TY - JOUR

T1 - The Role of Individual Beliefs for Corporate Sustainability Transformations

AU - Buhr, Maike

AU - Weissbrod, Dr. Ilka

PY - 2025/2/28

Y1 - 2025/2/28

N2 - This study finds that a classification system of beliefs—action logics—is suitable to understand the beliefs held by sustainabilitymanagers. Beliefs underpin individual behavior and can substantially influence how businesses behave. We present what beliefsare held by corporate sustainability managers through a qualitative research design. We show how individual beliefs, as buildingblocks of individual behavior, are linked to the implementation challenges related to corporate goals and processes that must beaddressed to move beyond business-as-usualwith corporate sustainability transformation. Our study finds that the advancedaction logics of Strategist and Alchemist are most suitable for effecting a corporate sustainability transformation. Enablers forindividuals to be more ethical and effective sustainability managers are proposed, with the view to encourage the action logicsof the Strategist and the Alchemist at the organizational and individual manager level and to speed up the implementation ofcorporate sustainability transformation activities. The enablers are the comprehensive integration of sustainability into the corebusiness, creating safe corporate spaces for experimentation and reflection, encouraging new forms of collaboration within andoutside the business.

AB - This study finds that a classification system of beliefs—action logics—is suitable to understand the beliefs held by sustainabilitymanagers. Beliefs underpin individual behavior and can substantially influence how businesses behave. We present what beliefsare held by corporate sustainability managers through a qualitative research design. We show how individual beliefs, as buildingblocks of individual behavior, are linked to the implementation challenges related to corporate goals and processes that must beaddressed to move beyond business-as-usualwith corporate sustainability transformation. Our study finds that the advancedaction logics of Strategist and Alchemist are most suitable for effecting a corporate sustainability transformation. Enablers forindividuals to be more ethical and effective sustainability managers are proposed, with the view to encourage the action logicsof the Strategist and the Alchemist at the organizational and individual manager level and to speed up the implementation ofcorporate sustainability transformation activities. The enablers are the comprehensive integration of sustainability into the corebusiness, creating safe corporate spaces for experimentation and reflection, encouraging new forms of collaboration within andoutside the business.

U2 - 10.1111/beer.12783

DO - 10.1111/beer.12783

M3 - Zeitschriftenaufsätze

JO - Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility

JF - Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility

SN - 2694-6416

ER -