The role of the new institutional sociology in implementing the environmental agenda

Abstract

The new institutional Sociology declares that organizations, whether public or private, are influenced by norms, customs and beliefs institutionalized in their structure. Therefore, it is possible to infer that these factors can also influence organizations' actions regarding the environment and sustainability. Based on this understanding, we sought to investigate the role of the new institutional Sociology in the implementation of the environmental agenda. Given the purpose of this work, it is possible to classify it as bibliographic and exploratory in nature. Scientific articles, books, reports and other secondary data of national and international origin were used as theoretical support for the research. In the context of the environmental agenda, institutions can materialize in the form of laws, regulations, public policies, positioning of the professional class, behavior of successful organizations, consumer preferences and many other factors. It was noticed that institutions pressure organizations to develop sustainable practices and these, in turn, enable environmental conservation without necessarily impeding economic development. It was also possible to identify that the pressures felt by organizations to adopt similar environmental practices are explained through the phenomenon understood as institutional isomorphism. This occurs in three ways: coercive; mimetic and normative. Furthermore, this study allowed us to understand the levels of implementation of an environmental agenda. However, it was observed that agendas can be implemented at global, national and local levels. And, the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices in organizations is motivated, above all, by the need to legitimize organizations.