An inconvenient truth: How organizations translate climate change into business as usual

Wright, Christopher; Nyberg, Daniel

doi:10.5465/amj.2015.0718

Cited by 722Environmental Sustainability in BusinessManagement and Organizational StudiesCorporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability

An inconvenient truth: How organizations translate climate change into business as usual

Wright, Christopher, Nyberg, Daniel·2017·Academy of Management Journal

DOI 10.5465/amj.2015.0718

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Climate change represents the grandest of challenges facing humanity. In the space of two centuries of industrial development, human civilization has changed the chemistry of the atmosphere and oceans, with devastating consequences. Business organizations are central to this challenge, in that they support the production of escalating greenhouse gas emissions but also offer innovative ways to decarbonize our economies. In this paper, we examine how businesses respond to climate change. Based on five in-depth case studies of major Australian corporations over a 10-year period (2005–2015), we identify three key stages in the corporate translation of climate change: framing, localizing, and normalizing. We develop a grounded model that explains how the revolutionary import of grand challenges is converted into the mundane and comfortable concerns of “business as usual.” We find that critique is the major driver of this process by continuously revealing the tensions between the demands of the grand challenge and business imperatives. Our paper contributes to the literature on business and the natural environment by identifying how and why corporate environmental initiatives deteriorate over time. More specifically, we highlight the policy limitations of a reliance on business and market responses to the climate crisis.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.5465/amj.2015.0718

Cites

114 of 114 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Organizations in pursuit of their economic gains have in the past lobbied against carbon emissions initiatives and further delayed constructive action.
“Wright and Nyberg (2017) argue that the organizations in pursuit of their economic gains have in the past lobbied against carbon emissions initiatives and further delayed constructive action.”
From Climate change and COP26: Are digital technologies and information management part of the problem or the solution? An editorial reflection and call to action (2022) · cites this paper as Wright and Nyberg (2017)
Human influence on climate systems is clear and growing.
“These are clear indications that human influence on climate systems is clear and growing (Wright & Nyberg, 2017).”
From Climate change and COP26: Are digital technologies and information management part of the problem or the solution? An editorial reflection and call to action (2022) · cites this paper as Wright & Nyberg, 2017

Untitled work
(1998) · Sage eBooks · Cited by 38,631 · see citing works
Theory Building From Cases: Opportunities And Challenges
Eisenhardt, K. M., & Graebner, M. E. (2007) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2007.24160888 · Cited by 16,670 · see citing works
Dilemmas in a general theory of planning
Rittel, H. W. J., & Webber, M. M. (1973) · Policy Sciences · doi:10.1007/bf01405730 · Cited by 16,338 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Certainly, businesses can successfully engagewith relatively tame environmental problems that are resolvable through technical activities that also support profitability (Rittell & Webber, 1973).”
Background
Toward a New Conception of the Environment-Competitiveness Relationship
Porter, M. E., & Linde, C. V. D. (1995) · Journal of Economic Perspectives · doi:10.1257/jep.9.4.97 · Cited by 13,365 · see citing works
Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive Research: Notes on the Gioia Methodology
Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. (2013) · Organizational Research Methods · doi:10.1177/1094428112452151 · Cited by 13,227 · see citing works
Grounded theory research: Procedures, canons, and evaluative criteria
Corbin, J. M., & Strauss, A. (1990) · Qualitative Sociology · doi:10.1007/bf00988593 · Cited by 11,133 · see citing works
Untitled work
(2007) · London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) · Cited by 9,690 · see citing works
The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review
Stern, N. (2007) · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511817434 · Cited by 8,371 · see citing works
Some elements of a sociology of translation: Domestication of the scallops and the fishermen of St Brieuc Bay
Callon, M. (1984) · The Sociological Review · doi:10.1111/j.1467-954x.1984.tb00113.x · Cited by 7,763 · see citing works
A Natural-Resource-Based View of the Firm
Hart, S. L. (1995) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.1995.9512280033 · Cited by 5,408 · see citing works
A RESOURCE-BASED PERSPECTIVE ON CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE AND PROFITABILITY.
Russo, M. V., & Fouts, P. A. (1997) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.2307/257052 · Cited by 4,817 · see citing works
Climate change 2013 : the physical science basis : Working Group I contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Stocker, T. F. (2013) · Cited by 4,506 · see citing works
WHY COMPANIES GO GREEN: A MODEL OF ECOLOGICAL RESPONSIVENESS.
Bansal, P., & Roth, K. (2000) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.2307/1556363 · Cited by 4,020 · see citing works
A Resource-Based Perspective On Corporate Environmental Performance And Profitability
Russo, M. V., & Fouts, P. A. (1997) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/257052 · Cited by 3,504 · see citing works
Institutional Contradictions, Praxis, and Institutional Change: A Dialectical Perspective
Seo, M., & Creed, W. E. D. (2002) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2002.6588004 · Cited by 2,606 · see citing works
Exploring Paradox: Toward a More Comprehensive Guide
Lewis, M. W. (2000) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2000.3707712 · Cited by 2,562 · see citing works
INSTITUTIONAL EVOLUTION AND CHANGE: ENVIRONMENTALISM AND THE U.S. CHEMICAL INDUSTRY.
Hoffman, A. J. (1999) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.2307/257008 · Cited by 2,406 · see citing works
The Politicization of Climate Change and Polarization in the American Public's Views of Global Warming, 2001–2010
McCright, A. M., & Dunlap, R. E. (2011) · The Sociological Quarterly · doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.2011.01198.x · Cited by 2,340 · see citing works
Grounded Theory in Management Research
Locke, K. (2003) · SAGE Publications Ltd eBooks · doi:10.4135/9780857024428 · Cited by 2,238 · see citing works
MANAGERIAL INTERPRETATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT AS PREDICTORS OF CORPORATE CHOICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY.
Sharma, S. (2000) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.2307/1556361 · Cited by 1,875 · see citing works
Overcoming the tragedy of super wicked problems: constraining our future selves to ameliorate global climate change
Levin, K., Cashore, B. W., Bernstein, S., & Auld, G. A. (2012) · Policy Sciences · doi:10.1007/s11077-012-9151-0 · Cited by 1,844 · see citing works
From smoke and mirrors to walking the talk: Decoupling in the contemporary world
Bromley, P., & Powell, W. W. (2012) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/19416520.2012.684462 · Cited by 1,656 · see citing works
The Means and End of Greenwash
Lyon, T. P., & Montgomery, A. W. (2015) · Organization & Environment · doi:10.1177/1086026615575332 · Cited by 1,636 · cited 2× · see citing works
“A first level of critique in this respect relates to the way in which such initiatives merely provide the appearance of environmental benefit (i.e., “greenwashing”) (Bowen, 2014; Lyon & Montgomery, 2015).”
Background
Toward a Theory of Paradox: A Dynamic equilibrium Model of Organizing
Smith, W. K., & Lewis, M. W. (2011) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2009.0223 · Cited by 1,631 · see citing works
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change
(2018) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change · doi:10.1002/(issn)1757-7799 · Cited by 1,604 · see citing works
Organizational responses to environmental demands: opening the black box
Delmas, M. A., & Toffel, M. W. (2008) · Strategic Management Journal · doi:10.1002/smj.701 · Cited by 1,511 · see citing works
Framing Contests: Strategy Making Under Uncertainty
Kaplan, S. (2008) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.1070.0340 · Cited by 1,195 · see citing works
Contradictions, Dialectics, and Paradoxes in Organizations: A Constitutive Approach
Putnam, L. L., Fairhurst, G. T., & Banghart, S. (2016) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.1080/19416520.2016.1162421 · Cited by 1,116 · see citing works
Contradictions, Dialectics, and Paradoxes in Organizations: A Constitutive Approach
Putnam, L. L., Fairhurst, G. T., & Banghart, S. (2016) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/19416520.2016.1162421 · Cited by 1,116 · see citing works
Responding to public and private politics: corporate disclosure of climate change strategies
Reid, E. M., & Toffel, M. W. (2009) · Strategic Management Journal · doi:10.1002/smj.796 · Cited by 1,093 · see citing works
Travels of Ideas
Czarniawska, B., & Joerges, B. (1996) · De Gruyter eBooks · doi:10.1515/9783110879735.13 · Cited by 1,017 · see citing works
Cognitive Frames in Corporate Sustainability: Managerial Sensemaking with Paradoxical and Business Case Frames
Hahn, T., Preuss, L., Pinkse, J., & FIGGE, F. (2014) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2012.0341 · Cited by 997 · see citing works
The Symbolic Management of Strategic Change: Sensegiving Via Framing and Decoupling
Fiss, P. C., & Zajac, E. J. (2006) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2006.23478255 · Cited by 984 · see citing works
Business sustainability: It is about time
Bansal, P., & DesJardine, M. R. (2014) · Strategic Organization · doi:10.1177/1476127013520265 · Cited by 955 · see citing works
Creating and Capturing Value
McWilliams, A., & Siegel, D. S. (2010) · Journal of Management · doi:10.1177/0149206310385696 · Cited by 941 · see citing works
Discourse and Deinstitutionalization: the Decline of DDT
Maguire, S., & Hardy, C. (2009) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2009.36461993 · Cited by 839 · see citing works
Putting Framing in Perspective: A Review of Framing and Frame Analysis across the Management and Organizational Literature
Cornelissen, J., & Werner, M. (2014) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/19416520.2014.875669 · Cited by 839 · see citing works
Tracing anthropogenic carbon dioxide and methane emissions to fossil fuel and cement producers, 1854–2010
Heede, R. (2013) · Climatic Change · doi:10.1007/s10584-013-0986-y · Cited by 825 · see citing works
Planetary Boundaries: Ecological Foundations for Corporate Sustainability
Whiteman, G., Walker, B., & Perego, P. (2013) · Journal of Management Studies · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01073.x · Cited by 819 · see citing works
Who Sustains Whose Development? Sustainable Development and the Reinvention of Nature
Banerjee, S. B. (2003) · Organization Studies · doi:10.1177/0170840603024001341 · Cited by 785 · see citing works
Trade‐offs in corporate sustainability: you can't have your cake and eat it
Hahn, T., FIGGE, F., Pinkse, J., & Preuss, L. (2010) · Business Strategy and the Environment · doi:10.1002/bse.674 · Cited by 740 · see citing works
Dynamic Decision Making: A Model of Senior Leaders Managing Strategic Paradoxes
Smith, W. K. (2014) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2011.0932 · Cited by 707 · see citing works
Why Companies Go Green: A Model of Ecological Responsiveness
Bansal, P., & Roth, K. (2000) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/1556363 · Cited by 689 · see citing works
Not All Events Are Attended Equally: Toward a Middle-Range Theory of Industry Attention to External Events
Hoffman, A. J., & Ocasio, W. C. (2001) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.12.4.414.10639 · Cited by 687 · see citing works
The Garnaut Climate Change Review: final report.
Garnaut, R. (2008) · Cited by 663 · see citing works
An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
Gore, A. (2006) · Cited by 661 · see citing works
Super Wicked Problems and Climate Change: Restraining the Present to Liberate the Future
Lazarus, R. J. (2008) · Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) · Cited by 638 · see citing works
From Issues to Actions: The Importance of Individual Concerns and Organizational Values in Responding to Natural Environmental Issues
Bansal, P. (2003) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.14.5.510.16765 · Cited by 624 · see citing works
Strategizing in pluralistic contexts: Rethinking theoretical frames
Denis, J., Langley, A., & Rouleau, L. (2007) · Human Relations · doi:10.1177/0018726707075288 · Cited by 612 · see citing works
Exploring the Nature of the Relationship Between CSR and Competitiveness
Vilanova, M., Lozano, J. M., & Arenas, D. (2008) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-008-9812-2 · Cited by 601 · see citing works
INDIVIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE: CHAMPIONING NATURAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN U.S. BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS.
Anderson, L. M., & Bateman, T. S. (2000) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.2307/1556355 · Cited by 593 · see citing works
A Neo‐Gramscian Approach to Corporate Political Strategy: Conflict and Accommodation in the Climate Change Negotiations*
Levy, D. L., & Egan, D. L. (2003) · Journal of Management Studies · doi:10.1111/1467-6486.00361 · Cited by 583 · see citing works
Embracing Tensions in Corporate Sustainability
der Byl, C. A. V., & Slawinski, N. (2015) · Organization & Environment · doi:10.1177/1086026615575047 · Cited by 543 · see citing works
Is the Socially Responsible Corporation a Myth? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Corporate Social Responsibility
Devinney, T. M. (2009) · Academy of Management Perspectives · doi:10.5465/amp.2009.39985540 · Cited by 521 · see citing works
A Discursive Perspective on Legitimation Strategies in Multinational Corporations
Vaara, E., & Tienar, J. (2008) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2008.34422019 · Cited by 501 · see citing works
Book Review
Lounsbury, M. D. (1999) · Administrative Science Quarterly · doi:10.2307/2667042 · Cited by 501 · see citing works
Why do patterns of environmental response differ? A stakeholders' pressure approach
Murillo‐Luna, J. L., Garcés‐Ayerbe, C., & Torres, P. R. (2008) · Strategic Management Journal · doi:10.1002/smj.711 · Cited by 492 · see citing works
