Rainbow Wash or Rainbow Revolution? Dynamic Stakeholder Engagement for SDG-Driven Responsible Innovation

Leopoldo Gutierrez (), Ivan Montiel (), Jordi A. Surroca () and Josep A. Tribo ()
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Leopoldo Gutierrez: University of Granada
Ivan Montiel: The City University of New York
Jordi A. Surroca: University of Liverpool Management School
Josep A. Tribo: Stevens Institute of Technology

Journal of Business Ethics, 2022, vol. 180, issue 4, No 10, 1113-1136

Abstract: Abstract The United Nations’ increasing involvement in global sustainability culminated in 2015 with the release of the 2030 Agenda. This agenda puts businesses in the spotlight, and their innovation and stakeholder partnering activities are portrayed as essential strategies for achieving an ambitious set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this study, we identify six distinct dynamic stakeholder engagement strategies—resilient specialists, opportunity explorers, uncommitted diversifiers, rainbow warriors, rainbow washers, and progressive learners—and distinguish two approaches to innovate, depending on the range of SDG targets aimed to achieve simultaneously. On the one hand, for firms that take a narrow approach intended to achieve a reduced set of SDG targets, we predict that successful dynamic stakeholder engagement strategies are those that end up with an intensive collaboration with a reduced number of stakeholder groups. On the other hand, for firms adopting a broad innovation approach to satisfy a wide set of SDG targets, we predict that successful dynamic stakeholder engagement strategies are those that end up interacting with a wide number of stakeholder groups. Longitudinal analysis of more than 3900 Spanish firms supports our predictions and suggests clear implications for responsible innovation research and the advancement of sustainable development through collaboration.

Keywords: Responsible innovation; Stakeholder engagement; Sustainable Development Goals; Sustainability; Grand challenges; Innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-022-05190-2

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