Taking Lead for Sustainability: Environmental Managers as Institutional Entrepreneurs

Pernilla Gluch and Stina Månsson
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Pernilla Gluch: Division of Service Management and Logistics, Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Vera Sandbergs allé 8, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden
Stina Månsson: Division of Service Management and Logistics, Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Vera Sandbergs allé 8, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-18

Abstract: Over the past two decades, sustainability professionals have entered the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. However, little attention has been given to the actual professionalization processes of these and the leadership conducted by them when shaping the pace and direction for sustainable development. With the aim to explore how the role of sustainability professionals develops, critical events affecting everyday sustainability work practices were identified. Based on a phenomenological study with focus on eight experienced environmental managers’ life stories, and by applying the theoretical lens of institutional entrepreneurship, the study displays a professionalization process in six episodes. Different critical events both enabled and disabled environmental managers’ opportunity to engage in institutional entrepreneurship. The findings indicate how agency is closely interrelated to temporary discourses in society; they either serve to support change and create new institutional practices towards enhanced sustainability or disrupt change when agency to act is temporarily “lost”. To manage a continually changing environment, environmental managers adopt different strategies depending on the situated context and time, such as finding ambassadors and interorganizational allies, mobilizing resources, creating organizational structures, and repositioning themselves.

Keywords: professionalization; professional roles; environmental managers; sustainability professionals; institutionalization theory; sustainability; construction; Sweden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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