Institutionalization, Framing, and Diffusion: The Logic of TQM Adoption and Implementation Decisions among U.S. Hospitals
Kennedy, M., & Fiss, P. C. (2009) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2009.44633062 · Cited by 482 · see citing works
Strategic Cognition and Issue Salience: Toward an Explanation of Firm Responsiveness to Stakeholder Concerns
Bundy, J. N., Shropshire, C., & Buchholtz, A. K. (2012) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2011.0179 · Cited by 476 · see citing works
Means versus ends in opaque institutional fields: Trading off compliance and achievement in sustainability standard adoption
Wijen, F. (2014) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2012.0218 · Cited by 459 · see citing works
Instrumental and Integrative Logics in Business Sustainability
Gao, J., & Bansal, P. (2012) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1245-2 · Cited by 447 · see citing works
Climate Change and Management
Howard-Grenville, J. A., Buckle, S. J., Hoskins, B. J., & George, G. (2014) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2014.4003 · Cited by 439 · see citing works
Beyond ‘dangerous’ climate change: emission scenarios for a new world
Anderson, K. L., & Bows‐Larkin, A. (2010) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences · doi:10.1098/rsta.2010.0290 · Cited by 422 · see citing works
Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity
Hansen, J. E. (2009) · Cited by 404 · see citing works
Constructing a Climate Change Logic: An Institutional Perspective on the “Tragedy of the Commons”
Ansari, S. S., Wijen, F., & Gray, B. (2013) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.1120.0799 · Cited by 396 · see citing works
Four degrees and beyond: the potential for a global temperature increase of four degrees and its implications
New, M. G., Liverman, D. M., Schroder, H., & Anderson, K. (2010) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences · doi:10.1098/rsta.2010.0303 · Cited by 334 · see citing works
The Grammar of Decoupling: A Cognitive-Linguistic Perspective on Firms’ Sustainability Claims and Stakeholders’ Interpretation
Crilly, D., Hansen, M. T., & Zollo, M. (2015) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2015.0171 · Cited by 334 · see citing works
Institutional Evolution and Change: Environmentalism and the U.S. Chemical Industry
Hoffman, A. J. (1999) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/257008 · Cited by 328 · see citing works
The Benefit Corporation and Corporate Social Responsibility
Hiller, J. S. (2012) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1580-3 · Cited by 327 · see citing works
Corporations, Democracy, and the Public Good
Barley, S. R. (2007) · Journal of Management Inquiry · doi:10.1177/1056492607305891 · Cited by 304 · see citing works
The Role of Short-Termism and Uncertainty Avoidance in Organizational Inaction on Climate Change
Slawinski, N., Pinkse, J., Busch, T., & Banerjee, S. B. (2015) · Business & Society · doi:10.1177/0007650315576136 · Cited by 302 · see citing works
The Oxford Handbook of Business and the Natural Environment
(2011) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199584451.001.0001 · Cited by 301 · see citing works
Talking Past Each Other? Cultural Framing of Skeptical and Convinced Logics in the Climate Change Debate
Hoffman, A. J. (2011) · Organization & Environment · doi:10.1177/1086026611404336 · Cited by 296 · see citing works
“Hippies on the third floor”: Climate Change, Narrative Identity and the Micro-Politics of Corporate Environmentalism
Wright, C., Nyberg, D., & Grant, D. (2012) · Organization Studies · doi:10.1177/0170840612463316 · Cited by 295 · see citing works
Self-citation
Corporate Greening as Amoralization
Crane, A. (2000) · Organization Studies · doi:10.1177/0170840600214001 · Cited by 256 · see citing works
Green Business: Technicist Kitsch?
Newton, T., & Harte, G. (1997) · Journal of Management Studies · doi:10.1111/1467-6486.00043 · Cited by 239 · see citing works
Introduction to the Special Research Forum on the Management of Organizations in the Natural Environment: A Field Emerging From Multiple Paths, With Many Challenges Ahead
Starik, M., & Marcus, A. A. (2000) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/1556354 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Climate Change, Capitalism, and Corporations
Wright, C., & Nyberg, D. (2015) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139939676 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Self-citation
Managerial Interpretations and Organizational Context as Predictors of Corporate Choice of Environmental Strategy
Sharma, S. (2000) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/1556361 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Converging Winds: Logic Hybridization in the Colorado Wind Energy Field
York, J. G., Hargrave, T. J., & Pacheco, D. F. (2015) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2013.0657 · Cited by 212 · see citing works
From heresy to dogma: an institutional history of corporate environmentalism
(2002) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.39-5901 · Cited by 211 · see citing works
Multinationals' Political Activities on Climate Change
Kolk, A., & Pinkse, J. (2007) · Business & Society · doi:10.1177/0007650307301383 · Cited by 211 · see citing works
Government failure, rent-seeking, and capture: the design of climate change policy
Helm, D. R. (2010) · Oxford Review of Economic Policy · doi:10.1093/oxrep/grq006 · Cited by 208 · see citing works
Environmental Management as Political Sustainability
Levy, D. L. (1997) · Organization & Environment · doi:10.1177/0921810697102002 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
After Greenwashing
Bowen, F. (2014) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139541213 · Cited by 197 · see citing works
Developing Issue-Selling Effectiveness over Time: Issue Selling as Resourcing
Howard-Grenville, J. A. (2007) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.1070.0266 · Cited by 193 · see citing works
Inside the “Black Box”
Howard-Grenville, J. A. (2006) · Organization & Environment · doi:10.1177/1086026605285739 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
The End of Corporate Social Responsibility: Crisis & Critique
Fleming, P., & Jones, M. (2013) · doi:10.4135/9781446251935 · Cited by 178 · see citing works
It's Not Easy Being Green: The Role of Self-Evaluations in Explaining Support of Environmental Issues
Sonenshein, S. B., DeCelles, K. A., & Dutton, J. E. (2013) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2010.0445 · Cited by 162 · see citing works
Field notes from a catastrophe: man, nature, and climate change
(2006) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.44-2169 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Constructing the Green Manager
Fineman, S. (1997) · British Journal of Management · doi:10.1111/1467-8551.00037 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
Eco-Business
Dauvergne, P., & Lister, J. (2013) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/9203.001.0001 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
In the Name of the Practical: Unearthing the Hegemony of Pragmatics in the Discourse of Environmental Management*
Prasad, P., & Elmes, M. B. (2005) · Journal of Management Studies · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6486.2005.00521.x · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Working with passion: Emotionology, corporate environmentalism and climate change
Wright, C., & Nyberg, D. (2012) · Human Relations · doi:10.1177/0018726712457698 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Self-citation
After greenwashing: symbolic corporate environmentalism and society
(2014) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.185795 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Toward Green Narrative: Management and the Evolutionary Epic
Starkey, K., & Crane, A. (2003) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2003.9416086 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Why Have the Leading Journals in Management (and Other Social Sciences) Failed to Respond to Climate Change?
Goodall, A. H. (2008) · Journal of Management Inquiry · doi:10.1177/1056492607311930 · Cited by 130 · see citing works
Corporate corruption of the environment: sustainability as a process of compromise
Nyberg, D., & Wright, C. (2013) · British Journal of Sociology · doi:10.1111/1468-4446.12025 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Self-citation
How Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate
Hoffman, A. (2020) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.191059 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
2012 Presidential Address—On Compassion In Scholarship: Why Should We Care?
Tsui, A. S. (2013) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2012.0408 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Incorporating citizens: corporate political engagement with climate change in Australia
Nyberg, D., Spicer, A., & Wright, C. (2013) · Organization · doi:10.1177/1350508413478585 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Self-citation
How Corporations Overcome Issue Illegitimacy and Issue Equivocality to Address Social Welfare: The Role of the Social Change Agent
Sonenshein, S. B. (2014) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2013.0425 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Performative and political: Corporate constructions of climate change risk
Nyberg, D., & Wright, C. (2015) · Organization · doi:10.1177/1350508415572038 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Self-citation
The New Corporate Environmentalism and Green Politics
Jermier, J. M., Forbes, L. C., Benn, S., & Orsato, R. J. (2006) · SAGE Publications Ltd eBooks · doi:10.4135/9781848608030.n22 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Creative self-destruction: corporate responses to climate change as political myths
Wright, C., & Nyberg, D. (2013) · Environmental Politics · doi:10.1080/09644016.2013.867175 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Self-citation
Institutional Pressures and Organizational Characteristics: Implications for Environmental Strategy
Delmas, M. A., & Toffel, M. W. (2011) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199584451.003.0013 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Justifying Business Responses to Climate Change: Discursive Strategies of Similarity and Difference
Nyberg, D., & Wright, C. (2012) · Environment and Planning A Economy and Space · doi:10.1068/a44565 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Self-citation
Innovations in Sustainability
Marcus, A. A. (2015) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9781139680820 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Bad News: Murdoch's Australian and the Shaping of the Nation
Manne, R. (2011) · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Retrospective, Perspective, and Prospective: Introduction to the Oxford Handbook on Business and the Natural Environment
Hoffman, A. J., & Bansal, P. (2011) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199584451.003.0001 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Profiting from Environmental Regulatory Uncertainty: Integrated Strategies for Competitive Advantage
Fremeth, A. R., & Richter, B. K. (2011) · California Management Review · doi:10.1525/cmr.2011.54.1.145 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
False Hope
MANN, M. E. (2014) · Scientific American · doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0414-78 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Organizational Culture and Environmental Action
Howard-Grenville, J. A., & Bertels, S. (2011) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199584451.003.0011 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Climate class for business schools
Patenaude, G. (2010) · Nature · doi:10.1038/466030a · Cited by 15 · see citing works

