Organizational Self-Renewal: The Role of Green IS in Developing Eco-Effectiveness

Recent research has acknowledged the key role of information systems (IS) in helping build sustainable organizations. Although many organizations have implemented strategies for increased sustainability, empirical evidence for the effects of such strategies is sparse, and the understanding of the underlying processes to reach ecoeffectiveness is limited. We draw upon the competing values framework and a longitudinal study of Nordea, a large Nordic bank, to develop a theoretical model that explains the processes through which an organization passes as to successfully institutionalize a sustainable work environment, and the role of Green IS in this process. Three main findings emerge: First, the transformation towards eco-effectiveness can be understood as an incremental process, involving a number of actions over a long time period. Second, Green IS initiatives cannot be studied in isolation from other sustainable initiatives, since they are re-enforcing each other. Third, Green IS initiatives can act as ‘motors’ towards eco-effectiveness, in bridging competing models of organizational effectiveness.

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