Exploring the leverage points perspective, sustainability embeddedness and corporate sustainability: a systematic integrative review

Abstract

The relationship between business and society is evolving with private sector organisations playing a fundamental role in the quest for sustainable development through corporate sustainability. Despite the pressure for organisations to be sustainable, many organisations are stagnant in their journey to sustainability embeddedness. The leverage points perspective has been identified as a potential framework to assist organisations in organisational change towards sustainability embeddedness. However, limited research has been conducted on the leverage points perspective within the context of corporate sustainability and sustainability embeddedness, and there have been calls to further develop the framework for sustainability discourse and practice. This study conducted a systematic integrative review on the leverage points perspective within corporate sustainability and sustainability embeddedness literature. Only published literature between 1999-2023 was included, as the study builds on Meadow’s (1999) framework which was first developed in 1999. The study aimed to determine the state of literature on an emerging topic, the leverage points perspective, identify evidence-based interventions from the literature, and synthesise them into a practical framework for organisations and practitioners. The study sought to address the urgency for transformational change towards sustainability embeddedness and the dearth of research on the leverage points perspective within corporate sustainability discourse. An integrative review was adopted for its suitability in exploring emerging topics in fragmented and interdisciplinary fields. A search strategy was developed to outline data sources, search terms, and eligibility criteria to identify, collect, and screen relevant publications. The search strategy yielded 45 publications on the leverage points perspective within the context of corporate sustainability and sustainability embeddedness. These publications were analysed in two stages to answer this study’s research questions. The descriptive analysis provided insight into the state of the literature by describing six characteristics of the publications. The thematic content analysis, facilitated by Atlas.ti software, revealed 42 evidence-based interventions and three main themes across the literature. Findings from this systematic integrative review offer insights into literature development on the leverage points perspective within the context of corporate sustainability and sustainability embeddedness from 1999 to 2023. As part of the study’s main contribution, these interventions were synthesised into a practical navigational framework for organisations and practitioners to leverage change towards sustainability embeddedness. The framework included in this study builds on Meadows’ (1999) and Abson et al.’s (2017) leverage points perspective framework by integrating the 42 evidence-based interventions and three main themes. In doing so, this study contributed to corporate sustainability and sustainability embeddedness discourse and practice.

Die verhouding tussen besigheid en die samelewing is besig om te ontwikkel, met organisasies in die privaatsektor wat ’n fundamentele rol speel in die soeke na volhoubare ontwikkeling deur middel van korporatiewe volhoubaarheid. Ondanks die druk op organisasies om volhoubaar te wees, het baie organisasies gestagneer in die reis om volhoubaarheid te veranker. Die hefboompunteperspektief is as ’n moontlike raamwerk geïdentifiseer om organisasies met organisatoriese verandering te help ten einde volhoubaarheid te veranker. Beperkte navorsing is egter gedoen oor die hefboompunteperspektief in die konteks van korporatiewe volhoubaarheid en die verankering van volhoubaarheid, en daar is versoeke dat die raamwerk vir volhoubaarheidsdiskoers en -praktyk verder ontwikkel moet word. Hierdie studie het ’n sistematiese integrerende oorsig gedoen van hoe die hefboompunteperspektief oor korporatiewe volhoubaarheid en die verankering van volhoubaarheid in die literatuur gedek is sedert die ontstaan van die hefboompunteperspektief in 1999 tot 2023. Die studie het gepoog om die stand van die literatuur oor ’n opkomende onderwerp – die hefboompunteperspektief – te bepaal, bewysgebaseerde intervensies in die literatuur te identifiseer, en dit in ’n praktiese raamwerk vir organisasies en praktisyne te sinteseer. Die studie het verder gepoog om die dringendheid van transformasionele verandering vir die verankering van volhoubaarheid en die gebrek aan navorsing oor die hefboompunteperspektief in die diskoers oor korporatiewe volhoubaarheid te identifiseer. ’n Integrerende oorsig is gedoen weens die geskiktheid daarvan om opkomende onderwerpe in gefragmenteerde en interdissiplinêre velde te verken. ’n Soekstrategie is ontwikkel om databronne aan te dui en na terme en geskiktheidskriteria te soek om relevante publikasies te identifiseer, te versamel en te sif. Die soekstrategie het 45 publikasies oor die hefboompunteperspektief in die konteks van korporatiewe volhoubaarheid en die verankering van volhoubaarheid opgelewer. Hierdie publikasies is in twee fases ontleed om hierdie studie se navorsingsvrae te beantwoord. Beskrywende analise het insig oor die literatuur verskaf deur ses kenmerke van die publikasies te beskryf. Die tematiese inhoudsanalise, wat gefasiliteer is deur Atlas.ti-sagteware, het 42 bewysgebaseerde intervensies en drie hooftemas oor die literatuur onthul. Die bevindinge van hierdie sistematiese integrerende oorsig het insig verskaf oor die ontwikkeling van literatuur oor die hefboompunteperspektief in die konteks van korporatiewe volhoubaarheid en die verankering van volhoubaarheid vanaf 1999 tot 2023. As deel van die studie se belangrikste bydrae is hierdie intervensies gesintetiseer in ’n praktiese navigasieraamwerk vir organisasies en praktisyne om verandering te benut vir die verankering van volhoubaarheid. Die raamwerk in hierdie studie bou op Meadows (1999) en Abson et al (2017) se hefboompunteperspektiefraamwerk deur die 42 bewysgebaseerde intervensies en drie hooftemas te integreer. Sodoende dra hierdie studie by tot korporatiewe volhoubaarheid en die diskoers oor en praktyk van die verankering van volhoubaarheid.

