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From “the hippies on the third floor”

to the C-suite.

- A Multiple-Case Study on Sustainability Managers operating in Sweden

Group 69:

BACHELOR THESIS WITHIN:​ Business Administration NUMBER OF CREDITS:​ 15

PROGRAMME OF STUDY:​ International Management

AUTHORS:​ Marie Larsson, Viktoria Andersson, Eline Josefsson TUTOR: ​Ulla Saari

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their full gratitude towards their tutor Ulla Saari for her valuable guidance and continuous constructive feedback. In addition, the authors would like to thank all the sustainability managers for participating, giving their view of the role as a sustainability manager operating in Sweden today. The interviews contributed with rich and deep insight within the area of sustainability management and enabled the authors to construct a proposed framework. The authors would like to thank everyone who contributed with additional feedback and guidance. Isabelle Guselin and Lovisa Eiriksdottir for providing valuable insight and feedback on the sustainability management topic as well as Guénola Nonet for valuable guidance, feedback and positive reinforcement.

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Bachelor Thesis in Business Administrations

Title: From “the hippies on the third floor” to the C-suite - A Multiple-Case Study on Sustainability Managers operating in Sweden.

Authors: Marie Larsson, Viktoria Andersson, Eline Josefsson

Tutor: Ulla Saari

Date: 2020-05-18

Key terms: Sustainable Development, Sustainability Manager, Sweden, Key Competencies, Motivations.

___________________________________________________________

Abstract

Background: ​Managers working with sustainability and environmental issues are receiving higher priority in organizations (Knight & Paterson, 2018) and the environmental issues are today discussed at the top management level in corporations worldwide (Landrum, 2017). In line with the increased interest of the role, literature focusing on the individual sustainability manager, has recognized the need for competencies and motivational drivers in order to take sustainable actions (Wiek et al., 2011; UNESCO, 2017; Rieckmann, 2018). In addition, literature presents a significant positive relationship between motivations of individual managers and firm performance. However, previous literature covering key competencies for sustainable development, as well as individual motivations for working with sustainability, is rather ambiguous. Therefore, the authors identified a gap in the literature and initiated an interest to further investigate the key competencies and individual motivations of a sustainability manager operating in Sweden today.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the individual sustainability manager operating in Sweden today. The study aims to identify the key competencies required for operating in the role, and to explain corresponding underlying motivations for working with sustainability.

Method: ​The study follows a qualitative and exploratory approach by combining existing literature, theories and empirical data. The empirical data was collected through six semi-structured interviews. The empirical findings were further analyzed following a thematic analysis technique.

Conclusion: The authors suggest a proposed framework that illustrates the identified key competencies required for operating as a sustainability manager in Sweden today, as well as the underlying motivations for working with corporate sustainability. The illustration of the proposed framework provides a generalized foundation for understanding the sustainability manager role in terms of key competencies and individual motivations. This framework adds to current literature on the topic of sustainability management and can be used as a means for evaluating current sustainability managers, as well as a means to analyze current education for sustainable development.

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Table of Content

1. Introduction 7 1.1 Background 7 1.2 Problem Discussion 8 1.3 Purpose 10 1.4 Research questions 11 1.5 Delimitation 11 1.6 Definitions 11 2. Literature Review 14

2.1 The individual Sustainability Manager 14

2.1.1 The Sustainability Manager´s role in the organization 14 2.1.2 Responsibilities of the Sustainability Manager 14 2.1.3 The complexity of the Sustainability Manager role 15

2.2 Motivations and Values 17

2.2.1 The importance of Individual Motivation 17

2.2.2 Different types of Individual Motivations 17

2.2.3 Values in relation to Sustainability 18

2.3 Competencies 19

2.3.1 Competencies and Sustainability Management 19

2.3.2 Different types of Competencies 20

2.3.3 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 21

3. Method 23 3.1 Research Philosophy 23 3.2 Research Approach 24 3.3 Research Method 24 3.4 Research strategy 25 3.5 Data Collection 26 3.5.1 Primary Data 26 3.5.2 Interview Construction 26

3.5.3 Primary Data Selection Process 27

3.5.4 Primary Data Collection Participants 27

3.5.5 Primary Data Collection Process 28

3.5.6 Additional primary data collection 29

3.5.7 Limitations of primary data collection 30

3.5.8 Secondary Data 30

3.6 Analysis Method 31

3.7 Research Process 32

3.7.1 Familiarizing Yourself with The Data 32

3.7.2 Generating Initial Codes 33

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3.7.4 Reviewing Themes 34

3.7.5 Defining and naming Themes 34

3.7.6 Producing the Report 34

3.8 Data Quality 35

3.8.1 Triangulation 35

3.8.2 Reliability 35

3.8.3 Limitations and Bias 36

3.9 Ethical Consideration 37

4. Empirical findings 38

4.1 Introduction of the Interviewed Sustainability Managers 38

4.1.1 Manager 1 (M1) 38 4.1.2 Manager 2 (M2) 38 4.1.3 Manager 3 (M3) 39 4.1.4 Manager 4 (M4) 39 4.1.5 Manager 5 (M5) 39 4.1.6 Manager 6 (M6) 39 4.2 Interview findings 40 4.2.1 Knowledge 40 4.2.2 Skills 43 4.2.3 Attitude 47 4.2.4 Motivations 48

5. Analysis and Discussion 51

5.1 Coding 51

5.2 Knowledge Analysis 52

5.2.1 Holistic Knowledge 52

5.2.2 Environmental Issues 53

5.2.3 Politics & Regulations 54

5.2.4 Environmental Business 55

5.3 Skills Analysis 56

5.3.1 Interactive Skills 57

5.3.2 Visionary & Strategic Leadership 58

5.3.3 Critical Thinking 59

5.4 Attitude Analysis 60

5.4.1 Open-minded & Inquisitive 60

5.5 Motivations Analysis 61

5.5.1 Contributing to a Sustainable Future 62

5.5.2 Making a change in a complex environment 62

5.6 Proposed Framework 64

5.7 Implications 67

5.7.1 Theoretical Implications 68

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6. Conclusion 69 6.1 Conclusion 69 6.2 Generalization 70 6.3 Limitations 70 6.4 Future Research 71 7. References 73 8. Appendices 79 Appendix 1 79 Appendix 2 80 Appendix 3 88 Table of Figures

Figure 1: ​Illustration of the six steps of thematic analysis 35 Figure 2:​ ​Key Competence Framework for Sustainability Management 67

Tables:

