Title:
Implementing sustainability in large public organizations: impacts of bureaucracy

dc.contributor.advisor Elliott, Michael
dc.contributor.author Keysar, Elizabeth J. en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMember Drummond, William
dc.contributor.committeeMember Kingsley, Gordon
dc.contributor.committeeMember Kodack, Marc
dc.contributor.committeeMember Stone, Brian
dc.contributor.department City Planning en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2013-06-15T02:52:14Z
dc.date.available 2013-06-15T02:52:14Z
dc.date.issued 2013-04-09 en_US
dc.description.abstract Environmental Planning theory tells us that continued improvement in environmental outcomes will require new approaches that are voluntary; behavior change will come from within organizations, not imposed from outside. The concept of sustainability fits in this new phase of environmental planning and policy. In order for organizations to be successful in achieving sustainability goals, they must create an organizational context that produces innovative ideas (considered a strength of organic or learning organizations), along with an organizational context that effectively manages and implements continuous change (considered a strength of bureaucratic organizations). Effectively striking this balance appears to be a key component of making progress in sustainability for large public organizations. The research completed through this doctoral dissertation addresses gaps in the literature by asking the question: How have large public organizations implemented sustainability programs? A multiple case study design was used that examined three large public organizations that have adopted sustainability goals and established programs for achieving these goals. The data were analyzed based on a conceptual framework that predicts the types of activities and attributes organizations will exhibit to successfully achieve sustainability goals. The results demonstrate that sustainability implementation in these organizations is dependent upon leadership support, cross-functional teams, orientation to the external environment, effective management systems and consistent support over time. Bureaucratic organizations are structured to effectively accomplish the core mission, but if they also want to be more sustainable, they must adopt and promote more organic attributes to enable change, learning and innovation. en_US
dc.description.degree PhD en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/1853/47664
dc.publisher Georgia Institute of Technology en_US
dc.subject Case studies en_US
dc.subject Public organizations en_US
dc.subject Sustainability en_US
dc.subject Environmental planning en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Organizational change
dc.subject.lcsh Bureaucracy
dc.subject.lcsh Interorganizational relations
dc.title Implementing sustainability in large public organizations: impacts of bureaucracy en_US
dc.type Text
dc.type.genre Dissertation
dspace.entity.type Publication
local.contributor.advisor Elliott, Michael
local.contributor.corporatename College of Design
local.contributor.corporatename School of City and Regional Planning
local.relation.ispartofseries Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in City and Regional Planning
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relation.isSeriesOfPublication df7b7c2d-cd1c-48cf-ac1b-e69f299f9774
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