Ubudlelwane phakathi kwamabhizinisi nomphakathi buya buvela ngokwezinhlangano ezizimele nokuyizona ezidlala indima ebalulekile ekusimamiseni intuthuko ngokuthi kusimame ukusebenzisana ebhizinisini. Nakuba kunengcindezi mayelana nokusimama kwezinhlangano, kodwa izinhlangano eziningi zisamile ekutheni kube nokusimama okunzulu. Amandla emibono ahlonzwe njengohlaka olunamandla okusiza izinhlangano ekushintsheni zibe nokusimama okunzulu. Ngalokhu-ke, sekuye kwenziwa ucwaningo mayelana namandla emibono phakathi kokusimama okunzulu nokusebenzisana kwezebhizinisi, kanti futhi kuye kwenziwa nezicelo zokuqhubeka nokuthuthukisa uhlaka lokusinyanyiswa kwezindlela zokuxoxisana nokusebenza. Lolu cwaningo luqhamuke nendlela yokubuyekeza ngokohlelo oludidiyele kubhekwe amandla emibono ekubhaleni maqondana nokusimama okunzulu nokusebenzisana kwezebhizinisi, lowo mbhalo washicilelwa ngemuva kokusungulwa kohlaka oluthinta amandla emibono ngo-1999 kuya ngo-2023. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo ukuthola izinga lokubhala ngezihloko zezinto ezihlalukayo, amandla emibono, ukuhlonza izindlela ezisekelwe ubufakazi obususelwe ezincwadini, kanye nokuhlanganisa lokhu kube uhlaka oluzosetshenziswa izinhlangano nabasebenzi balo mkhakha. Ngalolu cwaningo kuhloswe ukuba kumelwane nokushesha kokuguquka kwezimo ekusimameni okunzulu kanjalo nokusilela kocwaningo oluthinta amandla emibono emkhakheni wokusinyanyiswa kwamabhizinisi. Kwamukelwe uhlelo lokubuyekeza okudidiyele ngokokusimama kwalo ekuhloleni izihloko zezinto ezihlalukayo ngokwemikhakha eyahlukene. Kuye kwasungulwa amasu okuphenya ukuze kucaciswe kahle ngemithombo yolwazi, kanye nokuphenya ngamatemu kanjalo nemibandela yokufaneleka ukuze kuhlonzwe, kuqoqwe, nokuhlola izishicilelo ezihambisana nalolu cwaningo. Ngaphansi kwalawa masu kutholakale izishicilelo ezingama-45 mayelana namandla emibono ngaphansi kokusimama okunzulu nokusebenzisana kwezebhizinisi. Lezi zishicilelo ziye zahlaziywa ngokuthi zihlukaniswe izigaba ezimbili ukuze kuphenduleke imibuzo yalolu cwaningo. Ukuhlaziya okuchazayo kuye kwanikeze umqonda ngesimo semibhalo yezincwadi ngokuthi kucacise ngezinto eziyisithupha eziveza isimo salokho okushicilelwe. Ukuhlaziywa kwengqikithi, okwenziwa isofthiwe ye-Atlas.ti, kuveze izindlela ezingama-42 ezisekelwe ubufakazi kanye nezihlokwana ezintathu ezimqoka ezithinta yonke imibhalo yezincwadi. Imiphumela yalolu hlelo lokubuyekeza okudidiyele iveze ubunjalo ekuthuthukisweni kwemibhalo yezincwadi mayelana namandla emibono ngaphansi kokusimama okunzulu nokusebenzisana kwezebhizinisi kusuka ngo-1999 kuya ku-2023. Njengengxenye yalokho obekuhloswe yilolu cwaningo, lezi zindlela ziye zahlanganiswa zaba uhlaka oluzosetshenziswa yizinhlangano kanye nabasebenzi ukuze kusetshenziswe lolo shintsho ekusimameni okunzulu. Uhlaka olufakwe kulolu cwaningo lususelwe ku-Meadows' (1999) and Abson et al.'s (2017) ngokohlaka lwamandla emibono okuhlanganisa izindlela ezingama-42 kanye nezihlokwana ezintathu ezimqoka. Ngokwenza lokhu, lolu cwaningo lube negalelo ekuxoxisaneni nasekusebenzeni mayelana nokusimama okunzulu nokusebenzisana kwezebhizinisi.