract

This paper highlights the growing importance towards supporting Chinese Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in adopting pro-active and collaborative behaviors that stimulate sustainability initiatives. Equating to 90% of enterprises in the country and contributing towards 60% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), China’s SMEs are recognized for their willingness to engage in change, raising the potential for exploring and embarking on new ventures. This paper proposes that a design thinking mind-set, rooted in empathic stakeholder dialogue, conceptually supports SMEs to engage with the increasingly complex challenges that envelop China’s society, culture, economy, and environment. Discussion emphasizes that proactively including and responding to the various and ambiguous needs of stakeholders leads to increased opportunity for innovation and new ways of thinking, both being vital for sustainable and responsible growth. Equally, the questions of whom to empathize with and how should SMEs empathize are postulated as roadblocks to the adoption of design thinking in SMEs. This paper proposes a model for addressing those challenges.

Suggested Citation

  • John Storm & Adam Smith, 2022. "Empathize with Whom? Adopting a Design Thinking Mind-Set to Stimulate Sustainability Initiatives in Chinese SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:252-:d:1013252
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/252/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/252/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fang Yang & Shiying Pan & Xin Yao, 2016. "Regional Convergence and Sustainable Development in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Zhejun Min & Sukanlaya Sawang & Robbert A. Kivits, 2021. "Proposing Circular Economy Ecosystem for Chinese SMEs: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-13, March.
    3. Eva Köppen & Christoph Meinel, 2015. "Empathy via Design Thinking: Creation of Sense and Knowledge," Understanding Innovation, in: Hasso Plattner & Christoph Meinel & Larry Leifer (ed.), Design Thinking Research, edition 127, pages 15-28, Springer.
    4. Kao, Erin H. & Yeh, Chih-Chuan & Wang, Li-Hsun & Fung, Hung-Gay, 2018. "The relationship between CSR and performance: Evidence in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 155-170.
    5. Thi H.H. Nguyen & Mohamed H. Elmagrhi & Collins G. Ntim & Yue Wu, 2021. "Environmental performance, sustainability, governance and financial performance: Evidence from heavily polluting industries in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2313-2331, July.
    6. Liu, Dunnan & Liu, Mingguang & Xu, Erfeng & Pang, Bo & Guo, Xiaodan & Xiao, Bowen & Niu, Dongxiao, 2018. "Comprehensive effectiveness assessment of renewable energy generation policy: A partial equilibrium analysis in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 330-341.
    7. Aisma Linda Kiesnere & Rupert J. Baumgartner, 2019. "Sustainability Management in Practice: Organizational Change for Sustainability in Smaller Large-Sized Companies in Austria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-40, January.
    8. Richard A. Wolfe & Daniel S. Putler, 2002. "How Tight Are the Ties that Bind Stakeholder Groups?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(1), pages 64-80, February.
    9. Caiyan Jia & Xiaoyun Tang & Zhehan Kan, 2020. "Does the Nation Innovation System in China Support the Sustainability of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Innovation?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hongni Zhang & Xiangyi Xu, 2023. "Innovative Technology Method Based on Evolutionary Game Model of Enterprise Sustainable Development and CNN–GRU," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, February.

    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. Cunningham, George B., 2010. "Understanding the under-representation of African American coaches: A multilevel perspective," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 395-406, November.
    2. Shujun Chao & Shanyong Wang & Haidong Li & Shu Yang, 2023. "The power of culture: Does Confucian culture contribute to corporate environmental information disclosure?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2435-2456, September.
    3. Al-Najjar, Basil & Salama, Aly, 2022. "Mind the gap: Are female directors and executives more sensitive to the environment in high-tech us firms?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    4. Hongjin Zhu & Yue Pan & Jiaping Qiu & Jinli Xiao, 2022. "Hometown Ties and Favoritism in Chinese Corporations: Evidence from CEO Dismissals and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 176(2), pages 283-310, March.
    5. Trinh, Vu Quang & Trinh, Hai Hong & Nguyen, Thi Hong Hanh & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2023. "Board gender diversity and firm-level climate change exposure: A global perspective," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PB).
    6. Rayenda Khresna Brahmana & Maria Kontesa, 2021. "Does clean technology weaken the environmental impact on the financial performance? Insight from global oil and gas companies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 3411-3423, November.
    7. Ying Shu & Xiaobin Zhuang & Rui Ying & Guanghua Xu, 2024. "Formal Institutional Pressure and the Integration of Corporate Environmental and Financial Performance: Empirical Evidence from Listed Companies in Heavily Polluting Industries in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-20, March.
    8. Danny Zhao‐Xiang Huang, 2022. "An integrated theory of the firm approach to environmental, social and governance performance," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(S1), pages 1567-1598, April.
    9. Dukhabandhu Sahoo & Diptimayee Mishra & Auro Kumar Sahoo & Phendulwa Zikhona Makunga & Jayanti Behera, 2020. "Regional and subregional analyses of macroeconomic policy strategies for growth and equality in Southern Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-176, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    10. Hao Wu & Lin Zhou & Yihao Wan & Qiang Liu & Siyu Zhou, 2019. "A Mixed Uncertainty Power Flow Algorithm-Based Centralized Photovoltaic (PV) Cluster," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-16, October.
    11. Dolores Gallardo-Vázquez & Luis Enrique Valdez-Juárez & José Luis Lizcano-Álvarez, 2019. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Intellectual Capital: Sources of Competitiveness and Legitimacy in Organizations’ Management Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-29, October.
    12. Yongrok Choi & Malin Song & Seunghwan Myeong, 2016. "Introduction to the Special Issue on the Sustainable Asia Conference 2015," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-9, March.
    13. Douglas A. Adu & Antoinette Flynn & Colette Grey, 2022. "Executive compensation and sustainable business practices: The moderating role of sustainability‐based compensation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 698-736, March.
    14. María Pilar de la Cruz López & Juan José Cartelle Barros & Alfredo del Caño Gochi & Manuel Lara Coira, 2021. "New Approach for Managing Sustainability in Projects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-27, June.
    15. Nhat Minh Tran, 2022. "CEO and Chairperson Characteristics and Corporate Environmental Performance: A Study of Cooperatives in Vietnam," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(4), pages 21582440221, October.
    16. Jan K. Kazak & Joanna A. Kamińska & Rafał Madej & Marta Bochenkiewicz, 2020. "Where Renewable Energy Sources Funds are Invested? Spatial Analysis of Energy Production Potential and Public Support," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-26, October.
    17. Xiaosu Ye & Lie Ma & Kunhui Ye & Jiantao Chen & Qiu Xie, 2017. "Analysis of Regional Inequality from Sectoral Structure, Spatial Policy and Economic Development: A Case Study of Chongqing, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-17, April.
    18. Benjamin Neville & Simon Bell & Gregory Whitwell, 2011. "Stakeholder Salience Revisited: Refining, Redefining, and Refueling an Underdeveloped Conceptual Tool," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(3), pages 357-378, September.
    19. Viveros, Hector, 2017. "Unpacking stakeholder mechanisms to influence corporate social responsibility in the mining sector," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1-12.
    20. Syed Abdul Rehman Khan & Arsalan Zahid Piprani & Zhang Yu, 2022. "Digital technology and circular economy practices: future of supply chains," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 676-688, December.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:252-:d:1013252. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.