Critical factors for transforming creativity into sustainability

Although creativity and sustainability have received considerable attention in the literature, there is limited research considering both - particularly in relation to co-existing organizational factors which facilitate the transformation of creativity into sustainable products. This paper explores this gap through an analysis of six case studies of commercial organizations presenting both successful and unsuccessful implementation of sustainable products/services, across types of firms and industries. The research framework focuses on three general facets: 1) leadership; 2) boundaries, where different aspects of internal and external firm's activities enable a diversity of opinions and stakeholder engagement; and 3) economic alignment/instrumentality, in which the goal of wealth creation is present and supported by a firm's capabilities. The main finding of the paper is that appropriate leadership along with effective boundary spanning and clear profit orientation are simultaneously necessary conditions for successful transformation of creative business ideas into successful sustainable products/services by business organizations. This implies a steep discounting of success prospects if any of the above factors is lacking. The work contributes to the development of general theoretical frameworks and approaches for achieving organizational success based on co-creating social and economic value at the same time. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.