Flagged first, then by citations

Sorted by citations

Digital sustainability and entrepreneurship: How digital innovations are helping tackle climate change and sustainable development
George, G., Merrill, R. K., & Schillebeeckx, S. J. D. (2021) · Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice · doi:10.1177/1042258719899425 · Cited by 1,066 · see citing works
“Recent contributions have focused on resource dependencies and nexus thinking (George et al., 2015; Schillebeeckx et al., 2018), framing (Reinecke & Ansari, 2016 ; Wright & Nyberg, 2017), as well as the pursuit, promise, and limitations of inclusive growth (George et al., 2019; Halme et al., 2012).”
Background
Towards a renaissance in international business research? Big questions, grand challenges, and the future of IB scholarship
Buckley, P. J., Doh, J. P., & Benischke, M. H. (2017) · Journal of International Business Studies · doi:10.1057/s41267-017-0102-z · Cited by 804 · see citing works
Climate change and COP26: Are digital technologies and information management part of the problem or the solution? An editorial reflection and call to action
Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Kar, A. K., Baabdullah, A. M., Grover, P., Abbas, R., Andreini, D., Abumoghli, I., Barlette, Y., Bunker, D., et al. (2022) · International Journal of Information Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102456 · Cited by 761 · see citing works
“Wright and Nyberg (2017) argue that the organizations in pursuit of their economic gains have in the past lobbied against carbon emissions initiatives and further delayed constructive action.”
Background
The Corporate Governance of Environmental Sustainability: A Review and Proposal for More Integrated Research
Aguilera, R. V., Correa, J. A. A., Marano, V., & Tashman, P. (2021) · Journal of Management · doi:10.1177/0149206321991212 · Cited by 522 · see citing works
“Thus far, management scholars have highlighted how corporations are both key sources of environmental degradation and agents for mitigating or solving the “wicked” challenges, like climate change (Hoffman & Jennings, 2018; Howard-Grenville, Buckle, Hoskins, & George, 2014; Wright & Nyberg, 2017).”
The Effects of Mandatory and Voluntary Regulatory Pressures on Firms’ Environmental Strategies: A Review and Recommendations for Future Research
Correa, J. A. A., Marcus, A. A., & Vogel, D. J. (2019) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/annals.2018.0014 · Cited by 489 · see citing works
“However, other studies cast doubt on the relationship between progressive environmental behavior and globalization (e.g., Wright & Nyberg, 2017).”
Metacritiques of Upper Echelons Theory: Verdicts and Recommendations for Future Research
Neely, B. H., Lovelace, J. B., Cowen, A. P., & Hiller, N. J. (2020) · Journal of Management · doi:10.1177/0149206320908640 · Cited by 421 · see citing works
“…Harrison, Thurgood, Boivie, & Pfarrer, 2019; Lovelace, Bundy, Hambrick, & Pollock, 2018) to alternative strategic actions (e.g., Gupta, Briscoe, & Hambrick, 2017; Wright & Nyberg, 2017) to the influence of compensation schemes (e.g., Benischke, Martin, & Glaser, 2019; Hafenbrädl & Waeger, 2016).”
Background
Managing Carbon Aspirations: The Influence of Corporate Climate Change Targets on Environmental Performance
Dahlmann, F., Branicki, L. J., & Brammer, S. J. (2017) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-017-3731-z · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Beyond Good Intentions: Designing CSR Initiatives for Greater Social Impact
Barnett, M. L., Henriques, I., & Husted, B. W. (2020) · Journal of Management · doi:10.1177/0149206319900539 · Cited by 358 · see citing works
“Studies have addressed environmental outcomes, such as changes in toxic (Li & Zhou, 2017) and carbon emissions (Wright & Nyberg, 2017); green innovations (Lampikoski, Westerlund, Rajala, & Moller, 2014); social innovations (Mithani, 2017); and human resource outcomes, such as diversity and gender…”
Background
Enhancing the role of human resource management in corporate sustainability and social responsibility: A multi-stakeholder, multidimensional approach to HRM
Stahl, G. K., Brewster, C. J., Collings, D. G., & Hajro, A. (2020) · Human Resource Management Review · doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2019.100708 · Cited by 502 · see citing works
Climate Change and Society
Dietz, T. M., Shwom, R., & Whitley, C. T. (2020) · Annual Review of Sociology · doi:10.1146/annurev-soc-121919-054614 · Cited by 368 · see citing works
“Wright & Nyberg (2017) provide insights into how the “grand challenge” of climate change is subsumed under business as usual and results in nonradical changes in practices.”
Background
COVID-19, Societalization, and the Future of Business in Society
Brammer, S. J., Branicki, L. J., & Linnenluecke, M. K. (2020) · Academy of Management Perspectives · doi:10.5465/amp.2019.0053 · Cited by 272 · see citing works
Board Sustainability Committees, Climate Change Initiatives, Carbon Performance, and Market Value
Orazalin, N. S., Ntim, C. G., & Malagila, J. K. (2023) · British Journal of Management · doi:10.1111/1467-8551.12715 · Cited by 268 · see citing works
Entrepreneurship for the Public Good: A Review, Critique, and Path Forward for Social and Environmental Entrepreneurship Research
Vedula, S., Doblinger, C., Pacheco, D. F., York, J. G., Bacq, S. C., Russo, M. V., & Dean, T. J. (2021) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/annals.2019.0143 · Cited by 253 · see citing works
(Un)Sustainability and Organization Studies: Towards a Radical Engagement
Ergene, S., Banerjee, S. B., & Hoffman, A. J. (2020) · Organization Studies · doi:10.1177/0170840620937892 · Cited by 247 · see citing works
“Except some exemplary studies that do not adopt a managerial approach (e.g., Beacham, 2018; Wright & Nyberg, 2017; Zietsma & Lawrence, 2010).”
Tackling wicked problems in strategic management with systems thinking
Grewatsch, S., Kennedy, S., & Bansal, P. (2021) · Strategic Organization · doi:10.1177/14761270211038635 · Cited by 252 · see citing works
“Wright and Nyberg (2017) effectively captured feedback effects in a process study of Australian corporations over a 10-year period.”
Background
Adapting to Grand Environmental Challenges Through Collective Entrepreneurship
Doh, J. P., Tashman, P., & Benischke, M. H. (2018) · Academy of Management Perspectives · doi:10.5465/amp.2017.0056 · Cited by 241 · see citing works
Leveraging “Green” Human Resource Practices to Enable Environmental and Organizational Performance: Evidence from the Qatari Oil and Gas Industry
Obeidat, S. M. I., Bakri, A. A. K. A., & Elbanna, S. (2018) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-018-4075-z · Cited by 257 · see citing works
Organizational Learning
Crossan, M. M., Vera, D. M., & Pathak, S. M. (2021) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190090883.003.0026 · Cited by 230 · see citing works
Toward a sustainability organizational culture model
Assoratgoon, W., & Kantabutra, S. (2023) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.136666 · Cited by 281 · see citing works
The private sector’s climate change risk and adaptation blind spots
Goldstein, A., Turner, W. R., Gladstone, J., & Hole, D. G. (2018) · Nature Climate Change · doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0340-5 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
How can research contribute to the implementation of sustainable development goals? An interpretive review of SDG literature in management
Berrone, P., Rousseau, H. E., Ricart, J. E., Ruiz, E. B., & Giuliodori, A. (2023) · International Journal of Management Reviews · doi:10.1111/ijmr.12331 · Cited by 183 · see citing works
Corporate social responsibility and accountability: a new theoretical foundation for regulating CSR
Tamvada, M. (2020) · International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility · doi:10.1186/s40991-019-0045-8 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
From the Editors—Why We Need a Theory of Stakeholder Governance—And Why This is a Hard Problem
Amis, J., Barney, J. B., Mahoney, J. T., & Wang, H. C. (2020) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2020.0181 · Cited by 163 · see citing works
The growth paradox, sustainable development, and business strategy
Edwards, M. (2021) · Business Strategy and the Environment · doi:10.1002/bse.2790 · Cited by 177 · see citing works
“Such logics rationalize global crises into “the mundane and comfortable concerns of ‘business as usual’” (Wright & Nyberg, 2017, p. 1633).”
Background
Defining the Socially Responsible Leader: Revisiting Issues in Responsible Leadership
Waldman, D. A., Siegel, D. S., & Stahl, G. K. (2019) · Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies · doi:10.1177/1548051819872201 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
“In many firms, CSR is still largely decoupled from core business processes and not integrated into the culture (Crilly, Zollo, & Hansen, 2012; Graafland & Smid, 2016; Wright & Nyberg, 2017), playing a predominantly symbolic role.”
