Corporate sustainability strategy – bridging the gap between formulation and implementation

Abstract

While it is agreed that corporate sustainability strategy formulation is relevant for companies, to date only little attention has been paid to its actual implementation, i.e. to the concrete steps needed to translate sustainability strategy into practice. The research presented in this article is based on the existing literature in the field and on an in-depth analysis of a case in the automotive industry. The case study entailed participant-observation over a period of three months, and is supported by company data, qualitative expert interviews and workshop data. The main objective of this study is to investigate the factors involved in the successful implementation of corporate sustainability strategy. The success factors identified provide new insights concerning how the gap between the formulation and the implementation of corporate sustainability strategy may be bridged. Particular focus is placed on identifying the conditions needed in successful corporate sustainability strategy implementation, i.e. on factors relating to organizational structure, organizational culture, leadership, management control, employee motivation and qualifications, and communication. In addition, the study was also able to identify factors which are largely ignored in the relevant literature, such as employee motivation and communication. Evidence from an in-depth analysis of a single case in the automotive industry provides the basis for the research. It is hoped that the insights gained will be helpful to other companies and scholars engaged in analyzing the crucial transition from strategy formulation to strategy implementation and to all those seeking to cope with the challenges arising in the research field of corporate sustainability strategy implementation.