Table 1: Interviewee Participants 28

Table 2: First round of Interviews 29

Table 3: Follow-up Interview 29

Table 4: Search Parameters 31

Table 5: Categories and Themes 51

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1. Introduction

__________________________________________________________________________

This section introduces the background of the research topic which includes the evolution of the sustainability manager role. Thereafter, the problem that has been acknowledged is presented, subsequently followed by the purpose and research questions of this study. __________________________________________________________________________

1.1 Background

As the world experiences greater environmental and social challenges than ever before, companies are building and implementing sustainability functions, strategies, and plans to address these issues (Knight & Paterson, 2018). The increasing evidence on uncontrolled human experiments on earth has evoked a need for sustainability actions. This is further reflected in the increased consciousness regarding the importance of global sustainable development. The evolution is appreciable considering the transition from the Millennium Development Goals in 2002 to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 (Rockström, Bai & deVries, 2018). Consequently, corporate sustainability and sustainable development have received increased attention worldwide in recent years (Landrum, 2017, Knight & Paterson, 2018, Rockström, J., Bai, X., & Devries, B. 2018).

Due to the increased implementation of initiatives for sustainable development as well as a growing interest in organizations’ sustainability practices, companies have recognized the vital role of sustainable leadership in order to address such issues (Jang, Zheng & Bosselman, 2017). In 2015, the quality manager system ISO14001, an globally accepted environmental management system, was re-shaped. This implied a closer connection to eco-design approaches and offered more integrated environmental management, quality management, and life-cycle thinking. Moreover, it resulted in increased expectations of the mission and role of the managerial sustainability profession. The transformation progressed from containing external monitoring job tasks such as compliance with environmental

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standards and regulations, to currently undertaking more change and strategic-oriented missions. Thus, involving a more innovative and proactive approach (Boucher, Plummer & Schneider, 2018).

Furthermore, reports presented by consultancy companies and professional associations show a steady increase in executive positions within the sustainability area (GreenBiz 2013; Weinreb Group, 2011). According to Winston (2015), there are different megatrends within corporate sustainability in which all require a new type of leadership and emphasize the “rise of the Chief Sustainability Officer”. This is further discussed by Knight and Paterson (2018), who state that managers focusing on sustainability and environmental issues are receiving higher priority in many corporations all over Europe. Thus, corporate sustainability is today an issue discussed at the top management level in corporations worldwide (Landrum, 2017). As a result, the sustainability manager role is vital for companies, as the individual plays a crucial role in implementing corporate sustainability (Kiesnere & Baumgartner, 2019). The role implicates the integration of business and sustainability within the organization, as well as the control of the organization’s impact on the triple bottom line, namely the people, planet, and profit (Joseph, Orlitzky, Gurd, Borland, & Lindgreen, 2018).

1.2 Problem Discussion

The sustainability manager role has emerged and increased in importance due to organizations’ cumulative focus on corporate sustainability in recent years. Hence, the sustainability manager role is a fairly new occupation that has been described and defined in various ways throughout the existing literature (Kiesnere & Baumgartner, 2019). Consequently, the perception and definition of a sustainability manager can differ depending on the company and context (Kiesnere & Baumgartner, 2019), the role has even been referred to as “hippies on the third floor”, indicating on a certain perception of a person working with sustainability (Wright, Nyberg & Grant, 2012). Moreover, in a study executed 2019 covering the ​new emerging role of sustainability manager, it was identified that

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sustainability managers often have trouble defining their own role as well as describing their own role to other colleagues (Sandhu & Kulik, 2019). The task of working with sustainability implementation is described as complex, due to sustainability being a complex issue in itself. Consequently, the sustainability managers are dealing with high levels of uncertainty, and are required to have the ability to come up with creative and constructive solutions (Lahtinen & Yrjölä, 2019).

Existing literature and studies within the field describes sustainability managers as entrepreneurs, change agents or champions within an organization, and discuss how their presence is a prerequisite for implementing environmental initiatives in organizations (Tang, Robinson & Harvey, 2011; Boiral, Cayer & Baron, 2009). However, literature covering the micro-level actions such as skills (Del Giudice, Khan, De Silva, Scuotto, Caputo, & Carayannis,. 2017), managerial behavioral traits and managerial perceptions (Papagiannakis & Lioukas, 2018), is rather ambiguous.

The existing literature presents that the sustainability manager's skills, values, and motivations have a significant effect on firm performance (Papagiannakis & Lioukas, 2017; Kiesnere & Baumgartner, 2019; Asah, Fatoki and Rungani, 2015). In relation to this, individual competencies are receiving higher attention in literature focusing on sustainable development. Competencies are described as the capacity to act on complex issues, however, it is not by definition implying that an individual will take action. Hence, in order to alter capacities into sustainability actions, the individual needs corresponding values and motivational drivers (UNESCO, 2017; Rieckmann, 2018). Multiple researchers have focused on sustainability competencies required of individuals in terms of higher education, and how these are important to handle complex sustainability problems in the future (Hesselbarth & Schaltegger, 2014; Alkhayyal, Labib, Alsulaiman, & Abdelhadi, 2019). Similarly, Ploum et al. (2018) state that previous studies are focusing more on competencies related to educational context than competencies related to business cases. This is also mentioned by Eizaguirre, Garcia-Feijoo and Laka (2019), who state that there is no consensus, nor, a universal list of key competencies required for corporate sustainability.

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Considering sustainability development in Sweden it is evident that Sweden works proactively in terms of both green corporate change and environmental regulations. In addition, the role of the sustainability manager in Sweden has been prioritized in terms of authority. Consequently, the managers experience higher strategic influence in the companies (Gluch, Gustafsson, Thuvander, & Baumann, 2013). Nevertheless, even though Sweden is a country with extensive sustainable development, there are no studies found specifically focusing on sustainability managers in Sweden and what competencies they possess. Hence, it is evident that there is a significant gap in the literature regarding a sustainability manager's key competencies in Sweden. In addition, there is deficient research exploring the underlying motivations for sustainability managers in Sweden. Therefore, this study aims to explore the knowledge gap associated with key competencies required of sustainability managers operating in Sweden, and their underlying motivations for working with corporate sustainability.

1.3 Purpose

The originality of this study is connected to three streams of literature, namely, the individual role as a sustainability manager, the key competencies required of individual sustainability managers as well as the motivation for working with sustainability. The purpose of the study is to contribute with empirical findings on the topic of key competencies required of sustainability managers operating in Sweden today. In addition, the underlying motivations for working with sustainability are examined since previous literature has underlined a strong correlation between managerial competencies and motivations. The combination of these two concepts is believed to contribute with a deeper understanding of the individual sustainability manager. The understanding of the individual sustainability manager operating in Sweden may be used as a foundation for managerial evaluations. Furthermore, the insights can work as a means of analyzing current education for sustainability management. Consequently, this study aims to provide insight into a transformational role that is currently increasing in importance.

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1.4 Research questions

The following research questions have been formulated in order to guide this study further:

RQ1:​ What are the key competencies required of a sustainability manager operating in

Sweden today?

RQ2: ​What are the underlying motivations of a sustainability manager?

1.5 Delimitation

The individual management role within corporate sustainability is a complex subject, and existing literature on key competencies required of the sustainability manager is ambiguous. As regulations, laws and levels of development in relation to corporate sustainability differ across a spectrum of countries, the research is limited to sustainability managers operating in Sweden. In order to fulfil the purpose of this study, the authors focus solely on managers who have formally recognized job roles directly related to corporate sustainability.

1.6 Definitions

Sustainability Management

Sustainability management is referred to as an activity of managing sustainability issues within organizations. The term is also used for decision-makers or groups that are engaging in sustainability management activities (Idowu, Capaldi, Zu, & Das Gupta, 2013).

Sustainability Manager

The Sustainability Manager role refers to the integration of business and sustainability within the organization, as well as the control of the organization’s impact within the triple

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bottom line, namely the people, planet, and profit (Joseph, Orlitzky, Gurd, Borland, & Lindgreen, 2018).

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

In September 2015, the world’s leaders agreed on the Sustainable Development Agenda, also referred to as Agenda 2030. It was implemented in January 2016 and is demonstrated in 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as 169 correlating targets, to be achieved by 2030. The agenda applies to all countries and works as a major framework for guiding development policies (Katila, Winkel, Pacheco, Galloway, Jong & Colfer, 2020).

Triple Bottom Line

The Triple Bottom Line is referred to as a balanced combination that covers the economic growth, environmental protection and social advancement, which can be referred to as the profit, the planet and the people (Gorse, Johnston, & Pritchard, 2020).

Competence

Competencies are defined as a person's integrated performance-oriented capacity to reach desired achievements (Wesselink, Blok, van Leur, Lans, & Dentoni, 2014). The concept is said to consist of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that a person needs in order to perform a task successfully (Osagie, Wesselink, Blok, Land, & Mulder, 2014; Wesselink et al. 2014).

Motivation

Individual motivation, also described as behavioral intention, implies the individual level of effort pursued to perform a specific behavior. In addition, motivation refers to individual goals, decisions or actions that result in a behavior (Anthony Swaim, Maloni, Henley & Campbell, 2016).

Value

A person's values are equal to what a person considers important, what they prioritize, and what their principles are based on (Horlings, 2015).

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UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, also called UNESCO, is a specialised agency for education. UNESCO is created by the United Nations (UN), who additionally has developed the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). UNESCO is entrusted by the UN to coordinate and lead the Education 2030 Agenda (UNESCO, 2017).

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2.

Literature Review

__________________________________________________________________________

This section outlines the literature review of the thesis. The first section presents an introduction of current literature on the individual sustainability manager. The second part of the literature review outlines literature on individual motivations and values, as well as different competencies, discussed in relation to sustainability.

________________________________________________________________________

2.1 The individual Sustainability Manager

2.1.1 The Sustainability Manager´s role in the organization

A sustainability manager acts as a leader that provides predictions and guidance for a company's sustainability success (Boucher et al., 2018). Additionally, individual-level actions for sustainability improves the collective organizational-level operations for sustainability. Thus, the individual manager plays a crucial role as the manager engages in sustainability activities together with other stakeholders and employees (Del Giudice et al., 2017). This is further mentioned by Boiral, Cayer, and Baron (2009) who see managers' environmental concerns as a driving force for organizational environmental commitment.

2.1.2 Responsibilities of the Sustainability Manager

The sustainability manager's responsibilities have transformed from comprising external monitoring job tasks such as compliance with environmental regulations and standards, to currently undertake more change and strategic-oriented missions (Boucher et al., 2018). In addition, sustainability leaders work with complex social and organizational issues, and their role includes dealing with high levels of uncertainty. Thus, it requires leaders who are change-oriented in order to come up with creative and constructive solutions to complex sustainability problems (Knight & Paterson, 2018). This is additionally discussed by

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Lahtinen and Yrjölä (2019), who expresses the difficulties of addressing sustainability challenges with ordinary management. The authors claim that sustainability is characterized by complexity and uncertainty and cannot be solved by simple solutions. Furthermore, researchers state that sustainability managers need to be able to implement, adopt and generate change in the organization (Kiesnere & Baumgartner, 2019; Van Poeck, Læssøe & Block, 2017).

Papagiannakis and Lioukas (2017) argues that the responsibilities of an environmental manager is to organize collective efforts in the corporation, as well as impacting the organizational culture and dynamics. ​This is confirmed by Davis and Boulet (2016) who stress the importance of being able to create a sustainability culture ​within the organization and enable different forms of sustainability learning. The importance of sustainability learning is further mentioned by Del Giudice et al. (2017) who discuss that managers often learn about sustainability through network interaction with customers, suppliers, and employees. This type of interaction is referred to as collective action theory, and enables managers to gain new knowledge as well as achieve sustainability oriented goals through collaboration (Del Giudice et al., 2017). In addition, Joseph et al. (2018) argue that sustainability leaders need to have knowledge about all pillars of the triple bottom line, in order to achieve successful sustainability outcomes.

The responsibilities of a sustainability manager is further mentioned by Osagie, Wesselink, Blok, Land, & Mulder, (2014). The authors state that when sustainability managers face corporate sustainability challenges they need to consider important industrial, national, and international regulations, and participate in different political processes. In addition, they are included in the process of developing companies' corporate governance, such as their codes of conduct (Osagie et al., 2014).

2.1.3 The complexity of the Sustainability Manager role

Research from Sandhu and Kulik (2019) states that when a new and emerging managerial role, such as the sustainability manager, develops as a result of increased need for expertise

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within a specific area, complexities with defining that specific role might follow. In contrast to already existing sustainability manager roles, there is no current blueprint that can be copied from other companies regarding the implication of the role. Rather, these new roles need to be designed from scratch (Sandhu & Kulik, 2019). The complexity of the role is further mentioned by Carollo and Guerci (2018), and Knight and Paterson (2018), who express that sustainability is a wicked and complex problem that stretches over different internal and external areas. Thus, the sustainability managers who are supposed to tackle these complex problems possess a complex and difficult mission that requires extraordinary leadership skills. DuBois, Hanlon, Koch, Nyatuga, and Kerr, 2015 express that there is an increased chance of success when managing complex problems, if the manager possesses an openness towards risk-taking, experiences, and inventiveness.​Furthermore, Tang, Robinson & Harvey (2011) argues that it is crucial to educate and always stay up to date regarding sustainability because if there is no new knowledge, sustainability managers will be forced to use yesterday's solutions to a rapidly changing issue.

