Organizational engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) : theoretical perspectives and empirical insights in a public sector context

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) stand as a globally recognized initiative aimed at tackling humanity's most pressing challenges, aspiring to shape a future characterized by sustainable development. Since their inception in 2015, organizations of all sorts and sizes worldwide have increasingly adopted these goals, highlighting the framework's success. The academic community has followed this trend, including the 'Business and Management' literature. However, in part due to the relatively recent emergence of the SDGs, not all facets of their adoption at the organizational level have undergone thorough examination, resulting in a somewhat fragmented and incomplete scholarly contribution with inherent shortcomings. This thesis endeavors to address some of these shortcomings, with a particular focus on the concept of ‘organizational SDG engagement’, an area that has received minimal attention in current research. By offering precise delineation and a definition of this concept, along with other key concepts, and presenting a universally applicable framework of drivers, this thesis aims to make a contribution towards enhancing the theoretical foundation on the topic. Furthermore, by conducting quantitative empirical examinations within the often-overlooked organizational context of public sector organizations, delving into analyses of the impact of COVID-19 on organizational SDG engagement, evaluating employee attitudinal responses towards organizational SDG engagement, and exploring the relationship between organizational SDG engagement and public trust, this thesis aims at enriching empirical knowledge in this domain. Finally, by offering actionable recommendations grounded in both theoretical understanding and empirical evidence, including insights resulting from an applied SDG project in collaboration with the Province of Antwerp, this thesis aims to bridge a gap between theory and practice. While these contributions may seem subtle, they have the potential to provide a solid foundation for organizations to enhance their SDG engagement and amplify their role in driving positive change.