ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we conceptualize the essential aspects of organizations that have the idea of sustainability at the core of their identities. Sustainability is a multifaceted concept that presumes a dynamic balance among economic, environmental, and social goals. This sort of balance is admittedly difficult to achieve—for most organizations today it is more an aspiration than a reality and will require a shift in, and possibly even a thorough reconsideration of, current beliefs, values, and practices. Sweeping change of this nature is far more likely to take hold and become permanent when new thinking and acting express a deeply held commitment to sustainability on the part of the organization. In other words, an enduring shift toward sustainable organizational practice requires that sustainability become a fundamental, indispensable part of an organization’s identity. As we will explain, we view an organizational identity that is sincerely sustainability focused as one that has an important element of a positive identity, in terms of the content and structure of that identity, as well as the outcomes that it engenders.