Carollo and Guerci (2018) argue that due to the different perceptions of the current sustainability manager role, the managers are often feeling torn between several conflicting social, economic, and environmental goals. Hence, resulting in frustration among the individuals working with implementing sustainability in corporations. In addition, Dahlmann and Grosvold (2017) discuss a tension often faced by environmental managers when trying to satisfy the competing demands of stakeholders and shareholders. More specifically, the difficult task of unifying the organization's economic success with the increased demand for environmental responsiveness. As the latter is becoming more central over time, Schuler, Rasche, Etzion, & Newton (2017) argues that environmental performance needs to be seen as a part of the overall corporate success, both short-term and long-term. Thus, achieving this requires skilled environmental management. According to Metcalf and Benn (2013), it requires leaders who “can read and predict through complexity, think through complex problems, engage groups in dynamic adaptive organizational change and have the emotional intelligence to adaptively engage with their own emotions” (Metcalf & Benn, 2013, p. 369).

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2.2 Motivations and Values

2.2.1 The importance of Individual Motivation

The importance of managerial commitment in order to address sustainability issues has resulted in several studies focusing on the managers' motivations for encouraging initiatives and implementing change (Boiral et al., 2009). Individual motivation, also described as behavioral intention, implies the individual level of effort pursued to perform a specific behavior. Moreover, it refers to individual goals, decisions, or actions that result in a behavior (Anthony Swaim, Maloni, Henley & Campbell, 2016). In a study conducted by Asah et al. (2015), where motivations of managers in Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) were investigated, the authors identified a strong positive relationship between motivations of individual managers and firm performance. The positive relationship is confirmed by several additional researchers who describe individual sustainability motivations as either a supporting factor (Schaltegger & Burritt, 2018) or a driving factor (Anthony Swaim et al., 2016) for corporate sustainability behavior and decisions. Anthony Swaim et al. (2016) further mentions that sustainability perceptions can look different depending on the personal level of interest in a specific sustainability topic. Moreover, Tang et al. (2011) claims that if sustainability managers manage to find meaningfulness in the managerial role, it might result in increased commitment, motivation, job satisfaction, and productivity.

2.2.2 Different types of Individual Motivations

In a study conducted by Tang et al. (2011), sustainability managers in Australia and their motivations for engaging in sustainability issues were investigated. The authors identified four types of sustainability managers with different corresponding motivations, namely ​The

Scientist, The storyteller, The messenger, ​and The Artist​. ​The Scientist ​implies being

motivated by the ability to contribute with expert input and strives for uniqueness. ​The

Storyteller ​motivates by empowering other people, creating opportunities, inspiring,

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where one can create value and initiate organizational change, for instance by influencing people to think differently and change behaviors. In addition, their aim is to steer the organization in a direction that is in line with the individual's personal beliefs. ​The Artist derives meaning from improving the lives of others within a large social context. These managers are aware of external environmental and societal problems and want to leave the world a better place for the future generation (Tang, Robinson & Harvey, 2011).

Four additional motivations for dealing with corporate sustainability activities are presented by Schaltegger and Burritt (2018). These motivations are described as ethical motivations that are linked to the manager's perspective of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR is defined as “​a company’s voluntary social and environmental activities in societal interactions” (​Schaltegger & Burritt, 2018, p. 242). The first motivation discussed is

Reactionary motivation​which implies having an economic self-interest. More specifically, it implies prioritizing CSR activities only if it results in increased business profits and requires no organizational change. The second motivation is ​Reputational motivation​which can be explained as engaging in sustainability activities to receive recognition and confirmation from others. The third motivation is described as Responsible motivation ​which implies seeking organizational excellence by creating innovative solutions to social and environmental issues while reducing costs. Moreover, it implies having a long-term perspective and perceiving CSR as a means to achieve competitive advantage. The fourth motivation is described as ​Collaborative motivation which refers to prioritizing others' interests before your own and feeling responsible towards multiple external stakeholders and vulnerable social groups (Schaltegger & Burritt, 2018).

2.2.3 Values in relation to Sustainability

A person's values are equal to what a person considers important, what they prioritize, and what their principles are based on (Horlings, 2015; Jang et al., 2017). Moreover, values are described as key in the creation of underlying human motivation (Marcus, MacDonald & Sulsky, 2015), and the source of people’s attitudes. Hence, values are considered central in all human actions (Horlings, 2015).

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Multiple studies focusing on values have identified that people's values are determinant for individuals to take environmentally responsible actions (Nordlund & Garvill, 2002; Jang, Zheng, & Bosselman, 2017; Han, 2015; Marcus, MacDonald & Sulsky, 2015). The literature states that there is a correlation between managers values and their ways of solving environmental issues. Jang et al. (2017) explain that if a manager has environmental values they will most likely feel obliged to work towards protecting the environment and engage in pro-environmental actions. This is derived from having an understanding and being aware of the negative consequences of unsustainable business practices. Consequently, the awareness results in environmentally responsible leadership (Jang et al., 2017).

2.3 Competencies

2.3.1 Competencies and Sustainability Management

Competencies are defined as a person's integrated performance-oriented capacity to reach desired achievements (Wesselink, Blok, van Leur, Lans, & Dentoni, 2014). Moreover, competencies are said to consist of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that a person needs to successfully perform a task (Osagie et al., 2014; Wesselink et al. 2014). Firstly, the concept knowledge refers to knowledge about concepts, facts, and definitions required for

task-performance. Secondly, skills are defined as the capacity of doing and acting in practice (Baartman & de Bruijn, 2011). Thirdly, an attitude refers to an individual's personal feelings or position towards an object or a person (Osagie et al. 2014; Baartman & de Bruijn, 2011). Previous literature focusing on the development of competencies expresses that in order to attain professional competencies, learners must not only acquire but as well integrate knowledge, skills, and attitude to succeed (Baartman & de Bruijn, 2011).

