Creating Sustainability in Organisations: Beyond Being Green

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Sustainability in organisations is not just about addressing social responsibility or meeting triple bottom line criteria to maximise shareholders’ short-term interests. This paper will show that sustainability can be created when business leaders challenge the economic myths and focus on thinking systemically and holistically, hence transforming the way they currently think. As such, leaders will adopt a new philosophy of leadership that embraces a set of sustainable values and principles; and incorporate sustainable practices into their corporate strategies. Sustainable corporate strategies balance hard and soft goals for the long-term interests of multiple stakeholders. To execute such sustainable strategies well demands a culture of enrichment, trust, shared values, professionalism and collegiality, learning, innovation and communitarianism. Sustainability in organisations is created when all three components - leadership, corporate strategies and culture - reinforce each other for the long-term to benefit various stakeholders.

Stream: Economics and Management

Paper: , , , Creating Sustainability in Organisations

Professor Gayle Avery heads the Institute for Sustainable Leadership at Macquarie Graduate School of Management in Sydney, Australia. At MGSM since 1997, she teaches elective MBA subjects in leadership and takes the annual European Study Tour to Germany and Switzerland to examine best practices in sustainability. She is author of many papers and books on leadership and sustainability, including Leadership for Sustainable Futures and Understanding Leadership. Gayle Avery is consultant to major organisations in Australia and the Asia Pacific Region.