Designing organizations for sustainable effectiveness

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine design features that enable an organization to address today's complex and increasingly pressing global issues in ways that are sustainably effective. It identifies key social and environmental issues and reviews research examining how organizations can respond to them. Design/methodology/approach – Research and theory on the interface between organizations and their environments are reviewed and evaluated. Proposals are offered with respect to organizing and designing to be sustainably effective. Findings – There is a significant knowledge gap about how organizations can perform in sustainably effective ways. The globalization of business, increased stakeholder expectations, and environmental issues have created major challenges for corporations. Research that focusses on creating a sustainable future is needed. Practical implications – Leaders need to help their organization envision new strategies and purposes, and companies will have to develop new capabilities and fundamentally alter their designs. Originality/value – Important new points about the types of outcomes organizations need to produce and how they can be structured and managed in order to produce them.

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