Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Leveraging Partnerships for Environmental Change: The Interplay Between the Partnership Mechanism and the Targeted Stakeholder Group

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Partnerships can play an important role in addressing environmental concerns and fostering environmental improvement. In this context, we argue that a more elaborate understanding is needed of how partners intend to reach beyond the partnership boundaries and target stakeholders at the firm, industry, supply-chain, or societal levels. As environmental improvement is intertwined with the process of change, we build on the theory of planned change to explain how the focus on selected partnership mechanisms may help partners anticipate and overcome barriers when targeting environmental improvement at these different levels. We test our framework, using a sample of 566 environmental partnerships formed in the USA, and provide rich insights into how partners intend to reach beyond the partnership boundaries. From a practical perspective, these insights may inform corporate managers’ decision to configure environmental partnerships in terms of the target group and suitable partnership mechanism. From a theory perspective, the study helps develop a more systematic understanding of what partners intend to do and when (i.e. on the basis of which mechanism) partnerships may provide benefits in addressing level-specific change barriers. These insights provide a first step in positioning partnerships in the broader context of environmental change and encourage future research to move from the intentions to the actual outcomes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ansari, S. M., Wijen, F., & Gray, B. (2013). Constructing a climate change logic: An institutional perspective on the “tragedy of the commons.”. Organization Science, 24(4), 1014–1040.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Austin, J. E., & Seitanidi, M. M. (2012). Collaborative value creation. A review of partnering between nonprofits and businesses. Part 2: Partnership processes and outcomes. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 41(6), 929–968.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bansal, P. (2002). The corporate challenges of sustainable development. The Academy of Management Executive, 16(2), 122–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barr, S., Gilg, A., & Shaw, G. (2011). Helping people make better choices: Exploring the behaviour change agenda for environmental sustainability. Applied Geography, 31(2), 712–720.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Battilana, J., Leca, B., & Boxenbaum, E. (2009). How actors change institutions: Towards a theory of institutional entrepreneurship. The Academy of Management Annals, 3(1), 65–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beisheim, M. (2012). Partnerships for sustainable development: Why and how Rio+20 must improve the framework for multi-stakeholder partnerships. Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik: German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bull, B., & McNeill, D. (2007). Development issues in global governance: Public-private partnerships and market multilateralism. Milton Park: Routledge (Warwick Studies in Globalization).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Burnes, B. (2004). Kurt Lewin and the planned approach to change: A re-appraisal. Journal of Management Studies, 41(6), 977–1002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1960). A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20, 37–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cordano, M., & Frieze, I. H. (2000). Pollution reduction preferences of US environmental managers. Academy of Management Journal, 43(4), 627–641.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crane, A. (1998). Exploring green alliances. Journal of Marketing Management, 14(6), 559–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dixon-Fowler, H. R., Slater, D. J., Johnson, J. L., Ellstrand, A. E., & Romi, A. M. (2013). Beyond “does it pay to be green?” A meta-analysis of moderators of the CEP–CFP relationship. Journal of Business Ethics, 112(2), 353–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engert, S., Rauter, R., & Baumgartner, R. J. (2016). Exploring the integration of corporate sustainability into strategic management: A literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 112, 2833–2850.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Etzion, D. (2007). Research on organizations and the natural environment, 1992-present: A review. Journal of Management, 33(4), 637–664.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan, X., & Wang, L. (1999). Comparing linear discriminant function with logistic regression for the two-group classification problem. The Journal of Experimental Education, 67(3), 265–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, F., Etzion, D., & Gehman, J. (2015). Tackling grand challenges pragmatically: Robust action revisited. Organization Studies, 36(3), 363–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flury, B. (1997). A first course in multivariate statistics. New York: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, J. D., Ford, L. W., & D’Amelio, A. (2008). Resistance to change: The rest of the story. Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 362–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garud, R., Hardy, C., & Maguire, S. (2007). Institutional entrepreneurship as embedded agency: An introduction to the special issue. Organization Studies, 28(7), 957–969.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garud, R., Jain, S., & Kumaraswamy, A. (2002). Institutional entrepreneurship in the sponsorship of common technological standards: The case of Sun Microsystems and Java. Academy of Management Journal, 45(1), 196–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gersick, C. J. (1991). Revolutionary change theories: A multilevel exploration of the punctuated equilibrium paradigm. Academy of Management Review, 16(1), 10–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glasbergen, P., & Groenenberg, R. (2001). Environmental partnerships in sustainable energy. European Environment, 11(1), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golden-Biddle, K., & Dutton, J. E. (2012). Using a positive lens to explore social change and organizations: Building a theoretical and research foundation. New York: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, B., & Stites, J. (2013). Sustainability through partnerships. Network for business sustainability. http://nbs.net/knowledge/partnerships/systematic-review/.

