From vision to action: fostering a culture of sustainability in organisations

As organisations that collect and maintain cultural artefacts, independent libraries make important contributions to cultural sustainability. Surfacing and elaborating on these contributions has the potential to establish their value to wider sustainable development agendas. However, sustainability policy and research across the gallery, library, archive and museum sectors tends to focus on environmental, social and economic concerns. The small number of studies that do consider cultural sustainability tend to focus on the role of galleries, libraries, archives and museums in heritage preservation, without consideration of their role in sustaining culture through the three other key areas of preserving and promoting cultural identity, cultural diversity and cultural vitality. In addition, previous studies do not consider the role of culture in enabling sustainability at an organisational level. Complementing previous research on the relationship between museums and cultural sustainability (conducted in Australia, Cyprus and Romania), this study seeks to expand understanding of the relationship between galleries, libraries, archives and museums and cultural sustainability in the context of the independent library sectors in the United Kingdom and the United States. Semi-structured interviews conducted with professionals from independent libraries in both countries employed a card-based game method to explore the key areas of cultural sustainability in which their organisations can contribute. Interviews also explored the challenges associated with achieving organisational sustainability, together with the organisational values that impact the sustainability of independent libraries. The research identifies a series of supportive and conflicting relationships between the contributions that independent libraries make to each of the four key areas of cultural sustainability, as well as the organisational values that can inhibit or assist organisational sustainability. Resulting in a framework to assist in the management of internal organisational sustainability and contributions to external cultural sustainability agendas in independent libraries, it provides a new perspective to support understanding of the relationship between galleries, libraries, archives and museums and cultural sustainability.

This study explores Taiwanese junior high school social studies teachers’ definitions of sustainability, using a qualitative semi-structured interview approach. Three themes explaining these teachers’ definitions are cycling, cultural sustainability, and balancing, harmony, and coexisting. These definitions unveil an alternative worldview that is non-Eurocentric-based and multifaceted dimensions of sustainability. Findings suggest that instead of claiming that we should have a consistent definition to guide teachers to implement environmental and sustainability education across different subjects, it is important to acknowledge the fact that teachers trained in different disciplines and of different cultural backgrounds need a whole range of support to incorporate sustainability goals successfully in their teaching. Supported by results of this study, social studies teachers can reasonably support the teaching of controversial issues about tensions between cultural sustainability and economic development.

The paper shares learnings from building a corporate sustainability culture as an infrastructure for environmental and sustainability programs by identifying enablers and challenges common to the oil and gas organisations, which are relatively advanced in their sustainability journey. The study presents conclusions from a survey carried out within oil and gas industry and presents learnings in the context of the theoretical exploration of the subject of organisational sustainability culture in recent literature. A closer look at the successes and challenges in developing sustainability and environmental culture within the petroleum industry so far, leads to identification of three main success factors: (1) Strong corporate commitment, visible in practice and genuinely committed leadership; (2) Translating corporate sustainability approach into economic value (such as business development advantage, technological innovation agility, energy savings, cost reduction); (3) Communication of targets and progress towards them and cascading sustainability objectives down to organisational units. The study identifies several prevailing challenges, including: (1) Lack of resources; (2) Lack of leadership or visibility of it and (3) skepticism around either the positive role of oil and gas in climate action or the authenticity of corporate sustainability efforts. When comparing survey respondents’ experience of the organisational sustainability culture to its theoretical models, it can be concluded that (a) sampled organizations’ programs are most developed in the areas suggesting external drivers, such as legislative and customer requirements or public opinion pressure, (b) sustainability vision, corporate values and their communication are seen as the most culture enabling elements of the theoretical model in practice, and (c) challenges in building a sustainability culture are present in all main elements of the theoretical model, likely indicating that the industry is still gaining the experience and developing its approach and solutions for sustainability. Conclusions and implications can be utilized by organisations in early stages of designing sustainability and environmental stewardship programs to consider maximizing the identified success factors while mitigating the challenges to build a sustainability culture that enables organisations to respond to environmental and social demands and build organisational resilience.

