Organizing for Sustainability : Resilient Organizational Architectures to Co-create Sustainable Transitions

Abstract

Today’s world faces grand challenges, such as climate change, social inequality, and environmental degradation, that require transformative and cross-sectoral responses. Addressing these complex issues calls for collaborative approaches among diverse stakeholders. Traditional, incremental company-level changes are inadequate. Systemic approaches and new organizational solutions are needed. Sustainability-driven inter-organizational collaborations transcending traditional organizational boundaries may leverage organizational architectures orchestrating a constellation of logics. Organizational architectures, such as business networks or integrated supply chains, allow to tackle sustainability challenges more effectively. Understanding how firms evolve their organizational architectures – whether through formalized networks or informal partnerships – is essential to develop successful sustainability models. This book explores how companies adapt their organizational architectures to embark on sustainable transitions, analyzing three longitudinal case studies to identify best practices for achieving sustainable future scenarios. While it does not comprehensively examine all the typologies of organizational architectures, the book offers insights into architectural strategies for tackling current societal challenges. However, effective participatory architecture alone does not ensure positive results in navigating societal issues. Leadership plays a key role in shaping these architectures by guiding collaboration, cultivating shared values, and managing stakeholder relationships or tensions. Sustainability leaders need to develop these organizational architectures by enhancing the competitive strengths inherent within each organization, making these organizational designs more resilient over time.