Background
Global environmental change II: Political economies of vulnerability to climate change
Barnett, J. (2020) · Progress in Human Geography · doi:10.1177/0309132519898254 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
“Indeed, whereas one might have thought climate change would finally be the issue that leads to a Polanyian countermovement, most responses thus far can be characterised as a simultaneous depoliticisation of the issue and a doubling down of the neoliberal response and its attendant institutions and interests (Manuel-Na…”
Background
The influence of managers' awareness of climate change, perceived climate risk exposure and risk tolerance on the adoption of corporate responses to climate change
Todaro, N., Testa, F., Daddi, T., & Iraldo, F. (2020) · Business Strategy and the Environment · doi:10.1002/bse.2681 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
CSR, financial and non-financial performance in the tourism sector: A systematic literature review and future research agenda
Alatawi, I. A., Ntim, C. G., Zras, A. A., & Elmagrhi, M. (2023) · International Review of Financial Analysis · doi:10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102734 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Climate-Proofing Management Research
Nyberg, D., & Wright, C. (2020) · Academy of Management Perspectives · doi:10.5465/amp.2018.0183 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Self-citation
Building sustainable societies through human-centred human resource management: emerging issues and research opportunities
Cooke, F. L., Dickmann, M., & Parry, E. (2022) · The International Journal of Human Resource Management · doi:10.1080/09585192.2021.2021732 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
“…authors have identified that many companies are engaging in ‘greenwashing’, in essence using corporate communication regarding their social and environmental responsibilities while not actually substantially changing their underlying business models (Crilly et al., 2012; Wright & Nyberg, 2017).”
Background
Translating the Distant into the Present: How actors address distant past and future events through situated activity
Hernès, T., & Schultz, M. (2020) · Organization Theory · doi:10.1177/2631787719900999 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
“…is not only important for a deeper theoretical understanding of the temporal dynamics of organizing; in empirical terms, it brings better understanding of how organizations may be able to sustain focus on their long-term goals, such as those related to climate change (Wright & Nyberg, 2017).”
Background
What Really Explains ESG Performance? Disentangling the Asymmetrical Drivers of the Triple Bottom Line
Crace, L., & Gehman, J. (2022) · Organization & Environment · doi:10.1177/10860266221079408 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
“Future researchers interested in examining factors that impact the degradation of the natural environment such as climate change (Ferraro et al., 2015; Howard-Grenville et al., 2014; Wright & Nyberg, 2017) would be well-served by studying the industry level of analysis.”
Background
Grand Challenges, Covid‐19 and the Future of Organizational Scholarship
Howard-Grenville, J. A. (2020) · Journal of Management Studies · doi:10.1111/joms.12647 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
“Research under the label has proliferated – from topics we would expect like climate change, pollution, and inequality (e.g., Mair et al., 2016; Porter et al., 2020; Wright and Nyberg, 2017), to less expected ones like sport and population health (Inoue et al., 2019).”
Background
System dynamics modelling and simulation for sociotechnical transitions research
Papachristos, G. (2018) · Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions · doi:10.1016/j.eist.2018.10.001 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Grand challenges in management research: Attributes, achievements, and advancement
Brammer, S. J., Branicki, L. J., Linnenluecke, M. K., & Smith, T. M. (2019) · Australian Journal of Management · doi:10.1177/0312896219871337 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
“Watering down (George et al., 2016) occurs when “the revolutionary import of grand challenges is converted into the mundane and comfortable concerns of ‘business as usual’” (Wright and Nyberg, 2017: 1633).”
Background
Developing a gamified mobile application to encourage sustainable energy use in the office
Oppong-Tawiah, D., Webster, J., Staples, D. S., Cameron, A., de Guinea, A. O., & Hung, T. Y. (2018) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.10.051 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
Sustainability leadership: An integrative review and conceptual synthesis
Sajjad, A., Eweje, G., & Raziq, M. M. (2023) · Business Strategy and the Environment · doi:10.1002/bse.3631 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Managing the Anthropocene: Relational Agency and Power to Respect Planetary Boundaries
Heikkurinen, P., Clegg, S. R., Pinnington, A. H., Nicolopoulou, K., & Alcaraz, J. M. M. (2019) · Organization & Environment · doi:10.1177/1086026619881145 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
“…on the “distant stranger” (Dobson, 2006, p. 182), characterized by “cosmopolitanism” (Delanty, 2006, p. 44).4 In their longitudinal case study research, Wright and Nyberg (2017) note though the failure of corporate environmentalism to galvanize Australian firms into a cosmopolitan, collective…”
Background
Corporations, Politics, and Democracy: Corporate political activities as political corruption
Nyberg, D. (2021) · Organization Theory · doi:10.1177/2631787720982618 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
“…that corporations will prioritize public goods over strategic business goals goes against both the theoretical basis of democratic deliberation (Sabadoz & Singer, 2017; Singer & Ron, 2020) and empirical evidence regarding actual corporate engagement (Gilens & Page, 2014; Wright & Nyberg, 2017).”
BackgroundSelf-citation
Board gender diversity, feminine culture, and innovation for environmental sustainability
Bazel‐Shoham, O., Lee, S. M., Munjal, S., & Shoham, A. (2023) · Journal of Product Innovation Management · doi:10.1111/jpim.12672 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Physical climate change exposure and firms' adaptation strategy
Li, X. (2024) · Strategic Management Journal · doi:10.1002/smj.3674 · Cited by 121 · see citing works
“Physical climate change exposures are inherently forward-looking and long-term, surpassing typical managerial and business cycle time frames (Bansal et al., 2018; Carney, 2015; Flammer et al., 2021; Wright & Nyberg, 2017).”
The future of grand challenges research: Retiring a hopeful concept and endorsing research principles
Seelos, C., Mair, J., & Traeger, C. (2022) · International Journal of Management Reviews · doi:10.1111/ijmr.12324 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Overcoming constraints of collective imagination: An inquiry into activist entrepreneuring, disruptive truth-telling and the creation of ‘possible worlds’
Dey, P., & Mason, C. (2018) · Journal of Business Venturing · doi:10.1016/j.jbusvent.2017.11.002 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
“Translation is based on collective narrations, negotiations and mobilizations of eminent actors which build a bridge between possible worlds and actual realities by promoting forms of doing business that help solve societal concerns (Wright and Nyberg, 2017).”
Background
Do financial penalties for environmental violations facilitate improvements in corporate environmental performance? An empirical investigation
Shevchenko, A. (2020) · Business Strategy and the Environment · doi:10.1002/bse.2711 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Promotion or inhibition? Moral norms, anticipated emotion and employee’s pro-environmental behavior
Lu, H., Zou, J., Chen, H., & Long, R. (2020) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120858 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Grand Challenges, Feminist Answers
Benschop, Y. (2021) · Organization Theory · doi:10.1177/26317877211020323 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
“Yet, businesses tend to respond to urgent and increasing ecological crises of global warming, extreme weather, rising sea levels, pollution, extinction and animal-borne diseases by sticking to a business-as-usual approach (Wright & Nyberg, 2017).”
Background
The carbon neutrality principle: A case study in the French spirits sector
Becker, S., Bouzdine‐Chameeva, T., & Jaegler, A. (2020) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122739 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
“While many companies have measured their carbon footprint, the means of compensating or reducing it are still limited (Kolk and Pinkse, 2004; Wright and Nyberg, 2017).”
