Change agents for sustainability Unveiling the role of corporate sustainability managers as change agents sculpting the future of corporate responsibility

Abstract

Organizations are implementing Proactive Environmental Strategies (PES) to address the grand challenges, including climate change and biological degradation. To do so, organizations are hiring Corporate Sustainability Managers (CSMs) to act as Change Agents for Sustainability (CAS). Yet, there is still a gap in the literature concerning their role and how they work to implement PES. Thus, this thesis examines how CSMs perceive themselves and their role in PES implementation. This was done through semi-structured interviews with CSMs from different firms and organizations. The findings were used to derive a conceptual framework, including practical propositions for CSMs and their organizations.