Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
FrancoAngeli Journals

Articles

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2025)

Organizational Culture and Leadership for Sustainability from a Work and Organizational Psychology perspective

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/riss2025oa20461
Submitted
25 giugno 2025
Published
16-12-2025

Abstract

In the past two decades, sustainability has gained significant attention, influencing global agendas. This paper examines the relationship between Governance for Sustainability (GfS) and organizational dynamics through the lens of Work and Organizational Psychology (WOP). While existing literature predominantly focuses on macro-level governance, this study addresses the overlooked micro and meso levels. By exploring dimensions such as culture and leadership, it sheds light on critical issues for organizations navigating sustainable change. Emphasis is placed on the "human factor" and its connection to WOP. Implications for research and practice are discussed, with a focus on advancing the GfS field through WOP themes.

References

  1. Adamson M., Kelan E., Lewis P., Śliwa M. and Rumens N. (2021). Introduction: Critically interrogating inclusion in organisations. Organization, 28(2): 211-227. Doi: 10.1177/1350508420973307.
  2. Adebayo O.P., Worlu R.E., Moses C.L., Ogunnaike O.O. (2020) An Integrated Organisational Culture for Sustainable Environmental Performance in the Nigerian Context. Sustainability, 12, 8323. Doi: 10.3390/su12208323.
  3. Aguinis H. and Glavas A. (2019). What we know and don’t know about corporate social responsibility: A review and research agenda. Journal of Management, 38(4): 932-968. Doi: 10.1177/0149206311436079.
  4. Ahuerma I.M., Contreras-Hernandez A., Ayala Ortiz D.A. and Perez-Maqueo O. (2018). Complexity and transdiscipline: epistemologies for sustainability, Madera y Bosques, 24(3). Doi: 10.21829/myb.2018.2431673.
  5. Andersson K.P., Chang K. and Molina-Garzón A. (2020). Voluntary leadership and the emergence of institutions for self-governance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(44): 27292-27299. Doi: 10.1073/pnas.2007230117.
  6. Ashikali T. (2019). Leading Towards Inclusiveness: Developing a Measurement Instrument for Inclusive Leadership. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019, 16444. Doi: 10.5465/AMBPP.2019.16444abstract.
  7. Baker-Shelley A., van Zeijl-Rozema A. and Martens P. (2017). A conceptual synthesis of organisational transformation: How to diagnose, and navigate, pathways for sustainability at universities?. Journal of Cleaner Production, 145: 262-276. Doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.01.026.
  8. Baumgartner R.J. (2009), Organizational culture and leadership: Preconditions for the development of a sustainable corporation. Sustainable Development, 17: 102-113. Doi: 10.1002/sd.405.
  9. Bergman M.M., Bergman Z. and Berger L. (2017). An Empirical Exploration, Typology, and Definition of Corporate Sustainability. Sustainability, (9), 753. Doi: 10.3390/su9050753.
  10. Bhutto T.A., Farooq R., Talwar S., Awan U. and Dhir A. (2021). Green inclusive leadership and green creativity in the tourism and hospitality sector: serial mediation of green psychological climate and work engagement, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(10): 1716-1737. Doi: 10.1080/09669582. 2020.1867864.
  11. Bloomfield S. (2022). The virtuous triangle: ethics, governance and leadership. Issues in Business Ethics, 60: 201-216. Doi: 10.1007/978-94-024-2111-8_12.
  12. Brown B.J., Hanson M.E., Liverman D.M. and Merideth R.W. (1987). Global sustainability: Toward definition. Environmental Management, 11: 713-719. Doi: 10.1007/BF01867238.
  13. Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (2020). Global Impact at Scale Corporate Action on ESG Issues and Social Investments 2020. CECP.
  14. Coglianese C. and Starobin S.M. (2020). Social Science and the Analysis of Environmental Policy. Review of Policy Research, 37: 578-604. Doi: 10.1111/ropr.12376.
  15. Commission on Global Governance (1995). Our global neighbourhood. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  16. Di Fabio A. (2017). Positive Healthy Organizations: Promoting Well-Being, Meaningfulness, and Sustainability in Organizations. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(8), 1938. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01938.
