An Examination of Sustainable Leadership in the Modern Organization

This essay delves into the concept of sustainable leadership within organizational contexts. It begins with an executive summary highlighting the importance of sustainable development and leadership in fostering change and innovation. The introduction defines sustainable leadership, emphasizing long-term planning and the integration of environmental, social, and financial performance. The discussion section explores globalization's impact on organizations and the need for strategies to address environmental and social challenges. The essay then examines the qualitative aspects of sustainable development and the crucial role of leadership in achieving it. It identifies key theories, models, and concepts, discussing their application and implementation within organizations. It also addresses the importance of economic stability, social systems, and ethical considerations. The methods and forces of change are analyzed, emphasizing individual, organizational, and social responsibilities. The conclusion underscores the significance of sustainable leadership in navigating environmental and societal challenges, advocating for a balanced approach that prioritizes logic, awareness, and humanity. The essay provides a comprehensive overview of the subject matter and its implications for organizational success.

Running head: SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP IN ORGANIZATIONS
Sustainable Leadership in Organizations
Name of the Student:
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Executive Summary
The aim of this report is to analyze the importance of sustainable development and leadership. It
has been proved to be effective in bringing change and innovation in an organization, in the
contemporary society. The focus has been on the applications and aspects of sustainable
leadership style. The way it can be implemented to achieve effective results has also been
discussed.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Sustainability and its importance.................................................................................................4
Methods and Forces of Change...................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
Sustainable leadership means developing long term plans and looking beyond the
immediate present and work together to achieve success through environmental, social and
financial performances. The leaders set strategies in order to achieve improved results. They
identify the need to plan for the long term benefits and create sustainable future (Antonakis and
Day 2017). Therefore, the employees and stakeholders who are involved are involved and
channelized to be more interested, dedicated and add value to the work they do, in order to meet
the standards of work. The employees and stakeholders become accountable for the work that
they do and concern themselves about the profit of the organization. It is a collective process as
everyone contributes with their efforts in the process of sustainable development of the
organization.
Discussion
Globalization has reshaped world’s economy. It has posed newer challenges to the
organizations and governments of several countries. The business communities have witnessed
major changes in the sector and tried to cope up with the changing needs of the society and the
industry by developing newer and contemporary mechanism to benefit the organization and
sustain the changes (Carayannis, Sindakis and Walter 2015). The gradually changing scenario of
the environment, decreasing natural resources, increasing rate of pollution are of great
significance and must be paid attention to such changes. Therefore, the organizations need to
devise strategies in order to address the problems which are faced globally. These issues are to

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be acknowledged with pro-active measures in order to protect the environment from further
decline. An organization, therefore, should set resolutions to deal with the social, economic and
financial issues which are dominant forces of change (Gerard, McMillan and D’Annunzio-Green
2017). The organizations contribute to the degrading condition of the society and environment
for which they need to be cautious about. These do not only mean taking actions within the
organizational limits but also areas which lie outside its boundaries.
Sustainability and its importance
There are varying aspects based on which sustainable development and its qualitative
sides such as institutional, ecological, political, ethical, social and economic aspects are assessed.
The organizations often tend to pay attention to the aspects which benefit them whereas neglect
the ones which are not directly associated with their operation (Epstein 2018). These include the
ecological, ethical and social aspects, primarily. Sustainability and leadership goes hand in hand.
A leader without vision can be catastrophic in nature. Thus, it is very important to identify the
long term prospects and hence plan accordingly. It is very necessary to understand that this is not
merely the possibilities which are explained through theory but it is mandatory for the
organizations of the contemporary world (Sroufe 2017). The problems arise when the
organizations are not adequately informed about the concepts of sustainable development and
therefore undervalue its application in the organizations of the contemporary world.
The intensity of change which can be implemented in an organization are measured
through development indicators. These include parameters which are measureable and help in
defining economic, ecological and social stability (Nawaz and Koc 2018). The organization
needs to assess the areas and prioritize which section of the organization needs change and
development in the first place. The implementation of innovative ideas can help in improving the

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organizational structure as well contribute to the country’s development. In order to bring change
and reach sustainability in an organization, it is required to develop strategies and engage in
activities which will help in attaining the desired results (Di Fabio 2015). It is, thus essential to
recognize the areas of strengths and weaknesses and address them according to the needs and
plans. To proceed with the execution, an organization must lay out a plan of action which is
easily understood by the employees and all stakeholders associated with the organization. It also
require proper evaluation and monitoring whether the plan of action is being followed in order to
attain sustainability or not. Different organization need different set of understanding and
planning in order to address and attain sustainability (Horak, Arya and Ismail 2018). The plan
must also include a proposed tenure in which sustainability can be achieved. It is a dynamic
process which ensures balance between community and social groups with the organizations
which help in achieving stability through the future generations.
Methods and Forces of Change
The leaders who devise strategies to address the need for sustainable development must
the importance of economic stability. The companies need to understand the ability of the
organization to invest and innovate according to the shifting conditions of the industry (Peterlin,
Pearse and Dimovski 2015). However, it should be ensured that the economic aspects of an
organization should create a balance with the ecological aspects. It should not engage in
developments just to make profits which can have hazardous effects on the ecology and
environment. An organization should also aim at achieving stability in the social system and
industry. It should aim that the development plan should preserve equality, employment
opportunities, participation of employees in the process of decision making, engaging with
consumers through social networking, preservation of culture and ethics and ensuring that there

