The driving forces of sustainability

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an integrative model for how commitment to sustainability emerges at the organizational, functional, and individual levels within organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted through a multi‐site, comparative case study using three large corporations with exemplary sustainability standings. Key employees from each organization were interviewed. Interview transcripts and sustainability reports were analyzed using discourse analysis, and a constructivist approach to grounded theory was used to build a model for how sustainability emerges at the organizational, functional, and individual levels.FindingsWithin the corporations studied, different perspectives toward sustainability exist. At the organizational level, senior leadership defines sustainability and establishes an integrated culture by aligning sustainability with business purposes and driving sustainability priorities through the organization. At the functional level, managers assume a differentiated perspective and translate organizational sustainability goals into tools and programs for facilities, suppliers, and employees. At the individual level, based upon different cultural influences, independent actors assume a fragmented perspective. Each of these perspectives influences the others and is essential to the long‐term success of a commitment to sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsViewing sustainability through multiple perspectives presents an interesting approach for research. Most sustainability literature addresses change from an organizational level. Therefore, addressing sustainability change from an organizational, a subcultural, and an individual level provides further insight into how sustainability develops within organizations.Originality/valueThere are different and often contradictory views of how sustainability develops within organizations. This paper provides fresh insight into this process.