Tinkering With the Plumbing of Sustainable Enterprises: The Case for Field Experimental Research in Corporate Sustainability

Abstract

In this introduction, we first review the lessons learned in development economics about the ability of randomized control trials to analyse what Duflo refers to as the “plumbing problems” of policy implementation, as opposed to “engineering problems” of policy design. We then examine the papers published within this special issue from a plumbing-based perspective to highlight the benefits of the co-creation of knowledge in corporate sustainability through a field-based experimental agenda. We finally propose that field-based experiments can radically influence the future development of our (and related) fields of inquiry in three ways: (1) focusing on the implementation processes of sustainability strategies, (2) shifting attention from the analysis of past events to the design of future actions, and (3) yielding our role as sole owners of the knowledge development process and agreeing to shared ownership with the organizations we study.

The Past and Future of Corporate Sustainability Research

“…Two possible avenues to address these challenges appear here. First, sustainability researchers can collaborate with organizations to conduct field experiments, a methodology that some consider the gold standard of research to understand the drivers of behavioral change and causality (Delmas & Aragon-Correa, 2016), thus far underutilized in sustainability research (Amengual & Apfelbaum, 2021;Burbano, 2016Portocarrero and Burbano, 2022;Spicer et al, 2021;Salmivaara & Lankoski, 2021), as well as in management research more broadly (Chatterji et al, 2016). Technical and organizational innovations must be field-tested to understand the chances of success on a larger scale.…”

A Solid Foundation But What Will Be Built on It? Reviews of the Management, Organizations, and Environmental Sustainability Field

“…This again would be an important contribution to more transdisciplinarity in the sense of engaging a wider set of stakeholders to the scientific process. In fact, as is also highlighted in several ways in the reviews in this issue, it would be another step to joint value creation (Freeman et al, 2007) or joint ownership in a research process (Spicer et al, 2021).…”

“…For example, Montgomery et al (2024) point out that greenwashing is becoming increasingly societally interwoven, especially using social media diffusion. One method-related implication of this finding is a need for more complex research designs (which in the future would ideally be longitudinal across levels), including experiments (Burbano et al, 2024;Spicer et al, 2021). Similarly, in such a multilevel approach further levels might need to be considered, such as, for example, the team level (Norton et al, 2015).…”

The Past and Future of Corporate Sustainability Research

“…For instance, sustainability researchers could work more closely with organizations to conduct field experiments, which are considered the gold standard method for causality and understanding drivers of behavioral change (Delmas & Aragon-Correa, 2016). Field experiments remain underutilized in sustainability research, though recent studies are beginning to employ this method in sustainability research (Amengual & Apfelbaum, 2021;Burbano, 2016Burbano, , 2021Portocarrero & Burbano, 2023;Salmivaara & Lankoski, 2021;Spicer et al, 2021). Furthermore, researchers could engage in a system of knowledge co-creation, which involves both managers and researchers participating in discussions, projects, and events to produce knowledge that addresses mutual interests (Sharma & Bansal, 2020).…”