Going Sustainable : Studying the organisational change process and influences of culture and leadership on implementing sustainability in medium sized Swedish companies

Abstract: There are increasing demands on businesses to take responsibility for sustainability, which raises the issue of how companies practically implement sustainability into their everyday operations. Previous research has indicated a need for further studies of the implementation of sustainability considering the application of organisational change and influential factors of leadership and organisational culture on the change process. However, studies of sustainability implementation in organisations have previously focused on either large and multi-national companies or studies of small enterprises. The aim of this study is to explore the organisational change process of sustainability implementation, and the influence of organisational culture and leadership, in ten medium sized companies in Sweden. The study employs a qualitative methodology using semi-structured interviews with multiple sustainability leaders to gather their perspectives on the change process of implementing sustainability. Thematic content analysis and a theoretical framework adapted from Kotter’s theory of organisational change, integrated with Schein’s three levels of organisational culture and a systems leadership perspective is used for analysis. Key findings indicate that the change process of implementing sustainability is continuous and includes an initial process of converting external demands to internal need and urgency within the company. The change process needs to be continually supported by top management and fostered through trust building as well as continually anchored in cultural values and identities. Based on the findings of the study, a model is developed for analysing the sustainability implementation process in medium sized companies through organisational change with culture and leadership.