The paper shares learnings from building a corporate sustainability culture as an infrastructure for environmental and sustainability programs by identifying enablers and challenges common to the oil and gas organisations, which are relatively advanced in their sustainability journey. The study presents conclusions from a survey carried out within oil and gas industry and presents learnings in the context of the theoretical exploration of the subject of organisational sustainability culture in recent literature. A closer look at the successes and challenges in developing sustainability and environmental culture within the petroleum industry so far, leads to identification of three main success factors: (1) Strong corporate commitment, visible in practice and genuinely committed leadership; (2) Translating corporate sustainability approach into economic value (such as business development advantage, technological innovation agility, energy savings, cost reduction); (3) Communication of targets and progress towards them and cascading sustainability objectives down to organisational units. The study identifies several prevailing challenges, including: (1) Lack of resources; (2) Lack of leadership or visibility of it and (3) skepticism around either the positive role of oil and gas in climate action or the authenticity of corporate sustainability efforts. When comparing survey respondents’ experience of the organisational sustainability culture to its theoretical models, it can be concluded that (a) sampled organizations’ programs are most developed in the areas suggesting external drivers, such as legislative and customer requirements or public opinion pressure, (b) sustainability vision, corporate values and their communication are seen as the most culture enabling elements of the theoretical model in practice, and (c) challenges in building a sustainability culture are present in all main elements of the theoretical model, likely indicating that the industry is still gaining the experience and developing its approach and solutions for sustainability. Conclusions and implications can be utilized by organisations in early stages of designing sustainability and environmental stewardship programs to consider maximizing the identified success factors while mitigating the challenges to build a sustainability culture that enables organisations to respond to environmental and social demands and build organisational resilience.

The paper shares learnings from building a corporate sustainability culture as an infrastructure for environmental and sustainability programs by identifying enablers and challenges common to the oil and gas organisations which are relatively advanced in their sustainability journey. The study presents conclusions from a survey conveyed within oil and gas industry and presents learnings in the context of the theoretical exploration of the subject of organisational sustainability culture in recent literature. A closer look at the successes and challenges in developing sustainability and environmental culture within the petroleum industry so far, leads to identification of three main success factors: (1) Strong corporate commitment, visible in practice and genuinely committed leadership; (2) Translating corporate sustainability approach into economic value (such as business development advantage, technological innovation agility, energy savings, cost reduction); (3) Communication of targets and progress towards them and cascading sustainability objectives down to organisational units. The study identifies several prevailing challenges, including: (1) Lack of resources; (2) Lack of leadership or visibility of it and (3) scepticism around either the positive role of oil and gas in climate action or the authenticity of corporate sustainability efforts. When comparing survey respondents’ experience of the organisational sustainability culture to its theoretical models, it can be concluded that (a) sampled organisations’ programs are most developed in the areas suggesting external drivers, such as legislative and customer requirements or public opinion pressure, (b) sustainability vision, corporate values and their communication are seen as the most culture enabling elements of the theoretical model in practice, and (c) challenges in building a sustainability culture are present in all main elements of the theoretical model, likely indicating that the industry is still gaining the experience and developing its approach and solutions for sustainability. Conclusions and implications can be utilised by organisations in early stages of designing sustainability and environmental stewardship programs to consider maximizing the identified success factors while mitigating the challenges to build a sustainability culture that enables organisations to respond to environmental and social demands and build organisational resilience.

Sustainability has become a primary concern of new communities worldwide. With regard to planned communities specifically, sustainability planning has taken into account technical environmental standards as well as economic and technological factors. However, planned communities must consider social factors, or their “culture of sustainability” if their endeavors should prove to be truly successful in not only being environmentally sustainable, but also uphold and encourage sustainable human behavior. This paper will first consider the definition of cultures of sustainability. Cultures of sustainability vary from one community to the next and are defined by a strong hierarchy of values. How these values are translated differ, especially as it concerns the structure and governance of a community; values can either be communicated top-down through institutions or bottom-up using a community based-approach. Second, this paper will explore the methodologies communities use to make themselves sustainable. Third, the methodologies and cultures of sustainability explored through three case studies on three different continents: Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Throughout the three case studies, the obstacles and challenges to sustainability and the different forms it takes, environmental, economic, and social, are explored. In this study, it becomes clear that cultures of sustainability must first and foremost take into account the inclusion of the community in decision making processes as well as their embrace of community values and willingness to alter their behavior. Without a shared vision, concrete plan, and sense of community identity, sustainability goals can only last in the short term rather than create a real impact.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory analysis of campus community member (i.e. students, faculty, staff) definitions of sustainability, their perceptions of select elements of sustainability culture and the relationship between the two.Design/methodology/approachResearchers implemented a cross-sectional design where participants from two higher education institutions in the USA completed an online survey. The 352 respondents from James Madison University and 349 respondents from Wofford College included students, faculty and staff members. Descriptive statistics were used to examine patterns in the quantitative data, and an inductive theme approach was used to analyze the qualitative data.FindingsThis study provides evidence that sustainability is often viewed from an environmental lens, and personal definitions of sustainability may impact perceptions of campus sustainability culture elements. Generally, the highest rated elements of culture examined (i.e. university actions, signs and symbols and institutional commitments) were all aligned with the environment dimension of sustainability and consistent across sustainability definitions. However, respondents with a more integrative definition of sustainability expected to see elements of culture that aligned with the social dimension of sustainability at a considerably higher rate than the respondents who reported more narrow definitions of sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsLack of generalizability, low response rates and self-selection bias are some of the limitations of the study.Practical implicationsPersonal definitions of sustainability may impact campus community member perceptions of sustainability culture and progress on their campuses. Practitioners may use this study to inform development of more effective strategies for creating and assessing the culture of sustainability that colleges and universities are pursuing.Originality/valueThe empirical analysis of campus community members on two very different campus communities responds to Owens and Legere (2015) who argue for further studies to understand the concept of sustainability at other higher education institutions that are at different stages of pursuing sustainability. This paper links research about sustainability definitions to the emergent research on campus sustainability culture, filling a gap between these two areas.

There is widespread belief that organizational culture plays a crucial role in transitioning organizations for sustainability, but we currently lack understanding of how supportive cultures develop. The goal of this study is to empirically investigate how a culture of sustainability (COS) develops within a varied sample of real-world organizations. A qualitative cross-sectional design was utilized in this study using 14 semi-structured qualitative interviews with leaders of organizations perceived as having a strong COS or being on a good path toward that. The interviews explored how the leaders from various organizations experienced the development process of a COS from the initial emergence to the time of the interview. The qualitative data were analyzed using template analysis combined with applying a team-based approach to open coding. The results indicate that while COS development is not a direct, clear, or linear process, there are several common factors that descriptively capture the process of COS formation. The analysis revealed four general stages of COS development (emergence; visibility and engagement; institutionalization and system alignment; ingrained and habitualized practice) and three key contextual moderators (organizational characteristics; external stakeholders/societal culture; business case). This study makes an important contribution to the limited empirical literature on the development of organizational culture over time. Understanding key factors, relationships between factors, and COS stages can help leaders establish realistic expectations and strategies for developing and strengthening COS within their organizations.

This paper aims to examine the concept of sustainability in health care organizations and the key managerial competencies and change management strategies needed to implant a culture of sustainability. Competencies and management development strategies needed to engrain this corporate culture of sustainability are analyzed in this document. This paper draws on the experience of the authors as health care executives and educators developing managerial competencies with interdisciplinary and international groups of executives in the last 25 years, using direct observation, interviews, discussions and bibliographic evidence. With a holistic framework for sustainability, health care managers can implement strategies for multidisciplinary teams to respond to the constant change, fine-tune operations and successfully manage quality of care. Managers can mentor students and provide in-service learning experiences that integrate knowledge, skills, and abilities. Further empirical research needs to be conducted on these interrelated innovative topics. Health care organizations around the world are under stakeholders' pressure to provide high quality, cost-effective, accessible and sustainable services. Professional organizations and health care providers can collaborate with university graduate health management education programs to prepare competent managers in all the dimensions of sustainability. The newly designated accountable care organizations represent an opportunity for managers to address the need for sustainability. Sustainability of health care organizations with the holistic approach discussed in this paper is an innovative and practical approach to quality improvement that merits further development.

This study provides a close examination of the link between the cultural and climate orientations of an organization and the role of HR in inculcating a culture of sustainability in organizations, to promote more ‘responsible organizations’. Many scholars suggest that the pathway for the adoption of sustainability principles is because of the adoption of a sustainability-oriented organizational culture. Previous research also highlights the critical role of the HR function but has not elaborated on the dimensions of this role. Additionally, very few studies, especially in the Indian scenario, seem to have brought together sustainability, role of HR and organizational culture, linking the three and examining them from an organizational context. Climate, as a construct is studied with culture, as research supports their simultaneous study. A constructivist grounded theory approach has been used. Primary research findings based on interviews conducted reveal that key stakeholders are yet to grasp the benefits of sustainability. Human Resources could play a key role here in educating the stakeholders on the benefits of sustainability and inculcating a ‘sense of ownership’ towards the concept. This study helps us to realise that the traditional business organizations need to focus more on sustainability awareness. Focus on the ‘local context’ has been identified as a crucial factor for maintaining sustainability in organizations, especially in emerging economies. This study helps to understand the dimensions of the HR function to build a culture of sustainability and also identifies focus areas to build a sustainable culture within organizations.

