Aligning responsible business practices: A case study

Abstract

This article offers an in-depth case study of a global high tech manufacturer that aligned its ethics and compliance, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability practices. Few large companies organize their responsible business practices this way, despite conceptual relevance and calls to manage them comprehensively. A communities of practice theoretical lens suggests that intentional effort would be needed to bridge meaning between the relevant managers and practices in order to achieve alignment. The findings call attention to the important role played by employees who broker understanding between managers and practices, and the boundary objects used to create shared meaning and engagement. They also highlight that an organizing logic is necessary but not sufficient to align practices. This study describes the dynamics of alignment and provides a practical road map for scholars and managers interested in understanding how responsible business practices may be collectively organized.

Professional Associations as Communities of Practice: Exploring the Boundaries of Ethics and Compliance and Corporate Social Responsibility

“…A recent case study detailed one company's efforts to bring E&C, CSR, and sustainability practices together. 73 However, more radical change rarely happens at the center of a community, 74 and therefore practice alignment is likely to continue to occur at the organizational level before it creates a groundswell evolution at the level of the community. Alignment aspirations would need to be supported by purposeful engagement across communities to create a related set of priority areas between the fields since their current agendas have little practical overlap.…”

Organizational Culture and Corporate Sustainable Development: Evidence from Greece

“…Scholars suggest that an appropriate organizational culture can lead to a pathway for corporate sustainable development (CSD) (e.g., Heslin and Ochoa 2008;Linnenluecke and Griffiths 2010;Porter and Kramer 2011). The involvement and commitment of employees are essential in successful sustainable organizations (Wirtenberg et al 2007); however, in different institutional environments, employees have different views of the importance of sustainability (Husted 2005;Parboteeah et al 2012;Weller 2017). Companies that want to respond to environmental and social challenges will need to undergo significant changes in their organizational culture.…”

Law‐abiding organizational climates in developing countries: The role of institutional factors and socially responsible organizational practices

“…Mexico is a relevant context for our study given the wide‐spread disregard for the law that has long plagued the country (Knight, ; Wilhelm, ). For instance, 40% of Mexican entrepreneurs agree that the most effective way to gain a competitive advantage is through bribes and connections (Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, ).…”