Climate Decision-Making
Orlove, B., Shwom, R., Markowitz, E. M., & Cheong, S. (2020) · Annual Review of Environment and Resources · doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-012320-085130 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
The impact of greenwashing practices on green employee behaviour: Mediating role of employee value orientation and green psychological climate
Tahir, R., Athar, M. R., & Afzal, A. (2020) · Cogent Business & Management · doi:10.1080/23311975.2020.1781996 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
“…(the misleading information by organizations to portray an environmentally responsible image to the public with false claims) (Francis et al., 2007) on GEB has unclear findings in the literature (Wright & Nyberg, 2017) and the factors affecting their relationship indirectly (Deshwal, 2015).”
Background
How firms realign to tackle the grand challenge of climate change: An innovation ecosystems perspective
Falcke, L., Zobel, A., & Comello, S. D. (2023) · Journal of Product Innovation Management · doi:10.1111/jpim.12687 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Greening competitiveness for hotels and restaurants
Iraldo, F., Testa, F., Lanzini, P., & Battaglia, M. (2017) · Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development · doi:10.1108/jsbed-12-2016-0211 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
“…environment (BNE) grew steadily since the 1990s, with contributions from all business disciplines (Bansal and Hoffman, 2012; Testa et al., 2017; Wright and Nyberg, 2016) and emerging as a response to growing calls for companies to reduce the detrimental impacts of their activities on the…”
Background
Adoption of green innovations by SMEs: an investigation about the influence of stakeholders
Thomas, A., Scandurra, G., & Carfora, A. (2021) · European Journal of Innovation Management · doi:10.1108/ejim-07-2020-0292 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Systems resilience and SME multilevel challenges: A place-based conceptualization of the circular economy
Howard, M. B., Böhm, S., & Eatherley, D. (2022) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.014 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
The role of food packaging design in consumer recycling behavior—a literature review
Nemat, B., Razzaghi, M., Bolton, K., & Rousta, K. (2019) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su11164350 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
The Applicability of Big Data in Climate Change Research: The Importance of System of Systems Thinking
Sebestyén, V., Czvetkó, T., & Abonyi, J. (2021) · Frontiers in Environmental Science · doi:10.3389/fenvs.2021.619092 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
“The complexity of climate issues requires adaptive strategies for public policy (Di Gregorio et al., 2019), actions to incite social behavior (Xie B. et al., 2019), and the development of regulatory and market-simulating responses to economic life (Wright and Nyberg, 2017).”
Background
Clean, low-carbon but corrupt? Examining corruption risks and solutions for the renewable energy sector in Mexico, Malaysia, Kenya and South Africa
Sovacool, B. K. (2021) · Energy Strategy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.esr.2021.100723 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
Temporal interplay between strategy and identity: Punctuated, subsumed, and sustained modes
Schultz, M., & Hernès, T. (2019) · Strategic Organization · doi:10.1177/1476127019843834 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
“, 2016), and even longer-term strategies struggle to include distant events outside of their planning horizon (Wright and Nyberg, 2017).”
Background
Transforming corporate social responsibilities: Toward an intellectual activist research agenda for micro-CSR research
Girschik, V. C., Svystunova, L., & Lysova, E. I. (2020) · Human Relations · doi:10.1177/0018726720970275 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
“In doing so, corporate commitments to tackle climate change were effectively diluted as climate initiatives were realigned ‘with the dominant market discourse of maximizing shareholder value’ (Wright and Nyberg, 2017: 1651).”
BackgroundInfluential
Economic, organizational, and environmental capabilities for business sustainability competence: Findings from case studies in the fashion business
Wong, D., & Ngai, E. W. T. (2021) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.12.060 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Fueling Climate (In)Action: How organizations engage in hegemonization to avoid transformational action on climate change
Ferns, G., & Amaeshi, K. (2019) · Organization Studies · doi:10.1177/0170840619855744 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
“…2010), managerial processes related to short-termism (Lê, 2013), uncertainly avoidance (Slawinski et al., 2017) and translating climate change into everyday business practice (Wright & Nyberg, 2017) are all regarded as exemplar factors that discourage organizations from effective climate action.”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
Same Same but Different: How and Why Banks Approach Sustainability
Zimmermann, S. (2019) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su11082267 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Saving Our Oceans: Scaling the Impact of Robust Action Through Crowdsourcing
Porter, A. J., Tuertscher, P., & Huysman, M. (2019) · Journal of Management Studies · doi:10.1111/joms.12515 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Understanding Green Innovation: A Conceptual Framework
Guinot, J., Abrini, Z. B., & Chiva, R. (2022) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su14105787 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Beyond the discourse of denial: The reproduction of fossil fuel hegemony in Australia
Wright, C., Nyberg, D., & Bowden, V. (2021) · Energy Research & Social Science · doi:10.1016/j.erss.2021.102094 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Self-citation
Organization and Time
Hernès, T. (2022) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780192894380.001.0001 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
MNE responses to carbon pricing regulations: Theory and evidence
Nippa, M., Patnaik, S., & Taussig, M. D. (2021) · Journal of International Business Studies · doi:10.1057/s41267-021-00403-8 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Decision-Making Options for Managing Risk
(IPCC), I. P. O. C. C. (2023) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781009325844.026 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Catalyzing Action on Social and Environmental Challenges: An Integrative Review of Insider Social Change Agents
Heucher, K., Alt, E. D. R., Soderstrom, S. B., Scully, M. A., & Glavas, A. (2024) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/annals.2022.0205 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Shared Responsibility for Societal Problems: The Role of Internal Activists in Reframing Corporate Responsibility
Girschik, V. (2020) · Business & Society · doi:10.1177/0007650318789867 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
“Hence, the purpose of their activism may dilute when internal activists become absorbed into the corporate machinery (Wright & Nyberg, 2017).”
Background
Threat or shield: Environmental administrative penalties and corporate greenwashing
Zhou, K., Qu, Z. H., Liang, J. N., Tao, Y., & Zhu, M. (2024) · Finance research letters · doi:10.1016/j.frl.2024.105031 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Decoupling from Moral Responsibility for CSR: Employees' Visionary Procrastination at a SME
Sendlhofer, T. (2019) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-019-04174-z · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Exploring Organizational Sustainability: Themes, Functional Areas, and Best Practices
Nawaz, W., & Koç‬, M. (2019) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su11164307 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
“The ‘principles of benchmarking’ is superior to other frameworks used fo identifying organizational best practices (such as European Foundation for Quality Managemen model, criteria for B ldrige Performanc Excellence Program, and APQC’s and PricewaterhouseCoopers’ ocess Classificati n Framework) for two main reasons:…”
MethodInfluential
Paradox Peers: A Relational Approach to Navigating a Business–Society Paradox
Pamphile, V. D. (2021) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2019.0616 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
The Value Relevance of Corporate Investment in Carbon Abatement: The Influence of National Climate Policy
He, R., Luo, L., Shamsuddin, A. F. M., & Tang, Q. (2021) · European Accounting Review · doi:10.1080/09638180.2021.1916979 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
