Summary of the Research Topic
Sustainability refers to the effective contribution of an organization to overall development, by simultaneously delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits (Lourenco, Callen, Branco, & Curto, 2014, p. 20). An organization’s leader plays a great role in the facilitation of an organization’s sustainability. In addition, the organization itself, the organization’s environment, its ethno-sphere, and organization’s human resource collectively play a big role in the organization’s sustainability (Metcalf & Benn, 2013, p. 382).
On the other hand, organizational leaders have a role in engineering strategic sustainability of their organization, which includes setting realistic goals and visions (Metcalf & Benn, 2013, p. 371). Additionally, the leaders have a role in ensuring high-quality programs, services, and products, by initiating program and product sustainability. The leaders have a role in initiating personnel sustainability, which implies the supervision of organizational personnel and ensuring that their effective and reliable performance (Epstein & Buhovac, 2014, p. 50). Furthermore, organizational leaders foster financial sustainability by conducting contingency planning and financial reserve, which facilitates for the overall sustainability of the organization (Lourenco, Callen, Branco, & Curto, 2014, p. 25). Therefore, an enhancement on the concept of sustainability of an organization, which widely depends on the organizational leadership, is relevant.
Ways or Strategies of Enhancement
The role of leaders in organizational sustainability attracts an analysis of additional aspects to facilitate for excellent and sustainable performance of the organization (Epstein & Buhovac, 2014, p. 79). An enhancement of the research topic (the role of leaders in organizational sustainability) entails an outlook of the adverse strategies that facilitate for the sustainability, which additionally includes an analysis of various challenges that may constrain the sustainability of an organization. Consequently, an observance of the organizational identity, which includes the creation of organizational values and operational standards, is an appropriate enhancement strategy for organization sustainability (Milliman & Grosskopf, 2011, p. 24). Additionally, an identification of potential support sources in terms of funding facilitate for effective sustainability through leadership. Ensuring an observance of the organizational culture equally enhances the leadership role in the organization’s sustainability (Metcalf & Benn, 2013, p. 384).
On the other hand, mitigation of sustainability constraints that accompany the development of the organization, its leadership, flow of income, and fluctuations of the national economy is vital (Epstein & Buhovac, 2014, p. 233). Therefore, an outlook of the organizational and leadership challenges would play a big role in refining and enhancing the leadership role in an organization’s sustainability.
Ways of Addressing Gaps through Organizational Sustainability
An outlook of the leadership role in organizational sustainability presents a series of impacts, which in turn inform on the possible ways of addressing various gaps that accompany organizational sustainability (Milliman & Grosskopf, 2011, p. 15). Gaps in the establishing organizational sustainability include inadequate funds, development of unrealistic or unsystematic goals, failure to achieve a given goal, and lack of professionalism in employees (employees are not work-oriented) (Milliman & Grosskopf, 2011, p. 18).
Consequently, adhering to the strategies of organizational sustainability, which entails a leader’s initiation of personnel sustainability, would address the controversy that attaches to lack of professionalism in employees (Epstein & Buhovac, 2014, p. 55). Additionally, the need to build a financially sustainable company would prompt leaders to seek for support bodies for organizational funds, and to ensure a realization of high profit rates in a year (Lozano, 2013, p. 274). High rates of profit would equally promote financial security, and address the gap of insufficiency of funds (Lozano, 2013, p. 280). On the other hand, ensuring adequate supervision of the employees, which is an outcome of research on organizational sustainability, helps in addressing the gap of inefficient output (Epstein & Buhovac, 2014, p. 153). Consequently, employees would deliver the best output, which would facilitate for organizational sustainability.
Conclusion
In conclusion, organizational sustainability widely depends on an organization’s leadership, which would promote financial, environmental, social, and economical sustainability. Therefore, various aspects and strategies play an additional role in enhancing and refining the sustainability of an organization. An outlook on the challenges that may hinder organizational success and the strategies for organizational development are vital in enhancing organizational sustainability. Additionally, an analysis on the general topic of organizational sustainability would help in the mitigation of gaps that accompany an organization’s functioning.
References
Epstein, M. J., & Buhovac, A. R. (2014). Making Sustainability Work: Best practices in managing and measuring corporate social, environmental, and economic impacts. San Francisco: Berrett Koehler.
Lourenco, I. C., Callen, J. L., Branco, M. C., & Curto, J. D. (2014). The Value Relevance of Reputation for Sustainability Leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 17-28.
Lozano, R. (2013). Are Companies Planning their Organisational Changes for Corporate Sustainability? An Analysis of Three Case Studies on Resistance to Change and their Strategies to Overcome it. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 275-295.
Metcalf, L., & Benn, S. (2013). Leadership for sustainability: An evolution of leadership ability. Journal of Business Ethics, 369-384.
Milliman, J., & Grosskopf, J. (2011). Lessons in leadership: Operationalizing sustainability through an integrated management system. Environmental Quality Management, 15-28.
