Make Our Planet Great Again: a Systems Perspective of Corporate Sustainability

This dissertation aims to advance our understanding of sustainability management by leveraging a systems thinking lens. In Chapter 1, I introduce corporate sustainability research to position the contribution of this dissertation. Chapter 2 reviewed the literature at the intersection of sustainability management and a systems perspective. We identified and described 5 core theoretical concepts (interconnections, feedbacks, adaptive capacity, emergence and self-organization) and 9 research themes (behavioral change, leadership, innovation, industrial ecology, social-ecological systems, transitions management, paradigm shifts and sustainability education). Chapter 3 argued that the existing literature on resilience in management journals focuses primarily on the resilience at the organizational level, and develops a cross-scale perspective. Chapter 4 proposed that that organizational studies of risk can benefit from natural science insights on systemic ecosystem risks at the planetary scale and develops a three-phase framework for understanding systemic ecosystem risks. Chapter 5 draws on a qualitative ethnography to understand how social-ecological sustainability frameworks are utilized as a systemic basis for collective strategic planning and communication in a global business association. Chapter 6 concludes the dissertation by providing a synthesis of the chapters and managerial implications.

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