The Dilemma of Incumbents in Sustainability Transitions: A Narrative Approach

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Date
2015-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI AG - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Abstract
In the context of the larger sustainability discourse, “sufficiency” is beginning to emerge as a new value throughout Western societies, and the question asked in this article is: Can we observe and conceptually identify opportunities to link successful business strategies of incumbents to principles of sufficiency? Thus, how feasible is sustainable entrepreneurship for incumbents? In this paper, a conceptual approach is developed combining insights from sociology, transition research, management and sustainable entrepreneurship research with a focus on narratives as a translation mechanism in situations where tensions emerge between corporate narratives and unexpected societal trends, e.g., the emergence of sufficient lifestyles. It will be shown that even though these are still a niche phenomenon, a focus on corporate narratives is an important element in understanding the role of incumbents in transitions to sustainability.
Description
doi:10.3390/admsci6010001
Keywords
incumbents and sufficiency, corporate narratives, dilemma management, sustainability transitions
Citation
Administrative Sciences 2016, 6, 1