  • Gulati, R. (1998). Alliances and networks. Strategic Management Journal, 19, 293–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gulati, R., & Singh, H. (1998). The architecture of cooperation: Managing coordination costs and appropriation concerns in strategic alliances. Administrative Science Quarterly, 43(4), 781–814.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hahn, T., Preuss, L., Pinkse, J., & Figge, F. (2014). Cognitive frames in corporate sustainability: Managerial sensemaking with paradoxical and business case frames. Academy of Management Review, 39(4), 463–487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, J., & Vredenburg, H. (2003). The challenges of innovating for sustainable development. MIT Sloan Management Review, 45(1), 61–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Handfield, R. B., & Nichols, E. L. (1999). Introduction to supply chain management. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardin, G. (1968). The Tragedy of the Commons. Science, 162(3859), 1243–1248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hargrave, T. J., & Van de Ven, A. H. (2006). A collective action model of institutional innovation. Academy of Management Review, 31(4), 864–888.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, L. C., & Crane, A. (2002). The greening of organizational culture. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 15(3), 214–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hart, S. L. (1995). A natural-resource-based view of the firm. Academy of Management Review, 20(4), 986–1014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hart, S. L., & Dowell, G. (2011). Invited editorial: A natural-resource-based view of the firm fifteen years after. Journal of Management, 37(5), 1464–1479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartman, C. L., & Stafford, E. R. (1997). Green alliances: building new business with environmental groups. Long Range Planning, 30(2), 184–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, A. J. (1999). Institutional evolution and change: Environmentalism and the US chemical industry. Academy of Management Journal, 42(4), 351–371.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard-Grenville, J., Buckle, S. J., Hoskins, B. J., & George, G. (2014). Climate change and management. Academy of Management Journal, 57(3), 615–623.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huxham, C., & Vangen, S. (2000). Leadership in the shaping and implementation of collaboration agendas: How things happen in a (not quite) joined-up world. Academy of Management Journal, 43(6), 1159–1175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kania, J., & Kramer, M. (2013). Embracing emergence: How collective impact addresses complexity. Stanford Social Innovation Review. http://ssir.org/articles/entry/embracing_emergence_how_collective_impact_addresses_complexity.

  • Kauppila, O. (2010). Creating ambidexterity by integrating and balancing structurally separate interorganizational partnerships. Strategic Organization, 8(4), 283–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, A. A., & Lenox, M. J. (2000). Industry self-regulation without sanctions: The chemical industry’s responsible care program. Academy of Management Journal, 43(4), 698–716.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klassen, R. D., & Vachon, S. (2003). Collaboration and evaluation in the supply chain: The impact on plant-level environmental investment. Production and Operations Management, 12(3), 336–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolk, A., & Pinkse, J. (2005). Business responses to climate change: Identifying emergent strategies. California Management Review, 47(3), 6–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolk, A., Van Dolen, W., & Vock, M. (2010). Trickle effects of cross-sector social partnerships. Journal of Business Ethics, 94(1), 123–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolk, A., Vock, M., & Dolen, W. V. (2016). Microfoundations of partnerships: Exploring the role of employees in trickle effects. Journal of Business Ethics, 135(1), 19–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotter, J. P., & Schlesinger, L. A. (2008). Choosing strategies for change. Harvard Business Review, 86(7/8), 130–139.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koza, M. P., & Lewin, A. Y. (1998). The co-evolution of strategic alliances. Organization Science, 9(3), 255–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaFrance, J., & Lehmann, M. (2005). Corporate awakening—Why (some) corporations embrace public–private partnerships. Business Strategy and the Environment, 14(4), 216–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, T. B. (1999). Institutional strategy. Journal of Management, 25(2), 161–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Field theory in social science. London: Social Science Paperbacks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, H. (2012a). Cross-sector alliances for corporate social responsibility partner heterogeneity moderates environmental strategy outcomes. Journal of Business Ethics, 110(2), 219–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, H. (2012b). Strategic alliances for environmental improvements. Business and Society, 51(2), 335–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, H., & Darnall, N. (2015). Strategic alliance formation and structural configuration. Journal of Business Ethics, 127(3), 549–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyers, L. S. (2006). Applied multivariate research: Design and interpretation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Rourke, D. (2005). Market movements—nongovernmental organization strategies to influence global production and consumption. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 9(1–2), 115–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orsato, R. J. (2006). Competitive environmental strategies: When does it pay to be green? California Management Review, 48(2), 126–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, I., & Dunford, R. (2008). Organizational change and the importance of embedded assumptions. British Journal of Management, 19(s1), S20–S32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parmigiani, A., & Rivera-Santos, M. (2011). Clearing a path through the forest: A meta-review of interorganizational relationships. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1108–1136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peng, C., So, T., Stage, F., & St. John, E. (2002). The Use and interpretation of logistic regression in higher education journals: 1988–1999. Research in Higher Education, 43(3), 259–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinkse, J., & Dommisse, M. (2009). Overcoming barriers to sustainability: An explanation of residential builders’ reluctance to adopt clean technologies. Business Strategy and the Environment, 18(8), 515–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinkse, J., & Kolk, A. (2012). Addressing the climate change—sustainable development nexus: The role of multi-stakeholder partnerships. Business and Society, 51(1), 176–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P., Mackenzie, S., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P., & Organ, D. W. (1986). Self-reports in organizational research: Problems and prospects. Journal of Management, 12(4), 531–544.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Post, J. E., & Altman, B. W. (1994). Managing the environmental change process: Barriers and opportunities. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 7(4), 64–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rondinelli, D. A., & London, T. (2003). How corporations and environmental groups cooperate: Assessing cross-sector alliances and collaborations. The Academy of Management Executive, 17(1), 61–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakakibara, M. (1997). Heterogeneity of firm capabilities and cooperative research and development: An empirical examination of motives. Strategic Management Journal, 18, 143–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, R. C. (2007). R&D alliances and firm performance: The impact of technological diversity and alliance organization on innovation. Academy of Management Journal, 50(2), 364–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, W. R. (2003). Institutional carriers: Reviewing modes of transporting ideas over time and space and considering their consequences. Industrial and Corporate Change, 12(4), 879–894.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SDC Platinum. (2013). SDC Platinum TM database, Thomson Reuters. http://thomsonreuters.com/products_services/financial/financial_products/a-z/sdc/.