Researchers concerned with the complex, interrelated, and multi-scalar relationships between culture and rural tourism development have explored both positive and negative dimensions in diverse contexts; however, more systematic attention to the concept of cultural sustainability is needed to design supportive rural tourism policies and processes. Wine and food tourism is one of the fastest growing rural tourism niches and intersects with critical cultural sustainability issues such as local food systems, food sovereignty and agricultural land use, therefore, it is particularly important to explore cultural sustainability in food and wine tourism contexts. Comparative case studies in two Canadian wine regions, British Columbia's South Okanagan Valley and Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, are used to gain a better understanding of the relationships between local food cultures, rural tourism development and sustainability in different provincial contexts with a particular emphasis on the role of related planning, policy and governance. Findings from semi-structured interviews and focus groups provide insights into how culturally sustainable food and wine tourism is conceptualized, recognized, developed, supported and promoted in each case. Processes and policies that support cultural sustainability are discussed and future research is proposed. This research is generously supported by a Rural Policy and Learning Commons (RPLC) Research & Exchanges Service Rural Policy Research Grant

The main aim of the paper is to propose a more robust criterion for the concept of sustainability, one reflecting the importance of taking into account the cultural dimension as a fundamental pillar of authentic human and virtuous development. The theoretical assumption behind this new concept is that cultural processes are also to be considered structural elements within the socioeconomic system. Cultural sustainability concerns actions that affect the way in which a community expresses its identity, safeguards its traditions, and builds shared values; indeed, meanings, narratives, and constellations of symbols enable a society to recognize and identify itself in the image of world that it has developed. Therefore, starting from a brief reconstruction of the theoretical debate in literature about the definition of sustainability, and showing how, in the headquarters of national and European institutions, the concept of cultural sustainability is still absent, the paper is intended to clarify that it is not only for our physical dwelling – and to cushion the ecological crisis we are experiencing today – that we have to take into account chemical, physical, economic, or social parameters. What is needed, as the eco-phenomenological tradition already recognizes, is a re-conceptualization of human values and of our relationship with nature and place in the harmony of the cosmos.

"The research purpose is to explore the ethical implications of AI integration in HRM practices and its potential contribution to sustainable development. Research motivation: The rapid advancement of AI has brought forth numerous opportunities and challenges in HRM, including privacy concerns, bias, and discrimination. However, AI also has the potential to foster a culture of ethics and sustainability in organizations, and to address non-traditional security challenges and promote economic self-reliance. Research design, approach, and method: This paper will conduct a literature review of the latest research on AI in HRM and its ethical implications. The review will examine the relationship between AI and the ethical dimensions of HRM, such as privacy, surveillance, bias, and discrimination. It will also discuss the role of AI in fostering a culture of ethics and sustainability within organizations, and how it can be utilized to address non-traditional security challenges and promote an independent and self-reliant economy. Main findings: AI in HRM raises significant ethical concerns, including privacy and surveillance concerns, the potential for bias and discrimination, and the risk of over-reliance on AI at the expense of human judgment. AI has the potential to contribute significantly to sustainable development by optimizing resource allocation, improving efficiency, and facilitating decision-making processes. It can also foster a culture of ethics and sustainability within organizations and address non-traditional security challenges. However, the potential negative impacts of AI on sustainable development, such as its significant energy consumption and the risk of job displacement, should not be overlookedPractical/managerial implications: To harness the potential of AI in HRM while mitigating its risks, it is crucial to establish best practices and guidelines for its ethical use. These should include defining clear goals and objectives for AI implementation, involving stakeholders in the process, ensuring data quality, continuously monitoring and evaluating AIdriven processes, and addressing ethical considerations. Organizations must also carefully consider and address the challenges of implementing AI in HRM, such as data privacy concerns, algorithmic bias, ethical considerations, resistance to change, integration with existing systems, ensuring AI complements human decision-making, legal and regulatory compliance, and skills gap."

