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Dynamic Interactions of Agency in Leadership (DIAL): An Integrative Framework for Analysing Agency in Sustainability Leadership

Author

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  • Rachel Wolfgramm

  • Sian Flynn-Coleman

  • Denise Conroy

Abstract

This article investigates agency as a way of being and acting in sustainability leadership. Our primary aim is to enhance understanding of agentic strategies that facilitate transcending systemic complexities in sustainability leadership. We make a distinction in our analytical approach by drawing from Emirbayer and Mische’s (Am J Sociol 103:41, 1998 ) conceptualisation of agency as ‘an interactive process of reflexive transformation and relational pragmatics, a temporally embedded process of social engagement, informed by the past, oriented towards the future and enacted in the present’ (p. 963). We add ontological sources of agency to these dynamics which interact with habit, imagination, judgement and learning in the transformation of social systems. This approach underpins our model ‘Dynamic Interactions of Agency in Leadership’ (DIAL), an integrative framework for analysing agency in sustainability leadership. We examine the efficacy of our framework in higher education initiatives in which sustainability aspirations, aims and actions are envisioned, articulated and mobilised. We conclude by offering further avenues of research in sustainability leadership designed to advance this burgeoning field and contribute to bridging the gap between sustainability challenges and our abilities to solve them. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Rachel Wolfgramm & Sian Flynn-Coleman & Denise Conroy, 2015. "Dynamic Interactions of Agency in Leadership (DIAL): An Integrative Framework for Analysing Agency in Sustainability Leadership," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(4), pages 649-662, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:126:y:2015:i:4:p:649-662
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1977-7
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    1. Jacqueline Corbett & Jane Webster & Tracy A. Jenkin, 2018. "Unmasking Corporate Sustainability at the Project Level: Exploring the Influence of Institutional Logics and Individual Agency," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 261-286, January.
    2. Gerson Francis Tuazon & Rachel Wolfgramm & Kyle Powys Whyte, 2021. "Can You Drink Money? Integrating Organizational Perspective-Taking and Organizational Resilience in a Multi-level Systems Framework for Sustainability Leadership," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(3), pages 469-490, January.
    3. Louis W. Fry & Eleftheria Egel, 2021. "Global Leadership for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-25, June.
    4. Colleen M. Boland & Corinna Ewelt-Knauer & Julia Schneider, 2022. "The gift that keeps on giving: corporate giving and excessive risk-taking," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 92(3), pages 355-396, April.
    5. Polina Baranova & Fred Paterson, 2017. "Environmental capabilities of small and medium sized enterprises: Towards transition to a low carbon economy in the East Midlands," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 32(8), pages 835-853, December.
    6. Jeffrey S. Harrison & Andrew C. Wicks, 2021. "Harmful Stakeholder Strategies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 169(3), pages 405-419, March.
    7. Anne M. Quarshie & Rudolf Leuschner, 2018. "Cross-Sector Social Interactions and Systemic Change in Disaster Response: A Qualitative Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(2), pages 357-384, June.
    8. Muzhar Javed & Bilal. Bilal & Nacef Mouri & Muhammad Faisal, 2026. "Leadership and Sustainability in a Globalized World: Emerging Trends, Global Contexts, Key Challenges, and Effective Strategies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(4), pages 5081-5107, May.
    9. Kristian Høyer Toft & Morten Balle Hansen, 2025. "Sustainability Discourses in the Leadership and Management Literature: A Critical Review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(2), pages 1751-1770, February.

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