Abstract:

Enterprises strive to be economically sustainable. In doing so, they either contribute to or detract from environmental and social sustainability. Sustainability is hence multi-dimensional with formulations that include the familiar triple-bottom-line and BEST models. Any assessment regimen for these models include Biophysical/Environmental, Business/Economic, and Societal dimensions with the BEST model adding a Technological dimension that refers predominantly to infrastructure, that is, to the built-environment.

Integration across these sustainability dimensions is challenging, but can be facilitated by substantial sustainability-driven innovation with innovation being broadly-construed. As commonly perceived, the word “innovation” often implies high-velocity change. Adding enterprise-wide emphasis on innovation alongside appropriately tuned and attuned human capital to this velocity yields what is henceforth called “viral innovation”.

Evidence of growing global emphasis on environmental and social sustainability is provided by the United Nations Global Compact (http://www.unglobalcompact.org/), the Pearl Initiative in the Middle East (http://www.pearlinitiative.org), and the multinational organizational (enterprise) sustainability study being conducted by the Global Organizational Learning and Development Network (GOLDEN) for Sustainability (http://www.goldenforsustainability.org). GOLDEN aims to rapidly advance, disseminate, and embed highly effective sustainability policies and practices into enterprises and is spearheaded by the Interdisciplinary Center for Organizational Architecture at Aarhus University (Denmark), the Center for Research in Organization& Management at Bocconi University (Italy), Vienna University of Economics & Business (Austria), and the Northstar Initiative at the University of Minnesota (USA).