Corporate tensions and drivers of sustainable innovation: a qualitative study in the food industry
- 9 March 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Emerald in European Journal of Innovation Management
- Vol. 25 (4), 925-947
- https://doi.org/10.1108/ejim-11-2020-0469
Abstract
Purpose: Companies are increasingly aware of the importance of delivering economic, social and environmental benefits through sustainable innovation. This study aims to examine how companies manage tensions derived from sustainable innovation and identify internal and external factors that facilitate its successful implementation in the food industry.Design/methodology/approach: An abductive and qualitative research approach was followed. Data from a multinational food manufacturer were collected from a variety of sources, which included 23 in-depth interviews with respondents from 9 different countries as well as public documents of the company under study.Findings: Results suggest that there is no “one-size-fits-all” strategy for dealing with tensions (derived from sustainable innovations), and more than one type of strategy (i.e. win–win, trade-offs) can be used simultaneously. In addition, sustainable innovation drivers do not seem to operate in isolation and follow a particular pattern where external factors motivated the development of a new set of values, which in turn were picked up and integrated into transformations at the strategic and operational level.Originality/value: The study contributes to the theoretical and practical discussion on sustainable innovation management by providing real business case evidence of how corporate tensions derived from sustainable innovation are managed and offers a comprehensive taxonomy of sustainable innovation drivers in the food industry.Keywords
This publication has 80 references indexed in Scilit:
- Policy Strategies to Promote Eco‐InnovationJournal of Industrial Ecology, 2010
- Corporate sustainability and innovation in SMEs: Evidence of themes and activities in practiceBusiness Strategy and the Environment, 2009
- The empirical analysis of the determinants for environmental technological change: A research agendaEcological Economics, 2009
- Ambidexterity as a dynamic capability: Resolving the innovator's dilemmaResearch in Organizational Behavior, 2008
- Innovation and competitive advantages from the integration of strategic aspects with social and environmental management in European firmsBusiness Strategy and the Environment, 2007
- How Many Interviews Are Enough?Field Methods, 2006
- Using thematic analysis in psychologyQualitative Research in Psychology, 2006
- Partnerships from cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st‐century businessEnvironmental Quality Management, 1998
- Innovation in the food industryTrends in Food Science & Technology, 1997
- THE EFFECT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION*Journal of Management Studies, 1994