Timothy J. Galpin

Sustainability leadership: from strategy to results

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to show how a previously developed multi‐level model of employee engagement can be leveraged to implement a comprehensive sustainability strategy. By combining macro‐level (organization‐wide) with micro‐level (manager to employee) leadership practices, management teams can more effectively engage their entire workforce in sustainability endeavors.Design/methodology/approach – A narrative synthesis approach is used to integrate extant empirical and practitioner literature spanning various disciplines in order to apply a comprehensive model for leading sustainability efforts.Findings – The path to successful sustainability efforts hinges on both “macro” and “micro” organizational factors. Combining these factors provides management with a powerful approach that engages a workforce in sustainability endeavors, resulting in positive employee‐level and organizational‐level sustainability performance.Research limitations/implications – If research is reported on in the p...

The engagement factor: building a high‐commitment organization in a low‐commitment world

Purpose – Attracting and retaining a talented work force is a strategic imperative. Doing so requires organizations to create an overall context through a set of macro‐level organizational practices we refer to as the HR value chain. However, this organizational context must be supplemented at the micro level through leader behavior, job characteristics, and challenging goals. An evidence‐based integrative model of organizational practices is developed that will lead to a high level of employee engagement.Design/methodology/approach – The paper addresses several key questions: Do engaged employees perform better than those that are not engaged? How should companies best organize their HR processes at a firm‐wide level to foster employee engagement? What should companies do at an employee level to foster engagement? What is the role of employee to manager trust in employee engagement? A review and summary of existing empirical literature from the areas of employee engagement, human resources, strategy, and...

Is your sustainability strategy sustainable? Creating a culture of sustainability

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to present a multidisciplinary model that can be used as both a road map for practicing managers to create a sustainability focused culture within their own organizations, and as a guide for future research into the relationship between organizational culture and sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – A narrative synthesis approach is used to integrate extant empirical and practitioner literature spanning various disciplines to build a comprehensive model, including key propositions, to assist both practitioners and researchers alike. Case examples illustrating each component of the model in practice and implications for future research based on the key tenets of the model are also provided. Findings – Building an organizational infrastructure that fosters a culture of sustainability results in positive employee- and organizational-level sustainability performance. Research limitations/implications – The model presented is an important advancement in the sus...

Merger repair: when M&As go wrong

Purpose – The company closed the deal over two‐years ago, but the organization is still not operating as one company: results are lagging, customers are defecting, and shareholders are restless. Management thought that they checked off all of the right deal actions, including: a thorough due diligence (operations, finances, systems, and people); assigning appropriate integration resources early and keeping them available throughout the integration process; developing and executing detailed integration plans; and measuring, tracking, and reporting implementation progress against the integration plans. But, somewhere, somehow, something went wrong – and it has to be fixed, or else. The transaction itself was completed too long ago for any action now to be truly considered “post‐deal integration.” The situation the company now faces is “merger repair.” Unfortunately, they are not alone. Numerous, well‐intentioned deals have gone sour either due to gross negligence or because of a series of small – but in agg...

Leading the sustainable organization at Vail Resorts

Purpose – This paper aims to assess Vail Resorts’ sustainability activities by applying a well-substantiated framework titled the “Leading the Sustainable Organization” (LSO) model in order to systematically explore their efforts. Anecdotally the sustainability activities and accomplishments of Vail Resorts appear comprehensive and impressive. Corporate sustainability is a complex, multi-functional endeavor, yet guidance on the issue has tended to be single level, single stage and single disciplinary. Our multi-level assessment of Vail Resorts’ sustainability activities, including the stakeholder and financial impacts, develops a deeper understanding of sustainability and the effect it can have on profitability and value of a company. Design/methodology/approach – Vail Resorts’ sustainability activities were assessed by applying a well-substantiated framework titled the “Leading the Sustainable Organization” (LSO) model. Findings – The in-role and extra-role sustainability performance of employees at Vail...

Sustainability in start-up ventures: what founders say versus what they do

Purpose – Although founders of start-up ventures seem to hold similar views about ethical, social, and environmental principles as those in large firms, entrepreneurs tend to be focussed on their immediate stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers, and investors. The purpose of this paper is to compare founders’ views – “what they say” – about sustainable business practices to their described business models – “what they do.” Design/methodology/approach – An opinion survey of prospective business start-up founders, along with a content analysis of their business plans, is used to compare founders’ views – “what they say” – about sustainable business practices to their described business models – “what they do.” Findings – Findings suggest that prospective business founders do value sustainable business practices. However, the content of their business models does not reflect their espoused importance of sustainability. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of this study is ...

Redefining Success: The Foundation for Creating Work-Life Balance

The line between work and home has become blurred by our ability to communicate and share information 24/7. The work day, indeed the work week, has expanded beyond the boundaries of place and time that formerly provided some buffer between work and the other arenas of life. While employees at all levels of the organization are affected by this blurring of boundaries, this is especially true for managers, technical people, and individual contributors in the middle and upper ranks of an organization – referred to throughout the chapter as professionals – because they are often expected to do “whatever it takes” to accomplish their assignments.

Creating a Culture of Candor in the Leadership Classroom

A culture of candor can bring numerous benefits to any organization. Yet, candor is rare in most organizations. Despite the scarcity of its practice there is a need to develop leaders who value and use candor by demonstrating and practicing candor in the leadership classroom. A description of seven key actions that enable leadership instructors to build a culture of candor in the classroom is provided. Each of these actions is supported with prescriptive guidelines for implementing these practices in the classroom. The influence of the seven actions on the candid behavior of leadership students as well as leadership instructors is also discussed.