Can We Teach Old Dogs New Tricks? : A Case Study on Organizational Learning for Corporate Sustainability within the Swedish Property Sector

Abstract: Background: Today’s global social and environmental issues are impacting the way of doing business around the world with an increased pressure on organizations to implement sustainability practices in a more strategic manner. Many organizations lack the practical knowledge to integrate sustainability efficiently. Scholars argue for the importance of organizational learning for the transition towards sustainable corporations. While the problem is evident across industries, dealing with the problem effectively is particularly important within the property sector since property development is a fundamental part of building a sustainable society, hence crucial for Sweden’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Purpose: To analyze the management of organizational learning for the integration of corporate sustainability in organizations within the Swedish property sector. Method: By using a qualitative research methodology with a single-case study of a Swedish property management firm, in-depth empirics could be collected from semi-structured interviews conducted with members of the organization from various departments and positions, and across regions. An abductive approach was applied where we used and extended previous theory before presenting a final model where theory and findings were aligned. Conclusion: Our model showed how organizational learning can be managed for the integration of corporate sustainability across different levels of an organization – individual and group, organizational, and societal where various practices where identified on each level – see Figure 7.