Document details

Sustainable innovation cultures: 68 practices and methods for gaining competitive edge and impact

Berlin: De Gruyter (2026), 344 pp.

Contains 10 figures, 7 tables, glossary pp. 315-318

ISBN 978-3-11-137570-0 (pdf); 978-3-11-137528-1 (print)

CC BY-NC-ND

"How can companies and nonprofit organizations turn sustainability strategies into real-world practice? How can they innovate to gain a competitive edge while contributing to sustainable and regenerative development? And where should you as an innovation, sustainability or human resource manager begin? In this first comprehensive work on sustainable innovation cultures, the authors show how organizational culture translates sustainability-related values into environmentally, socially and economically valuable outcomes. By aligning sustainability literacy with appropriate practices and mediating artefacts (including those of artificial intelligence), virtuous circles of targeted output, valuable outcomes and desired impacts can be created. Three stages of activity are crucial if an organization is to grow a sustainable innovation culture-namely conceiving, co-creating and cultivating. First understand and specify the organization's values, tensions and values-action gaps, then co-create targeted interventions, and finally cultivate sustainable innovation practices and methods. This framework and its practices and methods are based on a comprehensive literature review, expert interviews and ethnographic field studies in transformational companies across Europe with a global presence. Case studies and examples illustrate each of the 32 practices and 36 methods described in the book. The companion site offers extensive training, educational media and materials such as card sets, videos, podcasts and slide decks for practitioners and educators. Academic syllabi as well as certified educational materials and university modules are available on an open access basis." (Publisher description)
PART I. FRAMEWORK: IT TAKES A WHOLE CULTURE, 18
1 It Takes a Whole Culture, 20
2 Conceptual Foundations, 28
3 A Framework for Sustainable Innovation Cultures, 62
PART II. PRACTICES AND METHODS: HOW TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION CULTURES, 92
Practices and Methods Overview, 96
4 Conceiving Innovation Cultures, 104
5 Co-creating Targeted Interventions, 146
6 Cultivating Sustainable Innovation, 178
PART III. CASES: EUROPEAN COMPANIES ON THEIR JOURNEYS TO ESTABLISH SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION CULTURES, 216
7 From Safety to Sustainability – The Case of an Inspection Company in Germany / Henning Breuer, Kiril Ivanov, Roman Meier-Andrae, 220
8 Cultural Transformation in the Italian Oil Industry / Raffaella Montera, Chiara Guiggiani, Alessandro Monti, Mario Rapaccini, 232
9 Investments in People and Technology along with Management by Values in Poland / Katarzyna Matras-Postołek, Piotr Beńko, Małgorzata Ciesielska, Jacek Kasz, Irena Śliwińska, 248
10 Sustainable Innovation Challenges in Science-Based Companies in Spain / Carmen Abril, 260
PART IV. CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES: MERGERS, FINANCING AND FORWARD-LOOKING CULTURES 276
11 Developing Sustainable Innovation Cultures during Mergers and Acquisitions: The Case of Two Breweries in Slovenia / Ladeja Godina Košir, 278
12 Sustainable Finance and Investments for Sustainable Innovation Cultures / Gregor Erkel & Henning Breuer, 290
13 Outlook: Forward-Looking Cultures / Henning Breuer, 306