The role of communication and creativity in the implementation of sustainability and sustainable innovations
Abstract
Sustainable development becomes a strategic goal of modern business organizations and an aspiration to ensure long-term economic growth through the creation of innovative products and services, saving resources and their sustainable use, nurturing the environment, and contributing to the creation of public welfare. It should be noted that communication and creativity constitutes a significant part of the innovation generation and implementation process. Promotion of idea generation, the interpretation of the need for innovation, the provision of opportunities for expressing new ideas, the development of relationships both within the team itself and with stakeholders are important in each phase of communication. The article presents the research, the purpose of which is to determine how creative communication solutions condition the involvement of the organization’s stakeholders, developing sustainability and creating sustainable innovations in Lithuanian business organizations. The applied research method is qualitative content analysis of the web pages of the largest Lithuanian business organizations, seeking to collect data on the essential organization of sustainable innovation development activities, challenges and features of stakeholder involvement. The data required for the research was collected by reviewing the publicly available information of 100 websites of Lithuanian business organizations in order to determine the essential communicated sustainability topics. Documents related to sustainable activities of organizations were also investigated (sustainability performance reports, corporate social responsibility reports, etc.). The results of the study show that Lithuanian business organizations consider the development of a sustainable activity strategy an important priority in the near term. However, although they understand the need for sustainable activities, developing sustainable innovations by involving stakeholders in these activities is difficult due to the lack of such practices and various organizational factors.
Keyword : business, communication, creativity and innovation, stakeholder involvement, sustainability, sustainable innovation
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Atkočiūnienė, Z. O., & Siudikienė, D. (2021). Communication management in promoting knowledge and creativity in fostering innovations in the creative organizations. Creativity Studies, 14(2), 549–576. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2021.15550
Badurdeen, F., & Jawahir, I. S. (2017). Strategies for value creation through sustainable manufacturing, Procedia Manufacturing, 8, 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2017.02.002
Baumgartner, R. J., & Rauter, R. (2017). Strategic perspectives of corporate sustainability management to develop a sustainable organization. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140(1), 81–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.04.146
Bernal Jurado, E., Mozas Moral, A., Medina Viruel, M. J., & Fernández Uclés, D. (2018). Evaluation of corporate websites and their influence on the performance of olive oil companies. Sustainability, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su10041274
Bosch, van den A. L. M., Elving, W. J. L., & Jong, de M. D. T. (2006). The impact of organisational characteristics on corporate visual identity. European Journal of Marketing, 40(7–8), 870–885. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560610670034
Boyd, D. E., & Koles, B. (2019). Virtual reality and its impact on B2B marketing: A value-in-use perspective. Journal of Business Research, 100, 590–598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.06.007
Cillo, V., Messeni Petruzzelli, A., Ardito, L., & Giudice, del M. (2019). Understanding sustainable innovation: A systematic literature review. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(5), 1012–1025. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1783
Dumont, J., Shen, J., & Deng, X. (2017). Effects of green HRM practices on employee workplace green behavior: The role of psychological green climate and employee green values. Human Resource Management, 56(4), 613–627. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21792