Competencies in relation to sustainability are referred to as enablers for successful problem solving and task performance of challenges or opportunities in today's world (Wiek,

Withycombe, & Redman, 2011; Osagie, et al., 2014; Ploum, Blok, Lans, & Omta, 2018). In addition, sustainability competencies are described as deeply normative, action-oriented, and

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usually enacted in a specific context (Wilhelm, Förster and Zimmermann, 2019; Hesselbarth & Schaltegger, 2014; Osagie et al. 2014). According to Knight and Paterson (2019), the abilities required from someone working with sustainability is hard to define due to the high level of uncertainty that the work implies. Nevertheless, Svanström, Lozano-Garzia and Rowe (2008) state that a successful sustainability leader needs to know about issues related to the environment, society and economy, the ability to perform sustainability tasks, and a value system to support their actions. According to Ploum et al. (2018), previous research covering sustainability competencies are usually focused in two different directions, either competencies from a business context perspective or competencies from an educational perspective.

2.3.2 Different types of Competencies

Knight and Paterson (2018) distinguish five different behavioral competencies, which constitute traits that are considered critical to maximizing leaders' impact on corporate sustainability. The authors refer to behavioral competencies as an individual's talents and motives, outside a specific technical or management skill set. The traits specified are; 1)

Result driven, 2) An inclusive operator, 3) A change agent, 4) Ethically oriented, ​and ​5) A

visionary thinker. ​Being Results-driven indicates having a passion for learning and an ability to make things happen. Inclusive operators implicate ​understanding the motivations of others, having a collaborative approach, and a caring attitude. Further, being a Change agent implies challenging established views, meeting change with optimism, and seizing opportunities. Moreover,​Ethically oriented signifies having an ethical approach, acting with integrity, and building trust-based relationships. The last concept,​Visionary thinker, mirrors the ability to envisage the future and persevere through hard times. The study presents all competencies as critical for sustainability management. Though, Knight & Paterson (2018) argue that the competence ​Result driven​, indicating committing to personal learning, is the most important one.

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A recent study by Eizaguirre et al. (2019) examines sustainability core competencies for Higher Education focusing on the geographical areas of Europe, Central Asia, and Latin America. The competencies identified in the European area are: 1) Commitment to the conservation of the environment, ​2) Ability to show awareness of equal opportunities and gender issues, 3) Ability to act with social responsibility and civic awareness, 4) Ability to act based on ethical reasoning, 5) Commitment to safety, 6) Appreciation and respect for diversity and multiculturality ​(Eizaguirre et al., 2019).

Furthermore, Wiek et al. (2011) conducted an extensive literature review and synthesized six sustainability competencies considered important to integrate in education to prepare students for future problem-solving. The competencies are; 1) ​System-thinking, 2)

Anticipatory competence, 3) Normative competence, 4) Action-oriented competence, 5) Interpersonal competence and 6) ​Integrated problem-solving competence​. ​System-thinking defines the ability to analyze complex problems cutting across different sectors or domains.

Anticipatory competence describes the ability to detect how problems or situations might evolve as well as a person's ability to create a desirable and sustainable future vision.

Normative Competence describes understanding one's values and how they are underlying to the course of actions. It presents the ability to compare, apply, specify, and negotiate sustainability values, targets, and goals in different assessments, processes, and evaluations.

Action-oriented competence implies the ability to test and develop transformational actions, transition strategies, and systematic interventions towards sustainability. Examining the

Interpersonal Competence​, it constitutes the ability to support, initiate, and facilitate varying types of collaboration, including stakeholder engagement and teamwork. Further, The

Integrated Problem-Solving competence presents the ability to develop viable solution options by applying various problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems (Wiek et al., 2011).

2.3.3 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, has acknowledged eight competencies considered crucial to include in education to reach the

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Sustainable Development Goals 2030. The competencies found by Wiek et al (2011) represents six of the eight competencies. The two additional competencies discussed by UNESCO are;​Critical Thinking Competenc​e and ​Self-awareness Competence. ​The Critical

Thinking Competence implies the ability to question opinions, practices, and norms, and reflect upon one's actions. ​Self-awareness competence equals the ability to understand and reflect one's role in the global society and the local community, and constantly motivate and evaluate one's actions. However, in addition to the eight competencies considered needed for sustainable development, UNESCO argues that individuals need basic skills, values, motivational drivers, and opportunities in order to take sustainable actions and achieve desired results (UNESCO, 2017; Rieckmann, 2018).

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3. Method

__________________________________________________________________________ This section presents the chosen method and research methodology, containing a clear outline of the data collection and method of analysis. The chosen research choice is connected to the fulfillment of the purpose of this study.

__________________________________________________________________________

3.1 Research Philosophy

The research philosophy explains the relation between the observer and the unit of observation (Duignan, 2016). This study aims to develop a subjective understanding, thus a qualitative approach is relevant.

As for this study, the research will follow the interpretivism philosophy. The interpretivism philosophy is based on the view that social reality is highly subjective, as it is shaped by people’s perceptions. Additionally, the interpretivism philosophy aims to elaborate on social phenomenons complexity, with the purpose to gain interpretative understanding (Collis & Hussey, 2014). From a business and management point of view, it interprets the observation of organizations through perspectives of different groups of people.

Subjectivism was established to compute standpoints and attain individuals' opinions according to their view of society (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2016). Taking the subjective aspect into mind, the research philosophy most suitable for this study is the interpretivism approach. This, due to the qualitative approach and the primary data collected from semi-structured interviews, which is the process applied in this study. According to Saunders et al. (2016) different backgrounds, culture, and circumstances, at different time frames, creates different social realities and experiences. As interpretivism aims to establish new understanding and interpretations it collects information on what is meaningful for individuals. Moreover, as interpretivism often is applied as a method in business research

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(Saunders et al., 2016), and this study aims to understand the individual sustainability manager, the interpretivist paradigm is considered suitable. Also, the interpretivist paradigm was considered proper since it is believed to generate meaningful answers to the research questions within this study. This since, the research questions are searching for answers with a deeper meaning and are not constructed as a numerical examination.

3.2 Research Approach

As this study is constructed after the interpretivist paradigm, the research approach will be inductive. This, since the data, will be collected and analyzed in order to derive new theory (Collin & Hussey, 2014). More specifically, this study seeks to gain an understanding of what sustainability managers operating in Sweden needs in terms of competencies, as well as their underlying motivations. Hence, this study will collect primary data that will be analyzed in order to identify deeper meanings and patterns which will be compared with existing theory. This, in order to contribute with new findings to the existing body of literature. This is in line with how Saunders et al. (2016) describes the inductive research approach. In contrast, the deductive approach refers to the use of an initial hypothesis, in which data is collected in order to test and analyze the hypothesis (Saunders et al., 2016). Nevertheless, this study is not following a deductive approach since this study is not aiming to test a theory numerically. Consequently, this study can not be considered deductive, but rather inductive, due to the use of a qualitative approach and the interpretivist paradigm (Saunders et al., 2016).

