A Motivation Ability Perspective on Sustainability Performances

Abstract

Relying on a motivation-ability framework, the paper analyzes the linkages between different reasons why companies implement sustainability programs (i.e. economic opportunities, institutional pressures and ethical concerns), firm’s resources and sustainability performances. An analysis conducted using fsQCA, an exploratory/interpretive technique grounded in set theory, yields several interesting findings. Companies that combine economic motives with ethics, not these motivations in isolation, are consistently characterized by higher performances. legitimacy seeking behavior following from institutional pressures, in the absence of ethical or opportunistic orientations, tends to be associated with low performances. Finally, while the level of resources does not matter for high sustainability performances, very high levels of resources were found to be consistently associated with poor outputs, supporting the idea that an excess of resources can promote irrational optimism and lead inefficient resource allocation. Implications for theory, policy and analysis of firm behavior, in particular modes of ecological and social responsiveness, are developed.