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Sustainability-focused Organizational Learning: Recent Experiences and New Challenges

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  • Eleonora Molnar
  • Peter Mulvihill

Abstract

To an increasing extent, corporations and smaller businesses are making explicit commitments to improved environmental and social performance. Some have embraced the goal of sustainability, and some prefer to use the term 'triple bottom line'--a balance of financial, social and ecological performance--in their operations. Some companies are experimenting with organizational learning as a means to accelerate the transition to sustainability or the triple bottom line. This fledgling combination--sustainability and organizational learning--is the focus of this paper. The term 'sustain ability-focused organizational learning' (SFOL) is proposed to describe the early experience of companies that are attempting to pursue sustainability or the triple bottom line while making substantial changes to their organizational cultures. In many instances, these changes involve the use of experimental or unconventional learning techniques. Some companies are combining their SFOL efforts with The Natural Step, a sustainability framework. The experience of five companies pursuing SFOL is summarized and analysed in a non-identifying way, and key preliminary lessons are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleonora Molnar & Peter Mulvihill, 2003. "Sustainability-focused Organizational Learning: Recent Experiences and New Challenges," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(2), pages 167-176.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jenpmg:v:46:y:2003:i:2:p:167-176
    DOI: 10.1080/0964056032000070990
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Riikkinen, Rilana & Kauppi, Katri & Salmi, Asta, 2017. "Learning Sustainability? Absorptive capacities as drivers of sustainability in MNCs’ purchasing," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 1075-1087.
    2. Lisa Knoche, 2014. "Nachhaltigkeit in Unternehmen und Organisationen - Umweltmanagementsysteme als Instrument zur ökologischen Prägung der Organisationskultur," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 67(17), pages 29-37, September.
    3. Holden, Meg & Elverum, Duane & Nesbit, Susan & Robinson, John & Yen, Donald & Moore, Janet, 2008. "Learning teaching in the sustainability classroom," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(3), pages 521-533, January.
    4. Verena Hermelingmeier & Timo von Wirth, 2021. "The nexus of business sustainability and organizational learning: A systematic literature review to identify key learning principles for business transformation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1839-1851, May.
    5. Melanie Feeney & Therese Grohnert & Wim Gijselaers & Pim Martens, 2023. "Organizations, Learning, and Sustainability: A Cross-Disciplinary Review and Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 184(1), pages 217-235, April.
    6. Dong-shang Chang & Li-chin Regina Kuo, 2008. "The effects of sustainable development on firms' financial performance - an empirical approach," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(6), pages 365-380.
    7. Zurah Chepkoech Mohammed & Vincent Ngeno & Charles Lagat, 2019. "Environmentally Sustainable Supply Chain Practices, Organisation Culture on Firm Performance. A Mediation Approach," International Journal of Emerging Trends in Social Sciences, Scientific Publishing Institute, vol. 6(2), pages 34-45.
    8. Wing Chow & Yang Chen, 2012. "Corporate Sustainable Development: Testing a New Scale Based on the Mainland Chinese Context," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 105(4), pages 519-533, February.
    9. Samuel Howard Quartey & Sam Wells, 2020. "Sustainability-oriented learning: evidence from Eyre Peninsula’s fishing industry in Australia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 2477-2496, March.
    10. Tajammal Hussain & Rick Edgeman & Jacob Eskildsen & Alaa Mohamed Shoukry & Showkat Gani, 2018. "Sustainable Enterprise Excellence: Attribute-Based Assessment Protocol," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-13, November.
    11. Pinkse, Jonatan & Kuss, Matthias J. & Hoffmann, Volker H., 2010. "On the implementation of a 'global' environmental strategy: The role of absorptive capacity," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 160-177, April.
    12. Roba Elbawab, 2024. "Linking organisational learning, performance, and sustainable performance in universities: an empirical study in Europe," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-14, December.
    13. Natalia Marzia Gusmerotti & Francesco Testa & Margherita Macellari & Marco Frey, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility embeddedness through a social network analysis: The case of an Italian multiutility company," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 455-469, March.
    14. Hussain Bakhsh Magsi & Tze San Ong & Jo Ann Ho & Ahmad Fahmi Sheikh Hassan, 2018. "Organizational Culture and Environmental Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-17, August.
    15. Frances Hines, 2007. "Editorial," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(5), pages 319-321, July.
    16. Michael V. Russo, 2009. "Explaining the impact of ISO 14001 on emission performance: a dynamic capabilities perspective on process and learning," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(5), pages 307-319, July.

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