Leadership for Sustainable Management Systems: A Qualitative Study of ESG-Oriented Organizational Change
Keywords:
Sustainable leadership, ESG, organizational change, management systems, qualitative research, sustainabilityAbstract
This study aimed to explore how organizational leaders support ESG-oriented change by embedding sustainability principles into management systems, decision routines, stakeholder relations, and organizational culture. This qualitative study employed an exploratory thematic design based on semi-structured interviews with 22 managers, executives, sustainability officers, and organizational development specialists working in Tehran-based firms undergoing ESG-oriented organizational change. Participants were selected through purposive sampling according to direct experience with sustainability, ESG implementation, governance reform, environmental initiatives, social responsibility programs, or management-system redesign. Interviews lasted between 45 and 75 minutes and continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. NVivo software was used to organize transcripts, code textual data, compare emerging categories, and support systematic theme development. Trustworthiness was strengthened through member checking, peer review of codes, reflexive memo writing, and maintenance of an audit trail. Five main categories were identified: strategic translation of ESG into organizational purpose, embedding sustainability accountability into management systems, stakeholder-oriented sensemaking and participation, development of ESG-related capabilities and data infrastructures, and leadership navigation of tensions, resistance, and authenticity gaps. Participants emphasized that ESG-oriented change was most effective when leaders moved sustainability beyond symbolic reporting and linked it to strategy, performance indicators, operational routines, employee participation, and long-term risk management. The findings suggest that leadership for sustainable management systems requires a combination of strategic vision, ethical accountability, systems thinking, stakeholder engagement, and disciplined implementation. ESG-oriented change becomes organizationally meaningful when leaders convert sustainability commitments into everyday managerial practices, measurable responsibilities, learning mechanisms, and participatory cultures. The study contributes to sustainability leadership and organizational change literature by explaining how ESG becomes embedded in management systems rather than remaining a peripheral compliance agenda.
Downloads
References
AlNuaimi, B. K., Singh, S. K., Ren, S., Budhwar, P., & Vorobyev, D. (2022). Mastering digital transformation: The nexus between leadership, agility, and digital strategy. Journal of Business Research, 145, 636–648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.038
Berghaus, S., & Back, A. (2016). Stages in digital business transformation: Results of an empirical maturity study. Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems Proceedings, 22.
Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O. A., Pavlou, P. A., & Venkatraman, N. V. (2013). Digital business strategy: Toward a next generation of insights. MIS Quarterly, 37(2), 471–482. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2013/37:2.3
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. (2013). Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive research: Notes on the Gioia methodology. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), 15–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428112452151
Kallio, H., Pietilä, A. M., Johnson, M., & Kangasniemi, M. (2016). Systematic methodological review: Developing a framework for a qualitative semi-structured interview guide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(12), 2954–2965. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13031
Kane, G. C., Palmer, D., Phillips, A. N., Kiron, D., & Buckley, N. (2015). Strategy, not technology, drives digital transformation. MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte University Press.
Kane, G. C., Palmer, D., Phillips, A. N., Kiron, D., & Buckley, N. (2017). Achieving digital maturity. MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte University Press.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
Mihardjo, L. W. W., Sasmoko, Alamsjah, F., & Elidjen. (2019). Digital leadership role in developing business model innovation and customer experience orientation in Industry 4.0. Management Science Letters, 9(11), 1749–1762. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.6.015
Nambisan, S., Lyytinen, K., Majchrzak, A., & Song, M. (2017). Digital innovation management: Reinventing innovation management research in a digital world. MIS Quarterly, 41(1), 223–238. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2017/41:1.03
Proksch, D., Rosin, A. F., Stubner, S., & Pinkwart, A. (2024). The influence of a digital strategy on the digitalization of new ventures: The mediating effect of digital capabilities and a digital culture. Journal of Small Business Management, 62(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2021.1883036
Teece, D. J. (2007). Explicating dynamic capabilities: The nature and microfoundations of sustainable enterprise performance. Strategic Management Journal, 28(13), 1319–1350. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.640
Uhl-Bien, M., & Arena, M. (2018). Leadership for organizational adaptability: A theoretical synthesis and integrative framework. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(1), 89–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2017.12.009
Verhoef, P. C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Qi, J., Fabian, N., & Haenlein, M. (2021). Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 122, 889–901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022
Vial, G. (2019). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(2), 118–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003
Warner, K. S. R., & Wäger, M. (2019). Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation: An ongoing process of strategic renewal. Long Range Planning, 52(3), 326–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.12.001
Westerman, G., Bonnet, D., & McAfee, A. (2014). Leading digital: Turning technology into business transformation. Harvard Business Review Press.