3.3 Research Method

Research can be addressed through two different methods; quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative research investigates the relationship between different variables, which are analyzed through graphical and statistical techniques (Saunders et al., 2016). The qualitative research investigates the complexity of phenomenons, and aims to understand the meaning

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to individuals, using different data collection techniques. The qualitative approach normally aims to create a theoretical framework or to extend an already existing theory (Saunders et al., 2016).

The scope of the chosen research topic, competencies and motivations of sustainability managers, is complex and dependent on sustainability managers' perceptions. In addition, the exploration of the research topic is not clearly defined as the issue of sustainability is considered complex. Therefore, qualitative research is considered most relevant for this study. To be able to draw conclusions or gain insights about competencies and motivations, the authors believe that a qualitative approach that enables an in-depth investigation is required.

3.4 Research strategy

A research strategy is used as a guideline of how authors will proceed in order to answer their research questions. A quantitative study is usually related to a descriptive strategy, whereas a qualitative study is often related to an exploratory or explanatory study (Saunders et al., 2016). Hence, since this study has a qualitative approach it will not use a descriptive strategy. Instead, as this study aims to understand the motivations and key competencies required for sustainability managers the nature of this study is exploratory. One way of conducting exploratory research is to include in-depth individual interviews (Saunders et al., 2016), which in the case of this study corresponds to the semi-structured interviews with the sustainability managers. An exploratory approach implies that the purpose is to merely explore a research question and will not bring any answer as a solution to a problem (Collin and Hussey, 2014.) Thus, the exploratory research strategy is conducted through open interview questions in order to gain information about the area of interest (Saunders et al., 2016), as is the case in this study.

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3.5 Data Collection

3.5.1 Primary Data

When utilizing a qualitative research method, the most appropriate method of primary data collection is through the use of interviews (Collin and Hussey, 2014). Interviews can help the authors collect reliable and valid data relevant to the topic that is being investigated, as well as get a deeper understanding of the research topic (Saunders et al., 2016). Many different forms of interviews can be applied, however, in this study, the primary data is collected through semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured interviews can also be referred to as an in-depth and unstructured interview. This approach does not follow any type of standardization, however, the author uses a table of different themes with some main questions, whilst additional questions are developed through the course of the interview (Collin and Hussey, 2014). Semi-structured interviews focus on three types of questions; (1) open, (2) probing, (3) specific and closed questions. The open-ended and probing questions enable the interviewee to speak freely with the ability to elaborate on the answer as opposed to “yes” or “no” questions (Saunders et al., 2016). Hence, the semi-structured interviews enabled the authors to gain an in-depth understanding of the sustainability managers, which is required in order to identify their motivations and competencies.

3.5.2 Interview Construction

The construction of an interview guide is crucial when conducting semi-structured interviews (King, 2004). The initial step for the authors was to decide what interview themes and standard questions that the interviews will be based on. The interview themes and pre-written questions for the primary data collection were based on the literature review and the perception of the authors. To ask questions in a relevant order, the questions were divided into a logical structure starting with Background, Motivations, Competencies, and Future Implications. The interview outline is visualized in Appendix 1.

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3.5.3 Primary Data Selection Process

A sample can be described as a portion of the target population that is under investigation. The target population of this study is equal to sustainability managers operating in Sweden. In order to select participants from the population, the judgemental sampling approach was used. In a judgmental sampling method, the participants are chosen due to their extensive experience within the topic under study (Collin & Hussey, 2014). More specifically, the judgemental sampling approach implies that the authors use personal judgments to select cases that are believed to answer the research question(s) (Saunders et al., 2016). This method is considered useful in this case due to the qualitative and exploratory approach of the study, as well as since it is believed to provide the best possibilities to generate findings on the research topic. Additionally, this approach enabled the authors to select sustainability managers who operate in Sweden and have been working with sustainability within their respective company for at least five years. The sample size was chosen from companies that experience a transformation towards increased sustainability practices.

3.5.4 Primary Data Collection Participants

The sample consists of six participants, namely sustainability managers operating in Sweden, and are representing different industries. The participants are well experienced within the field of corporate sustainability and have been working with sustainability within their respective company for at least 5 years. Hence the sustainability managers are considered highly relevant to this sample. As the managers have participated anonymously, only the years in which they have been working within the company, as well as the industry in which their company is operating within, will be further presented in Table 1.

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Participant: Job Title: Industry: Gender:

Y of experience within the company:

M1 Sustainability Manager Water & Sewer Utilities Industry Female 9 years

M2

Head of Operational and

Environmental Affairs Paper & Packaging Male 22 years

M3 Sustainability Manager Wood and Furniture Industry Male 10 years

M4 Sustainability Director Consumer Durables Male 5 years

M5

VP Sustainability &

Public Affairs Automotive Industry Male 10 years

M6 Sustainability Manager Logistics Industry Female 9 years

Table 1: Interviewee Participants

3.5.5 Primary Data Collection Process

All six semi-structured interviews were following the interview structure in Appendix 1. The interview question was sent to the participants in advance together with an introduction to the thesis topic. In addition, as all participants were participating anonymously, a non-disclosure agreement was signed by the two parties before the interview. The interviews were carried out in person and through video interviews, where five out of six interviews were held in Swedish since this was the native language among the majority of the participants. However, one of the interviews was carried out in English since the participant was English-speaking. The first round of interviews lasted for approximately 30-60 minutes, presented in Table 2, where each and all participants agreed to be recorded.

When conducting the interviews, the authors divided important responsibilities in order to execute the interview as structured as possible. One author asked questions, the second author took notes and the third author identified additional questions and made sure that all questions were covered. Although the interviews were recorded, notes were taken to identify key themes and statements, which could provide significant information useful in order to answer the research questions.

