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Organizational development for social sustainability in work systems

Research in Organizational Change and Development

ISBN: 978-1-84855-546-4, eISBN: 978-1-84855-547-1

Publication date: 23 September 2009

Abstract

A work system may be said to exhibit social sustainability if it utilizes its human, social, economic, and ecological resources with responsibility. This entails using these resources in a non-exploitive way, regenerating them, and paying due attention to the needs and ambitions of its stakeholders in the short- and long-term. For most presently existing organizations attaining and maintaining sustainability requires a midcourse correction, a transformation process. This chapter reviews the main concepts regarding sustainability and previous research of organizational development in this context. It presents a four-phase model for this transformation process and illustrates the model's application in four different contexts. The results are discussed and directions for further research are presented.

Citation

Docherty, P., Kira, M. and (Rami) Shani, A.B. (2009), "Organizational development for social sustainability in work systems", Woodman, R.W., Pasmore, W.A. and (Rami) Shani, A.B. (Ed.) Research in Organizational Change and Development (Research in Organizational Change and Development, Vol. 17), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 77-144. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0897-3016(2009)0000017005

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited