Abstract
Sustainable development goals (SDGs) have become increasingly important for today’s firms as they build sustainability strategies that integrate SDGs into their core activities. Addressing these goals collaboratively, in line with SDG 17—partnerships for the goals, has gained momentum, hence the growing literature on sustainability-oriented partnerships. However, addressing SDGs through partnerships is not straightforward. For firms, contributing to SDGs through alliances and partnerships requires building environmental capabilities and embracing new value frames; in other words, going through the complex process of inter-organizational learning. This paper reviews the literature on sustainability-oriented partnerships with a focus on the inter-organizational learning process. As a result of the review, a model of inter-organizational sustainability learning is presented. This model captures the different levels and types of the inter-organizational learning process; partner and partnership characteristics that impact learning; the environmental conditions that set the conditions for learning to take place; the catalyst and inhibitors of learning; and finally outcomes of learning. This model expands and re-organizes the existing scholarly conversation about inter-organizational learning in the context of sustainability-oriented alliances and partnerships and offers a learning-based understanding of sustainability partnerships to practitioners. Based on the review, the paper proposes ideas for future research and contributes to the development of a future research agenda in the area of sustainability-oriented alliances and partnerships.
Highlights
Sustainable development goals (SDGs) “aim the combination of economic development, environmental sustainability and social inclusion” and they can only be addressed with the efforts of the private sector [1]
This model includes the following categories: partner characteristics, partnership characteristics, envirTohnims seencttaiol ncoinntdroitdiouncess, acamtaoldyestlsbaasnedd oinnhtihbeitroervsi,ewintfienr-doirnggasnaiszaotrigoannailzeledairnnFinigguprero2c. eTshsisamndoditesl oinuctlcuodmesesth(SeefeolTloawbliengincathteegAorpiepse:npdaixrtntoervcihewarathcteerairsttiicclse,spianrttnheersrhevipiecwhatrhaacttecroinsttircisb,uetnevtiorodnimffeernetnatl ccaotnedgiotiroienss,incatthaelymstsodaneld).inhibitors, inter-organizational learning process and its outcomes (See Table in the Appendix A to view the articles in the review that contribute to different categories in the model)
The study clarified various outcomes of sustainability-oriented alliances and partnerships, and one of these outcomes is at the system-level, which can be understood as a contribution towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Summary
Sustainable development goals (SDGs) “aim the combination of economic development, environmental sustainability and social inclusion” and they can only be addressed with the efforts of the private sector [1]. According to some scholars [2], these goals “present both a significant opportunity and a significant challenge [for the private sector]: an opportunity as it brings the benefits of additional finance, technology, skills and innovation from the business sector; and a challenge in that it bestows unprecedented power and expectations on business as a development agent purposely seeking to deliver sustainable development outcomes.” Overcoming these challenges requires the development of capabilities that address and integrate sustainable development into the core business and a deeper engagement with value frames that promote sustainable development [3,4]. SDG 17—partnerships for the goals, invites the private sector to implement SDG 1–16 through collaboration with other societal actors to create value for nature and society by sharing knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources [7] In their seminal work, Austin and Seitanidi [8] discuss four different types of value generated as a result of collaborative work: associational value, transferred resource value, interaction value and synergistic value. One of these intangibles is considered as inter-organizational learning, which is the focus of this article [9]
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