Eisenreich, A., Füller, J., & Stuchtey, M. (2021). Open circular innovation: How companies can develop circular innovations in collaboration with stakeholders. Sustainability, 13(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313456
Evans, S., Vladimirova, D., Holgado, M., Fossen, van K., Yang, M., Silva, E. A., & Barlow, C. Y. (2017). Business model innovation for sustainability: Towards a unified perspective for creation of sustainable business models. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(5), 597–608. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1939
Falkheimer, J., & Heide, M. (2014). From public relations to strategic communication in Sweden: The emergence of a transboundary field of knowledge. Nordicom Review, 35(2), 123–138. https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2014-0019
Fan, X., & Luo, Y. (2020). Value co-creation: A literature review. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 8(2), 89–98. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.82008
Farias, G., Farias, Ch., Krysa, I., & Harmon, J. (2020). Sustainability mindsets for strategic management: Lifting the yoke of the neo-classical economic perspective. Sustainability, 12(17). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176977
Genç, R. (2017). The importance of communication in sustainability and sustainable strategies. Procedia Manufacturing, 8, 511–516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2017.02.065
George, G., & Schillebeeckx, S. J. D. (2022). Digital transformation, sustainability, and purpose in the multinational enterprise. Journal of World Business, 57(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2022.101326
Gustafsson, A., Kristensson, P., & Witell, L. (2012). Customer co-creation in service innovation: A matter of communication? Journal of Service Management, 23(3), 311–327. https://doi.org/10.1108/09564231211248426
Hein, A., Weking, J., Schreieck, M., Wiesche, M., Böhm, M., & Krcmar, H. (2019). Value co-creation practices in business-to-business platform ecosystems. Electronic Markets, 29, 503–518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-019-00337-y
Hoffmann, Ch. P., & Lutz, Ch. (2015). The impact of online media on stakeholder engagement and the governance of corporations. Journal of Public Affairs: An International Journal, 15(2), 163–174. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1535
Höjer, M., Larsen, K., & Wintzell, H. (2012). Sustainable communications and innovation: Different types of effects from collaborative research including university and companies in the ICT-sector. In M. D. Hercheui, D. Whitehouse, Jr. W. McIver, & J. Phahlamohlaka (Eds.), ICT Critical Infrastructures and Society. HCC10 2012. IFIP Advances in Information and communication technology (Vol. 386). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33332-3_16
Inegbedion, H., Inegbedion, E., Obadiaru, E., Asaleye, A., Adeyemi, S., & Eluyela, D. (2021). Creativity and organisational efficiency: Empirical evidence from private organisations in Nigeria. Creativity Studies, 14(2), 461–487. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2021.12446
Jun, H., & Kim, M. (2021). From stakeholder communication to engagement for the sustainable development goals (SDGs): A case study of LG Electronics. Sustainability, 13(15), 8624. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158624
Juntunen, J. K., Halme, M., Korsunova, A., & Rajala, R. (2019). Strategies for integrating stakeholders into sustainability innovation: A configurational perspective. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 36(3), 331–355. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12481
Kim, J., & Choi, H. (2019). Value co-creation through social media: A case study of a start-up company. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 20(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2019.6262
Kim, Ch., Galliers, R. D., Shin, N., Ryoo, J.-H., & Kim, J. (2012). Factors influencing internet shopping value and customer repurchase intention. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 11(4), 374–387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2012.04.002
Kropp, C. (2018). Sustainable innovations: Theories, conflicts and strategies (SOI Discussion Paper No. 2018-02). University of Stuttgart.
Lazzeretti, L. (Ed.). (2012). Regions and cities. Creative Industries and Innovation in Europe: Concepts, measures and comparative case studies. Routledge.