  17. Di Fabio A. and Rosen M.A. (2018). Opening the Black Box of Psychological Processes in the Science of Sustainable Development: A New Frontier. European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 2(4): 47. Doi: 10.20897/ejosdr/3933.
  18. Doh J.P., and Guay T.R. (2006). Corporate social responsibility, public policy, and NGO activism in Europe and the United States: An institutional‐stakeholder perspective. Journal of Management Studies, 43: 47-73. Doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00582.x.
  19. Dolce V., Vayre E., Molino M. and Ghislieri C. (2020). Far Away, So Close? The Role of Destructive Leadership in the Job Demands – Resources and Recovery Model in Emergency Telework. Social Science, 9, 196. Doi: 10.3390/socsci9110196.
  20. Doppelt B. (2017). Leading change toward sustainability: A change-management guide for business, government and civil society. Routledge.
  21. E-Vahdati S., Zulkifli N. and Zakaria Z. (2019). Corporate governance integration with sustainability: a systematic literature review. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 19(2): 255-269. Doi: 10.1108/CG-03-2018-0111.
  22. Eccles R.G. and Serafeim G. (2011). Accelerating the adoption of corporate and investor responsibility through integrated reporting. Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, 23(4): 65-73. -- https://ssrn.com/abstract=1910965.
  23. Eccles R.G., Perkins K.M. and Serafeim G. (2012). How to Become a Sustainable Company. MIT Sloan Management Review, 42-50.
  24. Elkington J. (1994). Towards the Sustainable Corporation: Win-Win-Win Business Strategies for Sustainable Development. California Management Review, 36(2): 90-100. Doi: 10.2307/41165746.
  25. Elmagrhi M.H., Ntim C.G., Elamer A.A. and Zhang Q. (2019). A study of environmental policies and regulations, governance structures, and environmental performance: The role of female directors. Business Strategy and the Environment, (28): 206-220. Doi: 10.1002/bse.2250.
  26. Emas R. (2015). The Concept of Sustainable Development: Definition and Defining Principles. Doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.34980.22404.
  27. Epstein M.J. (2008). Making Sustainability Work: Best Practices in Managing and Measuring Corporate, Social, Environmental and Economic Impacts. Abingdon: Routledge.
  28. Fang Y.C., Ren Y.H., Chen J.Y., Chin T., Yuan Q. and Lin C.-L. (2021). Inclusive Leadership and Career Sustainability: Mediating Roles of Supervisor Developmental Feedback and Thriving at Work. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. Doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.671663.
  29. Freschi G., Menegatto M. and Zamperini A. (2023). How Can Psychology Contribute to Climate Change Governance? A Systematic Review. Sustainability, 15, 14273. Doi: 10.3390/su151914273.
  30. George J.M. and Jones G.R. (2012). Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
  31. Ghislieri C. (in press). Destructive leadership. In: Bal M., editors, Encyclopedia of Organizational Psychology. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
  32. Glass L.M. and Newig J. (2019), Governance for achieving the sustainable development goals: how important are participation, policy coherence, reflexivity, adaptation and democratic institutions?. Earth System Governance, 2, 100031. Doi: 10.1016/j.esg.2019.100031.
  33. Güney T. (2017). Governance and sustainable development: How effective is governance?. The Journal of International Trade and Economic Development, 26(3): 316-335. Doi: 10.1080/09638199.2016.1249391.
  34. Gürbüz S., van Woerkom M., Kooij D.T.A.M., Demerouti E., van der Klink J.J.L. and Brouwers E.P.M. (2022). Employable until Retirement: How Inclusive Leadership and HR Practices Can Foster Sustainable Employability through Strengths Use. Sustainability, 14, 12195. Doi: 10.3390/su141912195.
  35. Hambrick D.C. and Mason P. A. (1984). Upper Echelons: The Organization as a Reflection of Its Top Managers. The Academy of Management Review, 9(2): 193-206. Doi: 10.2307/258434.
  36. Husted B.W. and de Sousa-Filho J.M. (2017). The impact of sustainability governance, country stakeholder orientation, and country risk on environmental, social, and governance performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 155: 93-102. Doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.10.025.
