Disrupting the brave new world: COVID-19 effects on organisations' sustainability efforts
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Disrupting the brave new world: COVID-19 effects on organisations' sustainability effortsDate
2021Citation
Lozano, R. and Barreiro-Gen, M. (2021), "Disrupting the brave new world: COVID-19 effects on organisations' sustainability efforts", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 613-628. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-09-2020-0276
Abstract
[Abstract] Purpose
Organisations have been working towards becoming more sustainable; where their efforts have been mainly on a steady state focussing on internal proactive changes. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how external events, e.g. COVID-19, affect organisations and their sustainability efforts.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was sent to a database of 11,657 contacts, with a response rate of 5.60% obtained. The results were analysed using descriptive statistics, ranking and a ratio analysis comparing different types of organisations (corporations, higher education institutions, civil society and public sector organisations).
Findings
COVID-19 changed the organisation drivers for and barriers to sustainability perspective towards external stimuli, rather than internal factors. COVID-19 also affected the system elements negatively, with the exception of organisational systems. The results also show that the system elements are affected by an external event or crisis and are dependent on the type of organisation.
Originality/value
This paper proposes the “Organisational sustainability transition forced by exogenous events” framework to help organisations better understand and be prepared for unexpected external events. Organisations should learn from the experiences in dealing with COVID-19 and adopt a more humanistic approach to their sustainability efforts, rather than traditional approaches based on solipsism and techno-managerial centrism.
Keywords
Organisations
Sustainability
Change management
Drivers
Barriers
Organisational systems
Sustainability
Change management
Drivers
Barriers
Organisational systems
Editor version
Rights
Atribución 3.0 España