Where Do We Go From Here? Is Responsibility Sustainable?

Abstract

In this special issue we have brought together a veritable ‘‘dream team’’ of thought leaders, and rising stars, from academia, consulting and the c-suite to address the ‘‘Leadership Imperative for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility.’’ Clearly, the decisions and actions of individual leaders matter to the social performance and long-term viability of their organizations. Ultimately, activities such as formulating sustainability policies, engaging in community outreach programs, supporting social causes, or seeking alternatives to disruptive layoffs are the result of managerial decisions, and so are activities that are widely considered unethical, such as bribery, fraud, environmental pollution, and employment discrimination. While corporate executives are constrained in their ability to engage in these activities by corporate governance regulations, company policies, and the law, they have some degree of discretion in their choices. David Waldman, a noted leadership scholar, put it succinctly:‘‘Firms do not make decisions pertaining to responsibility or CSR; leaders do."