  37. Kemp R. and Martens P. (2007). Sustainable development: How to manage something that is subjective and never can be achieved?. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 3(2): 5-14. Doi: 10.1080/15487733.2007.11907997.
  38. Kemp R., Parto S. and Gibson R.B. (2005). Governance for sustainable development: moving from theory to practice. International Journal of Sustainable Development, 8(1/2): 12. Doi: 10.1504/IJSD.2005.007372.
  39. Ketprapakorn N. and Kantabutra S. (2022). Toward an organizational theory of sustainability culture. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 32: 638-654. Doi: 10.1016/j.spc.2022.05.020.
  40. Köhler J., Geels F.W., Kern F., Markard J., Onsongo E., Wieczorek A., Alkemade F., Avelino F., Bergek A., Boons F., Fünfschilling L., Hess D., Holtz G., Hyysalo S., Jenkins K., Kivimaa P., Martiskainen M., McMeekin A., Mühlemeier M. S., ... Wells P. (2019). An agenda for sustainability transitions research: State of the art and future directions. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 31: 1-32. Doi: 10.1016/j.eist.2019.01.004.
  41. Kuhlman T., Farrington J. (2010). What is Sustainability?. Sustainability, 2: 3436-3448. Doi. 10.3390/su2113436.
  42. Lanzara G. F. (2016). Shifting practices: Reflections on technology, practice, and innovation. Cambridge: Mit press.
  43. Leon R. (2013). From the Sustainable Organization to Sustainable Knowledge-Based Organization. Economic Insights – Trends and Challenges, 2(65): 63-73.
  44. Lewin K. (1951). Field Theory in Social Science. New York: Harper and brothers (trad. it.: Teoria e Sperimentazione in Psicologia Sociale. Bologna: il Mulino, 1972).
  45. Lin H., Chen L., Yuan M., Yu M., Mao Y. and Tao F. (2021). The eco-friendly side of narcissism: The case of green marketing. Sustainable Development, 29(6): 1111-1122. Doi: 10.1002/sd.2206.
  46. Lo S.H., Peters G.-J.Y. and Kok G. (2012), Proenvironmental Behaviors in Organizations. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42: 2933-2967. Doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.00969.x.
  47. Loorbach D. (2010). Transition management for sustainable development: a prescriptive, complexity-based governance framework. Governance, 23(1): 161-183. Doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0491.2009.01471.x.
  48. Lozano R. (2006). Incorporation and institutionalization of SD into universities: breaking through barriers to change. Journal of Cleaner Production, 14(9/11): 787-796. Doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2005.12.010.
  49. Lungeanu R. and Weber K. (2021). Social Responsibility Beyond the Corporate: Executive Mental Accounting Across Sectoral and Issue Domains. Organization Science, 32(6): 1473-1491. Doi: 10.1287/orsc.2021.1438.
  50. Maggiolini M. and Tecco N. (2019). Sviluppo sostenibile. In: Latini, G., Orusa, T. and Bagliani, M., editors, Lessico e Nuvole. Torino: Universita degli Studi di Torino, pp. 436-438.
  51. Mahran K. and Elamer A. A. (2023). Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and corporate environmental sustainability: A systematic literature review and avenues for future research. Business Strategy and the Environment, 1-27. Doi: 10.1002/bse.3577.
  52. Maimbo S.M. and Zadek S. (2017). Roadmap for a Sustainable Financial System. Geneva, UNEP Inquiry and World Bank Group.
  53. Marques I., Leitão J., Carvalho A. and Pereira D. (2021). Public Administration and Values Oriented to Sustainability: A Systematic Approach to the Literature. Sustainability, 13(5), 2566. Doi: 10.3390/su13052566.
  54. Martínez de Anguita P., Alonso E. and Martín M. Á. (2008). Environmental economic, political and ethical integration in a common decision-making framework. Journal of Environmental Management, 88(1): 154-164. Doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.02.002.
  55. McKim A.J. and Goodwin C.M. (2021), Emergent Opportunities in Complexity, Leadership, and Sustainability. Journal of Leadership Studies, 15: 80-85. Doi: 10.1002/jls.21778.
