How to grow your organic business : Multiple organizational identities of sustainable enterprises and their growth strategies
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2012-06-26
Author(s)
Nazarkina, Liudmila
Abstract
Drawing on the organizational identity theory, this study explores dual identities of sustainable enterprises (normative vs. utilitarian) and their influence on growth opportunities recognized by sustainability entrepreneurs. Based on literature review, I suggest that dual organizational identities of sustainable enterprises are hierarchically ordered and the dominant identity influences the spectrum of growth opportunities "noticed". I hypothesize that sustainable enterprises with a dominant normative identity will tend to notice domain-defensive growth opportunities, such as organic growth and strategic alliances; whereas sustainable enterprises with a dominant utilitarian identity will tend to notice more aggressive domain-offensive growth opportunities, such as acquisitive growth, franchising, licensing and sell-outs. However, this study offers only partial support to the hypothesized relationship and highlights the difficulty in defining what sustainable enterprises are and what they are not. Specifically, I demonstrate that organizations with a projected normative identity may in fact have a dominant utilitarian identity and it is not the dominance of the normative identity per se but its strength that guides the opportunity recognition process. This study concludes with implications for the practice of sustainability entrepreneurship and suggestions for further research.
Language
English
Keywords
sustainability entrepreneurship
sustainable enterprise
organizational identity
growth strategies
opportunity recognition
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
GRONEN Research Conference 2012
Start page
1
Event Title
GRONEN Research Conference 2012
Event Location
Marseille
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
211694