“Our findings suggest that having a lack of shareholder support might be one reason why managers are not willing to commit to climate change mitigation schemes (Wright & Nyberg, 2017).”
Background
Double Weaving: A Bottom-Up Process of Connecting Locations and Scales to Mitigate Grand Challenges
Chatterjee, A., Ghosh, A., & Leca, B. L. (2022) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2019.1348 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Climate Change Is Not a Problem: Speculative Realism at the End of Organization
Campbell, N., McHugh, G., & Ennis, P. J. (2018) · Organization Studies · doi:10.1177/0170840618765553 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Organizations, Social Problems, and System Change: Invigorating the Third Mandate of Organizational Research
Mair, J., & Seelos, C. (2021) · Organization Theory · doi:10.1177/26317877211054858 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“Examples include the refugee crisis (Kornberger, Leixnering, Meyer, & Höllerer, 2018), natural disaster (Williams & Shepherd, 2016), global health (Vakili & McGahan, 2016), climate change (Wright & Nyberg, 2017) and inequality in rural India in our own study (Mair et al., 2016).”
Background
Unlocking innovation for net zero: constraints, enablers, and firm-level transition strategies
Pinkse, J., Demirel, P., & Marino, A. (2023) · Industry and Innovation · doi:10.1080/13662716.2023.2269112 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
“As net-zero innovation involves a significant departure from business-as-usual (Wright and Nyberg 2017), most firms’ internal knowledge will fall short of inducing the required levels and types of innovations.”
BackgroundInfluential
Future business and the role of purchasing and supply management: Opportunities for ‘business-not-as-usual’ PSM research
Knight, L. A., Tate, W. L., Carnovale, S., Mauro, C. D., Bals, L., Caniato, F. F. A., Gualandris, J., Johnsen, T., Matopoulos, A., Meehan, J., et al. (2022) · Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management · doi:10.1016/j.pursup.2022.100753 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Do Environmental Transformational Leadership Predicts Organizational Citizenship Behavior towards Environment in Hospitality Industry: Using Structural Equation Modelling Approach
Gurmani, J. K., Khan, N. U., Khalique, M., Yasir, M. U., Obaid, A., & Sabri, N. A. A. (2021) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su13105594 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Transnational corporations, biosphere stewardship, and sustainable futures
Österblom, H., Bebbington, J., Blasiak, R., Sobkowiak, M., & Folke, C. (2022) · Annual Review of Environment and Resources · doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-120120-052845 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Can multinational companies foster institutional change and sustainable development in emerging countries? A case study
Forcadell, F. J., & Aracil, E. (2019) · Business Strategy & Development · doi:10.1002/bsd2.45 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Organizing dissonance through institutional work: The embedding of social and environmental accountability in an investment field
Clune, C., & O’Dwyer, B. (2020) · Accounting Organizations and Society · doi:10.1016/j.aos.2020.101130 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Temporal Orientation and Corporate Social Responsibility: Global Evidence
Choi, J. J., Kim, J., & Shenkar, O. (2022) · Journal of Management Studies · doi:10.1111/joms.12861 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Does national ESG performance curb greenhouse gas emissions?
Long, H., & Feng, G. (2024) · Innovation and Green Development · doi:10.1016/j.igd.2024.100138 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Firms’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
Klöckner, M., Schmidt, C. G., Wagner, S. M., & Swink, M. L. (2023) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113664 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
“To the contrary, other, even more scarce, global crises do not originate from a specific region at a discrete point of time, but are globally present, such as the climate crisis (e.g., Reid & Toffel, 2009; Wright & Nyberg, 2017) (i.e., cause contagion).”
Inconceivable! Possibilistic thinking and the sociocognitive underpinnings of entrepreneurial responses to grand challenges
Grimes, M. G., & Vogus, T. J. (2021) · Organization Theory · doi:10.1177/26317877211005780 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
“Wright and Nyberg (2017), for example, document how ostensibly revolutionary aims regarding climate change and corporate environmental practice often get diluted by more pragmatic concerns, thereby encouraging a reversion to business as usual.”
Background
From efficiency‐driven to low‐carbon operations management: Implications for labor productivity
Sartal, A., Méndez, M. R., & Vázquez, X. H. (2019) · Journal of Operations Management · doi:10.1002/joom.1060 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Green office buildings and sustainability: Does green human resource management elicit green behaviors?
Parida, S., Ananthram, S., Chan, C., & Brown, K. A. (2021) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129764 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Carbon neutrality: Operations management research opportunities
Zhang, Q., Wong, C. W. Y., & Klassen, R. D. (2024) · Journal of Operations Management · doi:10.1002/joom.1303 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
The carbon footprint of a knowledge organization and emission scenarios for a post-COVID-19 world
Geneidy, S. E., Baumeister, S., Govigli, V. M., Orfanidou, T., & Wallius, V. (2021) · Environmental Impact Assessment Review · doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2021.106645 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
“Wright and Nyberg (2017) see a central role for organizations, in particular.”
Strategic Responses to Grand Challenges: Why and How Corporations Build Community Resilience
Hamann, R., Makaula, L., Ziervogel, G., Shearing, C. D., & Zhang, A. L. (2019) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-019-04345-y · Cited by 62 · see citing works
The Role of Share Repurchases for Firms’ Social and Environmental Sustainability
Vaupel, M., Bendig, D., Fischer, D., & Brettel, M. (2022) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-022-05076-3 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“Greenwashing occurs if “initiatives merely provide the appearance of environmental benefit” (Wright & Nyberg, 2017, p. 1635).”
Background
Qualification as corporate activism: How Swedish apparel retailers attach circular fashion qualities to take-back systems
Corvellec, H., & Stål, H. I. (2019) · Scandinavian Journal of Management · doi:10.1016/j.scaman.2019.03.002 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
“We Can’t Compete on Human Rights”: Creating Market-Protected Spaces to Institutionalize the Emerging Logic of Responsible Management
Schüßler, E., Lohmeyer, N., & Ashwin, S. (2022) · Academy of Management Journal · doi:10.5465/amj.2020.1614 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Projects as interventions
Whyte, J. K., & Mottee, L. K. (2022) · International Journal of Project Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2022.10.007 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Tailor-to-Target: Configuring Collaborative Shareholder Engagements on Climate Change
Slager, R. C., Chuah, K., Gond, J., Furnari, S., & Homanen, M. (2023) · Management Science · doi:10.1287/mnsc.2023.4806 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Corporations and climate change: An overview
Wright, C., & Nyberg, D. (2024) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change · doi:10.1002/wcc.919 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“One key avenue of corporate attention in responding to the climate challenge was improved eco-efficiency as a means of not only reducing a corporation's carbon footprint but also improving productivity and profitability (Dauvergne & Lister, 2013; Esty & Winston, 2006).”
InfluentialSelf-citation
Challenges in delivering climate change policy through land use targets for afforestation and peatland restoration
Brown, I. M. (2020) · Environmental Science & Policy · doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2020.02.013 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“Growth in such schemes has, however, stimulated concerns regarding ‘greenwashing’, implying implementation is mainly symbolic and not robust enough to deliver timely decarbonisation (e.g. Polonsky et al., 2010; Wright and Nyberg, 2017).”
Background
Measuring corporate Paris Compliance using a strict science-based approach
Rekker, S. A. C., Ives, M. C., Wade, B., Webb, L., & Greig, C. R. (2022) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-022-31143-4 · Cited by 58 · see citing works