  56. Molino M., Cortese C.G., Ghislieri C. (2019). Unsustainable Working Conditions: The Association of Destructive Leadership, Use of Technology, and Workload with Workaholism and Exhaustion. Sustainability, 11, 446. Doi: 10.3390/su11020446.
  57. Monzani L. and Dick R. (2020). Positive leadership in organizations: A systematic review and integrative multi-level model. In: Peiró J. M., editor, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  58. Morin E. (1993). Introduzione al pensiero complesso. Gli strumenti per affrontare la sfida della complessità. Milano: Sperling and Kupfer.
  59. Naciti V., Cesaroni F. and Pulejo L. (2022). Corporate governance and sustainability: a review of the existing literature. Journal of Management and Governance, 26: 55-74. Doi: 10.1007/s10997-020-09554-6.
  60. Nedelko Z. and Potocan V. (2021). Sustainability of organizations: the contribution of personal values to democratic leadership behavior focused on the sustainability of organizations. Sustainability, 13(8), 4207. Doi: 10.3390/su13084207.
  61. Newell P., Twena M. and Daley F. (2021). Scaling behaviour change for a 1.5-degree world: challenges and opportunities. Global Sustainability, 4(e22). Doi: 10.1017/sus.2021.23.
  62. Newig J., Challies E., Jager N.W., Kochskaemper E. and Adzersen A. (2018). The environmental performance of participatory and collaborative governance: a framework of causal mechanisms: environmental performance of participation. Policy Studies Journal, 46(2): 269-297. Doi: 10.1111/psj.12209.
  63. Nielsen K., Clayton S., Stern P., Dietz T., Capstick S. and Whitmarsh L. (2020). How Psychology Can Help Limit Climate Change. American Psychologist, 76(1): 130-144. Doi: 10.1037/amp0000624.
  64. Oxford English Dictionary (2022). Sustainability, 2b. In: oed.com, -- Retrieved October 31, 2022, available at: www.oed.com/view/Entry/299890.
  65. Perkins R. and Nachmany M. (2019). ‘A very human business’ ‒ Transnational networking initiatives and domestic climate action. Global Environmental Change, 54: 250-259. Doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.11.008.
  66. Peter C. and Swilling M. (2014). Linking Complexity and Sustainability Theories: Implications for Modeling Sustainability Transitions. Sustainability, 6: 1594-1622. Doi: 10.3390/su6031594.
  67. Petrenko O. V., Aime F., Ridge J. and Hill A. (2016). Corporate social responsibility or CEO narcissism? CSR motivations and organizational performance. Strategic Management Journal, 37(2): 262-279. Doi: 10.1002/smj.2348.
  68. Pfeffer J. (2010). Building Sustainable Organizations: The Human Factor. Stanford University, Graduate School of Business, Research Papers, 24. Doi: 10.2139/ssrn.1545977.
  69. Piao X., Xie J. and Managi S. (2022). Environmental, social, and corporate governance activities with employee psychological well-being improvement. BMC Public Health, 22(1): 1-12. Doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-12350-y.
  70. Prömpeler J., Veltrop D. B., Stoker J. I. and Rink F. A. (2023). Striving for sustainable development at the top: Exploring the interplay of director and CEO values on environmental sustainability focus. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(7): 5068-5082. Doi: 10.1002/bse.3408.
  71. Richardson G.R.A. and Lynes J.K. (2007). Institutional motivations and barriers to the construction of green buildings on campus: a case study of the university of waterloo, Ontario. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 8(3): 339-354. Doi: 10.1108/14676370710817183.
  72. Sacchi A., Molino M., Dansero E., Rossi A. A. and Ghislieri C. (2023). How sustainable is the governance for sustainability in higher education? Insights from an Italian case study. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 24(8): 1971-1991. Doi: 10.1108/IJSHE-08-2022-0254.
  73. Sancak I. E. (2023). Change management in sustainability transformation: A model for business organizations. Journal of Environmental Management, 330, 117165. Doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117165.
