Barriers to implementing environmentally focused sustainability change in organizations
Kontturi, Krista (2023)
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023052915695
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023052915695
Tiivistelmä
Organizations have a significant role to play in fighting climate change, as a sustainable economy requires sustainable organizations. Both private and public sector organizations need to move away from traditional operating models to new ways of operating, which require large scale organizational changes. Unfortunately, the majority of organizational change programs fail.
The purpose of this thesis was to generate knowledge about barriers to environmentally focused sustainability change in organizations from the external change agents’ perspective. Furthermore, the research focused on identifying the key barriers to sustainability change in organizations, match them with the central phases of the change process and develop understanding of common barriers in each phase. The research will provide organizations with more information about potential barrier they might face in each stage, so they can plan resources accordingly. Change stages with several barriers can be considered critical for success, as the risk of failure increases with the number of potential barriers faced during each phase.
The thesis aimed to enhance knowledge about barriers to environmentally focused sustainability change in organizations which can help them prepare for the upcoming change and ultimately increase the likelihood of permanent and successful change. Additionally, the contribution is to document valuable insights from subject experts within academic literature.
The research validated typical organizational change barriers within the environmental sustainability context and identified additional barriers. The research also identified the planning stage as the most challenging change stage, highlighting the importance of effective change planning. Furthermore, the research articulated some typical mistakes organizations make when implementing change programs. The results also revealed key considerations when preparing for this type of change, which are also presented in the results.
Overall, the research generated new knowledge on environmentally focused sustainability change in organizations, which can help improve the change program success rates.
The purpose of this thesis was to generate knowledge about barriers to environmentally focused sustainability change in organizations from the external change agents’ perspective. Furthermore, the research focused on identifying the key barriers to sustainability change in organizations, match them with the central phases of the change process and develop understanding of common barriers in each phase. The research will provide organizations with more information about potential barrier they might face in each stage, so they can plan resources accordingly. Change stages with several barriers can be considered critical for success, as the risk of failure increases with the number of potential barriers faced during each phase.
The thesis aimed to enhance knowledge about barriers to environmentally focused sustainability change in organizations which can help them prepare for the upcoming change and ultimately increase the likelihood of permanent and successful change. Additionally, the contribution is to document valuable insights from subject experts within academic literature.
The research validated typical organizational change barriers within the environmental sustainability context and identified additional barriers. The research also identified the planning stage as the most challenging change stage, highlighting the importance of effective change planning. Furthermore, the research articulated some typical mistakes organizations make when implementing change programs. The results also revealed key considerations when preparing for this type of change, which are also presented in the results.
Overall, the research generated new knowledge on environmentally focused sustainability change in organizations, which can help improve the change program success rates.