Authors: Wright, C., & Nyberg, D.
Affiliations: The University of Sydney (AU)
University of Newcastle Australia (AU)
ORCID: Wright, Christopher
Nyberg, Daniel
Venue: Academy of Management Journal
Publisher: Academy of Management
Published: 2017-10
Volume: 60
Issue: 5
Pages: 1633-1661
ISSN: 0001-4273 (ISSN-L)
1948-0989
DOI: 10.5465/amj.2015.0718
OpenAlex: W2549987064
Semantic Scholar: f20571a311cc9d7c403c5b9b4f78e7152df3c73f
Cited by: 722
References: 111
Citations by year: 2026: 106 · 2025: 114 · 2024: 96 · 2023: 102 · 2022: 96 · 2021: 63 · 2020: 65 · 2019: 55 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 7 · 2013: 1
FWCI: 54.66
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Academy of Management Journal (publishedVersion)
Figshare (submittedVersion)
Malmö University Publications (Malmö University) (submittedVersion)
NOVA (University of Newcastle Australia) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Environmental Sustainability in Business
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management and Organizational Studies
Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability
Keywords: climate change, corporate climate action, business as usual, corporate environmental initiatives, framing, localization, normalization, societal challenges, critique, greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonization, Australian firms, corporate environmental policy

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

An inconvenient truth: How organizations translate climate change into business as usual

Abstract

Integrity signals

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Cites

Cited by

Related

Record

About these checks