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is no destructive or catastrophic effect on society (Bendell, Sutherland and Little 2017). In order
to emerge as a successful organization, human rights, values of sustainability, ethical
considerations must be prioritized. In order to develop a sustainable style of leadership and
development in an organization, the forces of sustainability must be addressed, which will strike
a balance between environment and development which is intended.
The methods which can be followed in order to bring change in an organization, requires
an understanding of responsibility. The responsibilities which must be addressed and understood
include individual, organizational, social and concerning groups who are involved (Schelitzki et
al. 2017). The reactions and attitudes to changes and development must be corrected and
directed towards the right way. The employees should be motivated to put in their best efforts
and therefore be loyal to the organization. Loyalty is a two-way road, which should also be
ensured by the organization towards the employees and stakeholders. Employees should be
protected through measures and encouraged to perform better by giving them rights to avail
benefits and incentives. The employees should also be motivated to address change think in
terms of sustainability and stability of the organization, society and environment (Tabassi et al.
2016). The organization should also focus on promoting stories and ceremonies which are related
to the plan and promote values which are linked to their development. It is most essential to have
a clear objective and vision to bring change and sustainability through their approach. A clear
vision and objective and maintaining honesty and transparency with the employees makes it
certain for an organization to being change and reach success simultaneously. It should also be
ensured to engage employees and stakeholders alike in common efforts and initiatives in order to
develop a sense of belongingness and accountability.

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These steps helps in bringing a change in the structure and system of the organization. It
also ensures an effective development plan which is environment friendly and favorable with the
societal and cultural values (Bryson 2018). Sustainable leadership helps an organization build
good reputation in the industry and society and contribute in the growth of the company.
Therefore, build a relation which is sustainable in nature with the environment and market.
Conclusion
There are factors of development which pose threat to the environment and society,
therefore, it is important to address the changing needs of the society with a sustainable approach
of leadership and development. A leader can make and break an organization. It can see newer
heights of success and hit deeper lows of going out of market as well. Therefore it is very
important to understand the changing needs of the environment and embrace individual and
collective change. This helps to improve the organization and society both. Logic, awareness and
humanity must be prioritized while developing model for change and innovation.

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References
Antonakis, J. and Day, D.V. eds., 2017. The nature of leadership. Sage publications.
Bendell, J., Sutherland, N. and Little, R., 2017. Beyond unsustainable leadership: critical social
theory for sustainable leadership. Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal,
8(4), pp.418-444.
Bryson, J.M., 2018. Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to
strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. John Wiley & Sons.
Carayannis, E.G., Sindakis, S. and Walter, C., 2015. Business model innovation as lever of
organizational sustainability. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 40(1), pp.85-104.
Di Fabio, A., 2017. The psychology of sustainability and sustainable development for well-being
in organizations. Frontiers in psychology, 8, p.1534.
Epstein, M.J., 2018. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring
corporate social, environmental and economic impacts. Routledge.
Gerard, L., McMillan, J. and D’Annunzio-Green, N., 2017. Conceptualising sustainable
leadership. Industrial and Commercial Training, 49(3), pp.116-126.
Horak, S., Arya, B. and Ismail, K.M., 2018. Organizational sustainability determinants in
different cultural settings: A conceptual framework. Business Strategy and the Environment,
27(4), pp.528-546.
Nawaz, W. and Koc, M., 2018. Development of a systematic framework for sustainability
management of organizations. Journal of Cleaner Production, 171, pp.1255-1274.

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Peterlin, J., Pearse, N.J. and Dimovski, V., 2015. STRATEGIC DECISION MAKING FOR
ORGANIZATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY: THE IMPLICATIONS OF SERVANT
LEADERSHIP AND SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP APPROACHES. Economic & Business
Review, 17(3).
Schelitzki, Doris and Edwards, Gareth (2017) Second Edition: Studying Leadership. Sage
Sroufe, R., 2017. Integration and organizational change towards sustainability. Journal of
Cleaner Production, 162, pp.315-329.
Tabassi, A.A., Roufechaei, K.M., Ramli, M., Bakar, A.H.A., Ismail, R. and Pakir, A.H.K., 2016.
Leadership competences of sustainable construction project managers. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 124, pp.339-349.