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Understanding the Role of Courage and Phronesis in the Strategy Work of Sustainability Professionals

Igor Pyrko, Gary Burke, Bimal Arora, Divya Jyoti, Omid Omidvar

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference Contribution (Conference Proceeding)

    Abstract

    Scholars have turned their attention to the notion of ‘radical sustainability’, which entails reorganizing organizations around sustainable values rather than treating sustainability as an add-on to ‘business as usual’. Calls for radical sustainability are seen as urgent in the turbulent world affected by grand challenges and wicked problems. However, the implementation of sustainability strategies is obstructed by tensions with mainstream strategies traditionally concerned with efficiency and profitability. We argue that these tensions can be unpacked and understood better by investigating sustainability professionals’ courage as everyday experience, which they must have and employ to carry on with their strategy work. Building on MacIntyre's virtue ethics, we present courage as a ‘virtue’ requiring delicate balancing acts through practical judgements and fine sensing of the situations for the right moment to push the sustainability agenda forward incrementally. Such practical judgments, we argue, are affected by the multi-stakeholder interests and pressures as well as internal mainstream business priorities that complexify sustainability professionals’ work.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationAcademy of Management Proceedings
    PublisherAcademy of Management
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 6 Jul 2022

    Publication series

    Name
    ISSN (Print)0065-0668
    ISSN (Electronic)2151-6561

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