Sustainability management for market and societal transformations
Key Subject Area “Companies as drivers of sustainability transformations: Creating positive sustainability impact in markets and for society”
Companies are not only the source of environmental and social problems – they are also key players in solving them. In our research area, we investigate how organizations can drive and shape market and societal transformations beyond their organizational boundaries. Our work spans how companies are embedded in broader societal and regulatory systems, how firms build strategies and partnerships to respond to sustainability pressures, and how thinking and actions of managers and employees translate these efforts into everyday practices.
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Our Goal
Our KSA is dedicated to advancing scholarly and practical understanding of how companies act as drivers for sustainability transformations. Entrepreneurship, change agency, and digitalization are critical elements of this transformation – within companies and beyond, from the mindsets and actions of individual managers and employees to the strategies and structures of entire organizations. Rooted in this, our goal is to create academic and practical approaches that support companies in accelerating and deepening their transition toward sustainable business models and practices.
The Challenge
Sustainability transformations require profound changes in corporate cultures, decision-making processes, and business models. Many organizations face the challenge of balancing profit goals with environmental and societal responsibilities. This challenge is intensifying as geopolitical tensions rise, democratic institutions face pressure, and artificial intelligence reshape governance capacities, reliance on state-led regulation alone may not be enough to sustain momentum on sustainability. In this context, a clear and robust business case for sustainability becomes pivotal to keeping societal commitment to sustainable development alive. At the same time, digital technologies add complexity of their own: they offer potential but also carry risks. We examine how companies can fulfill their responsibilities while simultaneously fostering innovation, even as external pressure fluctuates.
Our Approach
We position ourselves at the intersection of sustainability management, management andentrepreneurship research, organizational and economic psychology, and digital transformation studies. Our research agenda spans several interconnected themes: what sustainability transformation means in corporate and entrepreneurial contexts; how digitalization both enables and complicates sustainability efforts; how companies may foster sustainable consumption behavior, how sustainability mindsets develop and empower change agents; and how we translate these insights into concrete interventions and solutions. Together with stakeholders from business and academia, we explore how pioneers and incumbents can strengthen their role as change agents and pave the way for a sustainable economy – from developing sustainability mindsets to leveraging digital tools.
Affiliated researchers
In addition, Prof. Dr. Steffen Farny, Prof. Dr. Stefanie Habersang, Prof. Dr. Ulf Hahnel, Prof. Dr. Elke Schüssler and Prof. Dr. Roman Trötschel take part as associated researchers and doctoral supervisors.
The doctoral researchers in the key subject area include Alejandra Bazoberry, Judith Castellanos, Samuel Eyison, Sofie Halfmann, Maureen Schulze, Laura Hetzler, Ester Prah Koti, Viviane Kowsche and Gyde Wollesen, who are also participating in the “Embracing Transformation” doctoral program.
Researchers from the School of Sustainability and the School of Management & Technology are active in the key subject area Companies as Drivers of Sustainability Transformations. They work closely with their colleagues from the Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM) and the Leuphana Innovation Community Sustainable Production.
The key subject area is part of the Embracing Transformation program, which is funded by the Strategic Development of Potential initiative of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) and the Volkswagen Foundation.
