Sustainable Leadership for Sustainable Corporations

Yasin Barut; Meltem Onay

Sustainable Leadership for Sustainable Corporations

Year 2017, Volume: 3 Issue: 3, 399 - 408, 01.09.2017

Abstract

Today, when sustainability is important for all companies, sustainable leaders are needed to provide sustainability at the firm. As a concept, sustainability contains themes of economic development, social development, and protection of the environment. Corporate sustainability states that it executes economic, social and environmental responsibilities of enterprises in an integrated manner; establishes a balance between these areas of responsibility and to be sustainable in these dimensions. It emphasizes that institutions should focus on long-term gains rather than short-term. A sustainable leader is someone who shares responsibility for the prevention of unnecessary consumption of human and financial resources and prevention of negative damage to the social environment (Hargreaves and Fink, 2003, p.3). Sustainable leaders acknowledge that individuals will create future together by seeing, understanding and interacting (Ferdig, 2007, p. 32). “A sustainability leader is someone who inspires and supports action towards a better world.” The Sustainability Leadership Institute’s (2011) offers another definition, suggesting that sustainability leaders are “individuals who are compelled to make a difference by deepening their awareness of themselves with the world around them. In doing so, they adopt new ways of seeing, thinking and interacting that result in innovative, sustainable solutions.” For sustainable leadership, not only is discourse necessary, but it also requires harmonious behavior. Sustainable leadership is more than what a leader does; it is about how they are understood by others. Leaders should both demonstrate personal intention, and behave in an observable way . Sustainability of Corporation enables the growth of corporations, attracts capital, positions the brand, and makes the brand preferred, increasing loyalty of existing customers. To achieve this, the sustainable leader is needed. The purpose of this research is to examine the Sustainability Leadership Model as identified by the Cambridge Sustainability Leadership Institute, on managers working at NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) in Izmir/Turkey. Research data will be analyzed to identify characteristics of managers who seek corporate sustainability and identify those which are absent. Data collection will occur using a survey form among indispensable conditions of "Sustainable Leadership"; the external and internal context for leadership traits, styles, skills and knowledge of the individual leader; and leadership action. Business owners are required to indicate characteristics that they think they have. Survey results, applied to 50 business people, will be evaluated by computer and interpreted as statistical data. The results show that it is quite a remarkable study, regarding how "sustainable leader" are perceived based on the characteristics identified within the sampling group throughout İzmir. This research also provides indicators as to what kind of leadership qualities need to be present or developed to lead companies towards "sustainable corporations"

Keywords

Keywords: Sustainable Leadership, Sustainable Corporations, Sustainable Leadership Mode

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