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Sustainability (Is Not) in the Boardroom: Evidence and Implications of Attentional Voids

Author

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  • Daina Mazutis

    (Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada)

  • Katherine Hanly

    (Department of Geography, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

  • Anna Eckardt

    (My Learning Boutique, 1012 Lausanne, Switzerland)

Abstract

Strategic leadership and corporate governance scholars have long been interested in how boards of directors make decisions pertaining to important strategic issues that can have a material impact on their organizations. To date, however, research on board decision-making, especially as it relates to issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental management, or sustainability, has concentrated almost exclusively on structural, demographic, or ownership factors of boards and their impact on various aspects of corporate social or environmental performance. Even still, many reputable corporations with exemplary corporate governance structures continue to make questionable strategic decisions with regards to environmental sustainability. As such, this research seeks to look into the “black box” of corporate governance to understand exactly how boards of directors are dealing (or not) with issues related to environmental sustainability. To do so, we conducted a series of qualitative interviews with directors and were surprised to find that social and environmental sustainability was simply not debated in the boardroom. Using an attention-based view of the firms (ABV), we present a process-based model that explains this phenomenon and introduce the new construct of attentional voids so as to contribute to our understanding of governing for social and environmental sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Daina Mazutis & Katherine Hanly & Anna Eckardt, 2022. "Sustainability (Is Not) in the Boardroom: Evidence and Implications of Attentional Voids," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-17, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:14:p:8391-:d:858659
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    Cited by:

    1. Paulina Kubera, 2023. "Behavioural Insights in Corporate Sustainability Research: A Review and Future Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-15, September.

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