Lee, K., & Jung, H. (2019). Dynamic semantic network analysis for identifying the concept and scope of social sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 233, 1510–1524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.390
Lemańska-Majdzik, A. (2018). Flexible activities of the organization in implementation of the sustainable development principles in selected areas of the organizations. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(4), 212–222. https://doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2018.v7n4p212
Liotta, G., Tanev, S., Gorra, A., & Pospieszala, A. I. (2020). Sustainability-related communication patterns on the websites of European top R&D spenders. Technology Innovation Management Review, 10(10), 43–54. https://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/1395
López-Rubio, P., Roig-Tierno, N., & Mas-Tur, A. (2020). Regional innovation system research trends: Toward knowledge management and entrepreneurial ecosystems. International Journal of Quality Innovation, 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40887-020-00038-x
Luca, de F., Iaia, L., Mehmood, A., & Vrontis, D. (2022). Corrigendum to “Can social media improve stakeholder engagement and communication of sustainable development goals? A cross-country analysis”. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121853
Luoma-aho, V., & Halonen, S. (2010). Intangibles and innovation: The role of communication in the innovation ecosystem. Innovation Journalism, 7(2). http://journal.innovationjournalism.org/2010/11/intangibles-innovation-role-of.html
Manninen, K., & Huiskonen, J. (2022). Factors influencing the implementation of an integrated corporate sustainability and business strategy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131036
Mastio, E., Chew, E., & Dovey, K. A. (2019). The learning organization as a context for value co-creation. The Learning Organization, 27(4), 291–303. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-12-2018-0219
Mathrani, S., & Edwards, B. (2020). Knowledge-sharing strategies in distributed collaborative product development. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc6040194
McCoy, L., & Chi, T. (2022). Collaborative consumption: A study of sustainability presentation in fashion rental platforms. Sustainability, 14(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148537
Meixell, M. J., & Luoma, P. (2015). Stakeholder pressure in sustainable supply chain management: A systematic review. International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, 45(1–2), 69–89. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-05-2013-0155
Nosratabadi, S., Mosavi, A., Shamshirband, Sh., Zavadskas, E. K., Rakotonirainy, A., & Chau, K. W. (2019). Sustainable business models: A review. Sustainability, 11(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061663
O’Riordan, L., & Fairbrass, J. (2008). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Models and theories in stakeholder dialogue. Journal of Business Ethics, 83, 745–758. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9662-y
Pieper, R., Karvonen, S., & Vaarama, M. (2019). The SOLA model: A theory-based approach to social quality and social sustainability. Social Indicators Research, 146, 553–580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-019-02127-7
Ranjan, K. R., & Read, S. (2016). Value co-creation: Concept and measurement. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44, 290–315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0397-2
Riffe, D., Lacy, S., & Fico, F. G. (2005). LEA communication series. Analyzing media messages: Using quantitative content analysis in research. J. Bryant & D. Zillmann (General Eds.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Sadiku, M. N. O., Omotoso, A. A., & S. Musa, S. M. (2019). Green supply chain management: A primer. International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, 3(2), 901–902. https://doi.org/10.31142/ijtsrd21541
Samsudin, F., & Wahab, S. A. (2018). Sustainable development in franchising: Measuring the impacts of strategic direction in franchise organization. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325816508_SUSTAINABLE_DEVELOPMENT_IN_FRANCHISING_MEASURING_THE_IMPACTS_OF_STRATEGIC_DIRECTION_IN_FRANCHISE_ORGANIZATION/link/5b270c170f7e9b0e374e6167/download?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIiwicGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIn19
Stock, T., Obenaus, M., Slaymaker, A., & Seliger, G. A. (2017). A model for the development of sustainable innovations for the early phase of the innovation process. Procedia Manufacturing, 8, 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2017.02.027
Sudolska, A., Lis, A., & Chodorek, M. (2019). Research profiling for responsible and sustainable innovations. Sustainability, 11(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236553
Tomowski, A. (2006). Foreword. Rioplus: Environmental policy and promotion of strategies for sustainable development. In Strategic communication for sustainable development: A conceptual overview (pp. 7–8). Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit GmbH.
Trivellas, P., Malindretos, G., & Reklitis, P. (2020). Implications of green logistics management on sustainable business and supply chain performance: Evidence from a survey in the Greek agri-food sector. Sustainability, 12(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410515
Vargas-Hernández, J. G. (2021). Strategic organizational sustainability. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 1, 457–476. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-020-00003-y
Wolf, J. (2014). The relationship between sustainable supply chain management, stakeholder pressure and corporate sustainability performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 119, 317–328. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1603-0
Yagnik, A. (2020). Communication for development and social change through creativity. In J. Servaes (Ed.), Springer Reference. Handbook of communication for development and social change (pp. 269–285). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2014-3_102
Ye, Ch., Jha, S., & Desouza, K. C. (2015). Communicating the business value of innovation. International Journal of Innovation Science, 7(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1260/1757-2223.7.1.1