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Participant First round interview date Duration M1 12.03.2020 00:58:56 M2 12.03.2020 00:41:40 M3 13.03.2020 00:51:08 M4 16.03.2020 00:44:35 M5 26.03.2020 00:52:05 M6 17.03.2020 00:27:50

Table 2: First round of interviews

3.5.6 Additional primary data collection

After collecting the data on the first interview, the authors identified gaps in the information which needed to be further examined. Therefore, a follow-up of interviews was conducted. The follow-up of the interviews was held for approximately 20-30 minutes, presented in Table 3. The interviews were considered crucial to get a deeper insight into the topic of competencies. Five out of six participants were able to participate in the follow-up round of interviews, and the interview was conducted as phone-interviews. This is further mentioned in the forthcoming section. The follow-up interviews are presented in Table 3.

Participant Follow-up interview date Duration

M1 22.04.2020 00:20:11 M2 22.04.2020 00:16:35 M3 21.04.2020 00:29:43 M4 27.04.2020 00:26.23 M5 22.04.2020 00:18:30 M6 - -

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3.5.7 Limitations of primary data collection

The limitations of the interviews are imperative to mention. As stated earlier, the interviews were carried out both in person, through video interview and the second round was conducted by phone interview. The initial aim of the authors was to carry out all the interviews in-person face-to-face. However, due to circumstances with COVID-19, all interviewees were not able to meet in person. Consequently, the authors considered follow-up interviews as even more relevant. The follow-up interviews were carried out via phone-call, thus, limitations such as body language and the nature of an interview face-to-face are taken into account.

3.5.8 Secondary Data

The initiation of the study consisted of extensive literature research in order to collect information on the selected topic. This was conducted with the purpose to allocate important information, and thereby find a relevant research gap (Saunders et al., 2016). In addition, it helped the authors gain insight and understanding of existing trends and research on the topic. To gather relevant literature, databases as Google Scholar, Jönköping University’s database Primo, and Web of Science were used. All the articles and journals chosen were peer-reviewed and primarily selected from recent years. The articles were mainly chosen from recent years since the research topic is considered to be new and constantly developing. During the search of the literature, keywords related to the topic, as displayed in Table 4, were used. ​Moreover, the articles were chosen with regards to the year of publication, as well as the number of citations of the articles, confirming trustworthiness, relevance, and quality. In addition, the book ​Education for sustainable development goals:

Learning objectives​, by UNESCO were included in the secondary data. This, since

UNESCO, has created an educational agenda for sustainable development, and is by the authors considered an important source in order to get relevant information and a deeper understanding of the chosen topic. Nevertheless, the sustainability competencies discussed by UNESCO are based on peer-reviewed articles. Conclusively, the sustainability reports of

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each participating company were studied, in order to identify how the companies currently work with sustainable development.

Search Parameters

Databases and search engines Jönköping University's Library, Primo, Web of Science, Google

Scholar

Search Keywords Corporate Sustainability, Corporate Sustainability Management,

Sustainability Managers, Sustainability Management, Environmental managers, Sustainability Managers values, Sustainability Managers motivations, Sustainability Managers drivers, Sustainability managers competencies

Literature types Academic books and articles, Journals, Annual Reports

Publication Period 2008-2020

Language Publication English

Table 4: Search Parameters

3.6 Analysis Method

When conducting an inductive data analysis, several different analysis methods may be applied (Saunders et al., 2016). Through the process of conducting the data analysis, the author(s) are analyzing, coding the judgments and decisions, building themes, contextualizing as well as recontextualizing the data collected. Thus, the authors need to assure trustworthiness by using relevant methods according to their data and purpose, when conducting the qualitative research (Starks & Trinidad, 2007).

The authors have decided to follow a Thematic Analysis as it is believed to be the most suitable method for this study. The thematic approach is useful when doing an interpretive study that aims to explore different perspectives of a phenomenon (Collin & Hussey, 2014).

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Using a Thematic Analysis enables the analysis of large qualitative data sets, which contains rich descriptions and explanations. As the research strategy of this study requires the authors to search for specific themes, the Thematic Analysis is considered more adaptable (Saunders et al., 2016). Furthermore, this study aims to acquire insights and understanding of the addressed field of motivations and key competencies of sustainability managers operating in Sweden. Hence, the thematic analysis method enables the authors to develop empirical insights and new understanding based on the primary data collected.

3.7 Research Process

As the Thematic Approach provides flexible and theoretical freedom, it allows the authors to sort a large set of data in order to generate codes and themes. The codes identified in the primary data constitute building blocks for themes, patterns, and shared ideas. The themes are derived through analyzing and organizing the codes, and can thereafter be compiled in a framework for further clarification (Kiger & Varpio, 2020).

The Thematic Analysis includes six steps, and according to Braun and Clarke ( ​2006​), these consist of: (1) Familiarizing yourself with the data, (2) Generating initial codes, (3) Searching for themes, (4) Reviewing themes, (5) Defining and naming themes, and (6) Producing the report/manuscript. Important to point out is that, despite a linear approach of six phases, the thematic analysis enables the authors to use an interactive reflective method that allows moving between the phases (Braun & Clarke, ​2006​).

3.7.1 Familiarizing Yourself with The Data

Qualitative research can often result in a large amount of data, which in turn needs to be structured in order to be analyzed (Saunders et al., 2016). Beginning with the familiarization of the data, it involves that the authors immerse with the data to understand the content in-depth. In addition, the process of familiarizing with the data before coding allows the

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authors to recognize patterns. The process continues in the transcribing of the verbal data into written form, enabling the application of a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, ​2006​). During this phase the authors can obtain an in-depth understanding of the data which Braun and Clarke (2006) argue requires close attention and interpretative skills. This phase enables the authors to make notes on initial ideas for the coding (Braun & Clarke, ​2006​).

3.7.2 Generating Initial Codes

The second phase of coding introduces the authors to the initial ideas and initial codes of the data, thus, organizing the data into meaningful groups (Braun & Clarke, ​2006​). This coding process depends on if the themes are ‘data-driven’ or ‘theory-driven. As in the case of this study, the data is considered as more ‘theory-driven, therefore an approach to answer specific questions or areas is applied. Namely the competencies and motivations. As in line with the Thematic Analysis method, and to systematically provide equal attention to any data item (Braun & Clarke, ​2006​), the authors coded the content of the entire data set.

3.7.3 Searching for Themes

The third phase constitutes the organization of the codes identified across the data set, which can be carried out through tables or mind-maps (Braun & Clarke, ​2006​). As for this study, the coded data contains a large volume, hence, the authors organized the coding into tables as illustrated in Appendix 3. The process of searching for themes includes analyzing the relationship between codes and sub-themes, to further identify themes (Braun & Clarke, 2006​). In order for the authors to identify the relationships, the codes and themes were organized in different colors within the table, which was further collected as a theme or subtheme, illustrated in Appendix 3.

