Sustainability Agency

Abstract

If sustainability transitions are to succeed, the role of actors, i.e. agency, is critical. While different forms of sustainability-related agency are studied, this research tends to operate in actor- and discipline-based silos. This symposium reviews prior academic research on sustainability agency. In view of integration, the symposium structures sustainability agency via relational agency, activist agency, and individual level agency. The seven symposium presentations draw from management and neighboring disciplines, offering reviews and conceptualizations of sustainability agency at individual and/or organizational levels of analysis. The symposium seeks to spark discussion on the need for theoretical and conceptual integration in the study of sustainability agency, within and across disciplines. Stakeholder engagement in sustainability transitions Presenter: Lara Gonzalez-Porras; Tampere U. Presenter: Anna Heikkinen; Tampere U. Presenter: Johanna Kujala; Tampere U. Presenter: Riikka Tapaninaho; Tampere U. The role of sustainability agency in mergers and acquisitions Presenter: Noelia-Sarah Schnurr; U. of Essex Presenter: Melanie Hassett; U. of Sheffield Circular economy ecosystems: A typology, definitions, and implications Presenter: Paavo Ritala; LUT School of Business and Management Social movement organizations’ agency for sustainable organizing Presenter: Helen Etchanchu; Montpellier Business School Presenter: Frank G.A. De Bakker; IESEG School of Management Presenter: Giuseppe Delmestri; WU Vienna U. of Economics and Business Roles and practices of institutional workers in climate change action Presenter: Jan Hermes; U. of Oulu Business School Presenter: Mikolaj Pawlak; U. of Warsaw Not dinosaurs but dynamos: The roles of middle managers in corporate social responsibility Presenter: Gustavo Birollo; FSA ULaval (Laval U.) Presenter: Susana Esper; IESEG School of Management Presenter: Linda Rouleau; HEC Montreal Barriers to implementing sustainability experienced by middle managers in Retail & Consumer Goods Presenter: Andrew Mountfield; Oxford U., Saïd Business School