During the past years, sustainability has become an idea of organisational development. There is a growing trend to focus more not only on yield and economic profit but also on the care for the environment and contribution to the social balance, simultaneously delivering economic, social, and environmental benefits. This paper aims to determine how employee voice can lead to a more sustainable organisation by examining the gap between employee preferences and the current situation. The quantitative method in the form of a survey was used to examine the role of employee voice in the journey towards a more sustainable organisation across different sociodemographic characteristics. Four-hundred-and-twelve complete responses from Lithuanian employees representing different business and public sector organisations were used for analysis. The results of empirical research revealed a significant gap between the employee voice (importance of sustainable behaviour) regarding economic, social and environmental issues and the manifested corresponding sustainable behaviour. The largest interval in values of the employee voice and the current situation was determined in the groups of sustainable environmental behaviour and sustainable economic behaviour.

مستخلص البحث سعي البحث الحالي إلى تعرف متطلبات تحقيق الاستدامة التنظيمية بجامعة جنوب الوادي, بما يسهم في رقي الجامعة، وتحقيق الريادة والتنافسية والمحافظة على بقائها واستمرارها؛ وذلك من خلال: التعرف علي الإطار النظري للاستدامة التنظيمية في الجامعات في ضوء الأدبيات التربوية, وتعرف متطلبات تحقيق الاستدامة التنظيمية في جامعة جنوب الوادي من وجهة نظر أعضاء هيئة التدريس ومعاونيهم, واستخدام البحث المنهج الوصفي؛ وطبق استمارة استطلاع رأي كأداة علي عينة عشوائية تضمنت 80 عضو هيئة تدريس, ومعاون (التربية بقنا, العلوم, الزراعة, الطب, الآداب, التربية النوعية، الحقوق، والتجارة), وتوصلت النتائج إلي أن: من أهم المتطلبات التي تدعم نجاح جامعة جنوب الوادي وتمهد وصولها إلي الاستدامة التنظيمية؛ نشر قيم وثقافة الاستدامة داخل المجتمع الجامعي، تعاون الأطراف المعنية داخل وخارج الجامعة، إنشاء لجنة للاستدامة على مستوى الجامعة لوضع سياسات وأهداف وغايات الاستدامة، توافر بنية تحتية وإمكانيات مالية ومادية وتقنية ؛ وأنه علي الرغم من الجهود التي تبذلها جامعة جنوب الوادي من أجل تحسين أدائها للارتقاء بجودته وكفاءته؛ إلا أن هذه الجهود مازالت تواجه العديد من جوانب القصور التي تعوقها عن تحسين أدائها بشكل مرغوب؛ منها: ارتباط الجامعة مع ثلاثية التعليم والبحوث، وخدمة المجتمع مما يؤدي إلى إشكالية في تحديد الأولويات فيما بينهم، ازدياد حدة المنافسة، عدم امتلاك الجامعة لرؤية واضحة للتوجه للاستدامة، الهيكل التنظيمي التقليدي. الكلمات المفتاحية: الاستدامة التنظيمية – جامعة جنوب الوادي Abstract The current research seeks to identify the requirements for achieving organizational sustainability at South Valley University, in a way that contributes to the advancement of the university, achieving leadership and competitiveness, and maintaining its survival and continuity. This is done through: getting to know the theoretical framework of organizational sustainability in universities in light of educational literature, and identifying the requirements for achieving organizational sustainability at South Valley University from the point of view of faculty member and their assistant, and using the descriptive research method; An opinion survey form was applied as a tool to a random sample that included 80 faculty members, assistants and administrators in the faculties of (Education in Qena, Science, Agriculture, Medicine, Arts, Specific Education, Law, and Commerce), and the results concluded that: Among the most important requirements that support the success of the University of South Valley University and paving the way for organizational sustainability. Disseminating the values ​​and culture of sustainability within the university community, cooperation of concerned parties inside and outside the university, establishing a sustainability committee at the university level to set sustainability policies, goals and objectives, providing infrastructure and financial, material and technical capabilities; Despite the efforts made by South Valley University to improve its performance to improve its quality and efficiency; However, these efforts still face many shortcomings that hinder them from improving their performance in a desired way. Among them: the university’s connection with the trilogy of education, research, and community service, which leads to a problem in setting priorities among them, the increasing intensity of competition, the university not having a clear vision for its sustainability orientation, and the traditional organizational structure. Keywords: organizational sustainability - South Valley University