  74. Schein E. H. (2017). Organizational Culture and Leadership. 5th edition. New York: John Wiley and Son Inc.
  75. Schein E.H. (2019). The Corporate Culture Survival Guide (3rd ed.). Edgar H. Schein and Peter A. Schein copyright.
  76. Schein E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  77. Schein E.H. (1992), Organizational Culture and Leadership (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  78. Schein E.H. (1999). The Corporate Culture Survival Guide. New York: Jossey-Bass.
  79. Schill C., Anderies J. M., Lindahl T., Folke C., Polasky S., Cárdenas J. C., ... and Schlüter M. (2019). A more dynamic understanding of human behaviour for the Anthropocene. Nature Sustainability, 2(12): 1075-1082. Doi: 10.1038/s41893-019-0419-7.
  80. Schmitt M.T., Neufeld S.D., Mackay C.M.L. and Dys-Steenbergen O. (2020), The Perils of Explaining Climate Inaction in Terms of Psychological Barriers. Journal of Social Issues, 76: 123-135. Doi: 10.1111/josi.12360.
  81. Schon D. A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner. New York: Basic Books.
  82. Shah H.J., Ou J.P., Attiq S., Umer M. and Wong W.K. (2022). Does Inclusive Leadership Improve the Sustainability of Employee Relations? Test of Justice Theory and Employee Perceived Insider Status. Sustainability, 14, 14257. Doi: 10.3390/su142114257.
  83. Shah K. U. and Arjoon S. (2015). Through Thick and Thin? How Self-determination Drives the Corporate Sustainability Initiatives of Multinational Subsidiaries. Business Strategy and the Environment, 24: 565-582. Doi: 10.1002/bse.1838.
  84. Steg L., Bolderdijk J.W., Keizer K. and Perlaviciute G. (2014). An integrated framework for encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: The role of values, situational factors and goals. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38: 104-115. Doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2014.01.002.
  85. Taljaard A. and de Beer E. (2019). Integrative communication for organisational sustainability – an integrative communication relationship model as communication management tool. Journal of Public Affairs, 19(4). Doi: 10.1002/pa.1957.
  86. Tenuta P. (2009). Indici e modelli di sostenibilità. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  87. Trice H. M. and Beyer J. M. (1984). Studying organizational cultures through rites and ceremonials. The Academy of Management Review, 9(4), 653-669. Doi: 10.2307/258488.
  88. van Kerkhoff L. (2014). Developing integrative research for sustainability science through a complexity principles-based approach. Sustainable Science, 9: 143-155. Doi: 10.1007/s11625-013-0203-y.
  89. van Zeijl-Rozema A., Cörvers R., Kemp R. and Martens P. (2008). Governance for sustainable development: A framework. Sustainable Development, 16(6): 410-421. Doi: 10.1002/sd.367.
  90. Vlek C. (2000). Essential Psychology for Environmental Policy Making. International Journal of Psychology, 35(2): 153-167. Doi: 10.1080/002075900399457.
  91. Voß J. and Kemp R. (2006). Sustainability and reflexive governance: introduction. In Voß J., Bauknecht D. and Kemp R., editors, Reflexive Governance for Sustainable Development, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Doi: 10.4337/9781847200266.
  92. Weick K. E., (1969). The Social Psychology of Organizing. New York: McGraw-Hill (trad. it. Organizzare. La psicologia sociale dei processi organizzativi. Torino: Isedi, 1993).
  93. Weick K. E. (1995). Sensemaking in Organizations, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
  94. Weick K. E. and Sutcliffe K. M. (2001). Managing the unexpected. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  95. Westley F., Olsson P., Folke C., Homer-Dixon T., Vredenburg H., Loorbach D., Thompson J., Nilsson M., Lambin E., Sendzimir J., Banerjee B., Galaz V. and van der Leeuw S. (2011). Tipping Toward Sustainability: Emerging Pathways of Transformation. AMBIO, 40(7): 762-780. Doi: 10.1007/s13280-011-0186-9.
  96. Whitmarsh L., Poortinga W., and Capstick S. (2021). Behaviour change to address climate change. Current opinion in psychology, 42: 76-81. Doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.04.002.
  97. Yetim M. A. and Gur F. A. (2023). When they are more than just employees: Environmentally conscious decision-making in employee-owned organizations. Business Strategy and the Environment, 1-18. Doi: 10.1002/bse.3626.