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3.7.4 Reviewing Themes

The fourth phase is initiated when the researcher has devised a set of candidate themes, and comprise the clarification of those themes. Intentionally, the reviewing involves the separation and collation of the candidate themes (Braun & Clarke, ​2006​). This phase allowed the authors to consider validity and individual themes in relation to the data set as a whole (Braun & Clarke, ​2006​).

3.7.5 Defining and naming Themes

The fifth phase corresponds to the phase when identified themes are ‘defined and refined’, meaning that the ‘essence’ of the meaning of the theme is determined. In other words, what type of data the theme captures (Braun & Clarke, ​2006​). This process enabled the authors of this study to explain the data provided under each theme, concisely, to give the reader a sense of what the theme is about.

3.7.6 Producing the Report

The final phase involves the final analysis as well as a coherent and analytical presentation of the themes, providing evidence from the data which can strengthen the chosen theme. As this phase goes beyond a descriptive phase, this phase presents arguments concerning the research question(s) (Braun & Clarke, ​2006​). At this part, the authors were able to capture the themes and illustrate them with data to further capture it in a presented framework.

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Figure 1: Illustration of the six steps of Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006)

3.8 Data Quality

Prior to the data collection, specific issues concerning the qualitative data had to be avoided (Saunders et al., 2016). Moreover, the triangulation, reliability, bias, validity, and ethical issues of the qualitative research was evaluated.

3.8.1 Triangulation

When taking the triangulation of a study into account, it refers to the usage of multiple methods when investigating a phenomenon. Thus, in order to get a broad understanding of a phenomenon and test the validity of the study (Collis & Hussey, 2014). Considering the triangulation of this study, the authors initially considered conducting a survey on participants from multiple different industries, working within the HR department. This could possibly bring valuable insights to the findings in this study and enable for increased reliability and application of the results. However, due to time limitation this was not achievable.

3.8.2 Reliability

When examining the reliability, it refers to the degree to which the study produces consistent and precise results (Collis & Hussey, 2014). The reliability of this study is important to consider, since it aims to be tested in business and educational contexts. When executing a

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qualitative study the reliability is more difficult to attain as opposed to a quantitative study (Saunders et al., 2016). The reliability in this study has been addressed in terms of the consistency of using the same interview guide for all participants as well as methodology and method throughout the study, including the same analysis tools. However, the use of a thematic analysis method can lead to reliability concerns, since it provides a wide range of interpretations from multiple authors (Collis & Hussey, 2014). Nevertheless, the authors agreed on a clear and shared guideline to follow, when analyzing the data, to mitigate the risk of differing interpretations.

3.8.3 Limitations and Bias

The authors have been taking the limitation of the data collected into account. Firstly, sending the questionnaire to the participants prior to the interview might open up for biased answers, thus, the answers might not firstly be what comes into mind. However, the advantage is that it enables the participants to reflect on the questions beforehand in order to provide in-depth thoughts. Secondly, subjectivism which can affect the interpretation of the results was taken into account, when considering the level of knowledge of the authors. As the authors are not ‘experts’ within the area of sustainability, primary sources such as professors and others working within the field of sustainability gave additional insights and contributed with knowledge on the topic. Additionally extensive research through secondary sources was carried out. Considering the execution of the interviews, the skills of the interviewer can affect how well the interview is carried out (Saunders et al., 2016). Therefore, the authors took the choice to practice the questions as well as reading on the existing literature on semi-structured interviews beforehand in order to minimize the consequences of low interview skills. Thirdly, only one manager out of six was able to meet in person for the interview. Therefore, five interviews were carried out through video-call, which mitigates the authors' perception of body language, and can further affect the author's interpretations of the answers. In addition, the follow-up interviews were held via phone calls. This was considered as most efficient, taking the time-limitation of the research into account. Furthermore, the authors considered the social desirability bias. The bias relates to participants providing answers that they believe are more socially accepted, as opposed to

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answering accordingly to their actual opinions (Krumpal, 2011). In order to decrease the risk of social desirability bias, the authors retained the participants’ anonymity, thus, the authors were able to diminish the possibility of receiving falsely positive answers (Saunders et al., 2016). This was considered important due to motivations and competencies being highly personal, and dependent on the individuals own perceptions. In addition, anonymity was considered important due to the participants’ managerial positions containing high responsibilities.

3.9 Ethical Consideration

When conducting research, the execution of the study must be honest and truthful (Collis & Hussey, 2014). To ensure that the study was conducted ethically, the guidelines for the study were arranged in advance. The authors’ considered confidentiality as important for the quality of the study, therefore, a non-disclosure agreement on respective participants' anonymity was signed by the two parties. The confidentiality is considered to be important since the data could be linked back to the company and the participant. Since the participants' background, personal values, and personal reflections were discussed, the interviews were executed anonymously. In addition, the data was collected and stored according to the law of GDPR, The General Data Protection Regulation (Datainspektionen, n.d) to secure the privacy of the data. Each interview had at least two audio recordings and was stored by numbers from 1-6 anonymously in a safe hard drive. All the data collected from the company (audio recordings, email account, calendar booking, title) will be deleted after the study passed the opposition. The initiative on a non-disclosure agreement was initiated by the authors, but was not necessarily a requirement from the participants' side.

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4. Empirical findings

__________________________________________________________________________ In this section, the managers who participated in the interviews are introduced. Thereafter, a summary of the empirical findings derived from the interview questions are presented. The data will be presented in categories following the outline of the interview guide.

__________________________________________________________________________

4.1 Introduction of the Interviewed Sustainability Managers

In order to give an overview of the participants, the Sustainability Managers are presented briefly, provided on the basis of the interview. The managers are participating anonymously, thus, each manager has received a number that will be used as reference in the text.

4.1.1 Manager 1 (M1)

Manager 1 works as a Sustainability Manager within the water and sewer utilities industry and has been working within the company for nine years. The manager is a female and has an education within environmental management and working environment engineering. The experience of the manager outlines mostly working as an environmental consultant.

4.1.2 Manager 2 (M2)

Manager 2 works as Head of Operational and Environmental Affair in the paper and packaging industry, and has been working with sustainability within the company for 22 years. The manager is a male and has an education within Environmental Engineering and has studied the integration of environmental management systems. The experiential background outlines mostly working within environmental issues within the company.

Figure

Table 1: Interviewee Participants
Table 3: Follow-up of interviews
Table 4: Search Parameters
Figure 1: Illustration of the six steps of Thematic Analysis  (Braun & Clarke, 2006)
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References

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