  • Sharma, S., & Vredenburg, H. (1998). Proactive corporate environmental strategy and the development of competitively valuable organizational capabilities. Strategic Management Journal, 19(8), 729–753.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stadtler, L. (2016). Scrutinizing public–private partnerships for development: Towards a broad evaluation conception. Journal of Business Ethics, 135(1), 71–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stafford, E. R., Polonsky, M. J., & Hartman, C. L. (2000). Environmental NGO–business collaboration and strategic bridging: A case analysis of the Greenpeace-Foron alliance. Business Strategy and the Environment, 9(2), 122–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Starik, M., & Rands, G. P. (1995). Weaving an integrated web: Multilevel and multisystem perspectives of ecologically sustainable organizations. Academy of Management Review, 20(4), 908–935.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephan, U., Patterson, M., Kelly, C., & Mair, J. (2016). Organizations driving positive social change. Journal of Management Studies (Forthcoming). doi:10.1177/0149206316633268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strebel, P. (1994). Choosing the right change path. California Management Review, 36(2), 29–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UCLA (2007). Introduction to SAS. UCLA: Statistical Consulting Group. http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/sas/notes2/. Accessed 24 Nov 2007.

  • Vachon, S., & Klassen, R. D. (2006). Green project partnership in the supply chain: the case of the package printing industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 14(6), 661–671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vachon, S., & Klassen, R. D. (2008). Environmental management and manufacturing performance: The role of collaboration in the supply chain. International Journal of Production Economics, 111(2), 299–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vachon, S., Klassen, R. D., & Johnson, P. F. (2001). Customers as green suppliers: Managing the complexity of the reverse supply chain. Greener Manufacturing and Operations, 136(149), 136–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van de Ven, A. H., & Poole, M. S. (1995). Explaining development and change in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 510–540.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van de Ven, A. H., & Sun, K. (2011). Breakdowns in implementing models of organization change. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 25(3), 58–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Tulder, R., & Pfisterer, S. (2014). Creating partnering space: Exploring the right fit for sustainable development partnerships. In M. M. Seitanidi & A. Crane (Eds.), Social partnerships and responsible business: A research handbook (pp. 105–125). Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Tulder, R., Seitanidi, M., Crane, A., & Brammer, S. (2016). Enhancing the impact of cross-sector partnerships. Four impact loops for channeling partnership studies. Journal of Business Ethics, 135(1), 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Wijk, J., Stam, W., Elfring, T., Zietsma, C., & Den Hond, F. (2013). Activists and incumbents tying for change: The interplay between agency, culture and networks in field evolution. Academy of Management Journal, 56(2), 358–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waddell, S., Waddock, S., Cornell, S., Dentoni, D., McLachlan, M., & Meszoely, G. (2015). Large systems change: An emerging field of transformation and transitions. Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 58, 5–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waddock, S. (1991). A typology of social partnership organizations. Administration & Society, 22(4), 480–515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, H., Di Sisto, L., & McBain, D. (2008). Drivers and barriers to environmental supply chain management practices: Lessons from the public and private sectors. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 14(1), 69–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wassmer, U., Paquin, R., & Sharma, S. (2014). The engagement of firms in environmental collaborations: Existing contributions and future directions. Business and Society, 53(6), 754–786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wijen, F., & Ansari, S. (2007). Overcoming inaction through collective institutional entrepreneurship: Insights from regime theory. Organization Studies, 28(7), 1079–1100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, O. E. (1985). The economic institutions of capitalism: Firms, markets, Relational Contracting. NewYork: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grenoble Ecole de Management, 12 rue Pierre Sémard, 38000, Grenoble, France

    Lea Stadtler

  2. School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), Faculty of Environment, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Haiying Lin

Authors
  1. Lea Stadtler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Haiying Lin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lea Stadtler.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Stadtler, L., Lin, H. Leveraging Partnerships for Environmental Change: The Interplay Between the Partnership Mechanism and the Targeted Stakeholder Group. J Bus Ethics 154, 869–891 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3465-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3465-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation