Implementing corporate sustainability strategy : A multiple case study of Swedish pharmacy chains, focusing on the sustainability initiative Välvald

Abstract: The study addresses the existing literature gap regarding the role of and the relationship between organisational communication and motivation when implementing a corporate sustainability strategy within the specific context of the sustainability initiative Välvald. The findings of the study are based on the experiences of the Swedish Pharmacy Association, Apoteksgruppen, Apoteket AB and Apotek Hjärtat, all engaged in the Välvald initiative. The study aims to contribute to the academic literature by shedding light on the effect that communication and motivation have on the implementation of corporate sustainability strategy. In order to achieve this, the author adopted a qualitative approach and employed a multiple case study design, which involved conducting semi-structured interviews with representatives from the aforementioned organisations. The findings indicate that organisational communication does play a significant role in influencing motivation, indicating that there is strong communication-motivation relationship. More specifically, the findings suggest that effective organisational communication enables understanding which facilitates employee engagement powered by motivation. The significance of organisational communication in the studied context, highlights its direct impact on employee motivation and by extension the success of the strategy used to implement the sustainability initiative Välvald.