Abstract
The natural resource-based view (NRBV) argues that strategy and competitive advantage are based on firm capabilities that contribute to environmental sustainability. In this context, it provides a framework consisting of various interrelated strategies for sustainability. The literature points to making plans and developing strategies to improve workplace spirituality by focusing on spiritual values at the organizational level. It discusses how a corporate social responsibility strategy as a capability that provides a competitive advantage to the company based on NRBV interacts with the three pillars of workplace spirituality—meaningfulness and purposefulness, a sense of community referring to a sense of integration with colleagues—and its compatibility with organizational goals, values, and mission. In this way, theoretical insights are provided by this study to obtain a strategic capability for companies and thus to provide various gains such as organizational sustainability and competitive advantage by developing workplace spirituality.
TopIntroduction
Sustainability stands out as a common agenda in today's world. This subject is fed by dynamics such as fluctuations in climate movements, changes in essential living resources, wars, natural disasters with increasing frequency and impact, pandemics, economic trends, wealth sharing, and the difficulties experienced by human groups that must live together. Therefore, the concern of ensuring sustainability is felt at all social, organizational, and individual levels, including at global, regional, and national scales. This concern encourages practical discussions and efforts to achieve environmental sustainability and, from an academic perspective, scientific research.
It is widely accepted that humans and human activities are the main actors at the root of environmental disasters that threaten sustainability. However, the long-term survival of humans and all living organisms in the world depends on the sustainability of the environment. However, it can also be said that the industry with human beings at its center, the ecosystem around the industry, and the consumption habits triggered by the industry have an undeniable share in the environmental and natural resource-based problems. Therefore, at the point reached today, it is necessary to combat various environmental problems such as air pollution, water pollution, greenhouse effect reduction, and disposal of toxic nuclear wastes in order to ensure environmental sustainability (Dickel, 2017). It is important to include industry in this struggle, in other words, organizations that mostly have commercial purposes, due to their role in causing environmental problems. At this point, it is especially important for commercial organizations to aim at organizational sustainability and to be managed sustainably.
Various theories have been developed to date regarding the management of organizations. One of the most popular theories, Resource Based View (RBV), explains sustainable competitive advantage with the resources that companies have (Wernerfelt, 1984; Barney, 1991). Hart (1995) criticized this approach for ignoring the natural environment and environmental sustainability and introduced the Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV). According to this view, built on the RBV, companies gain a sustainable competitive advantage when they have resources related to environmental sustainability (Hart & Dowell, 2011). The NRBV argues that firms will have the resources and capabilities to gain sustainable competitive advantage through sustainable/green strategies and recommends green strategies. Firms implementing sustainable strategies is an important step towards achieving environmental sustainability.
The natural resource-based view emphasizes the capabilities that firms can develop by implementing various strategies for environmental sustainability to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. In line with the prevailing view in management research that successful strategy implementation requires an appropriate organizational climate, becoming a sustainable firm and implementing successful sustainable strategies requires an organizational climate in which all employees have values and norms for environmental protection (Maleki Minbashrazgah & Shabani, 2019). On the other hand, workplace spirituality is highly important in creating an organizational climate where employees are in harmony with the company's mission, vision, and values (Sapta et al., 2021).
Workplace spirituality refers to environments where employees have the right to express their beliefs openly, are supported, and thus feel safe, communicate better with their colleagues, and are more committed to their work (Rathee & Rajain, 2020). Workplace spirituality is related to people's psychological characteristics and spiritual needs and provides an environment for people to develop more positive relationships with their environment by satisfying them (Baykal, 2023). Firms are in an effort to harmonize personal and firm motivations by providing workplace spirituality (Baykal, 2019a). Naturally, the higher the employee's value alignment with the firm, the higher the added value the employee tries to provide to the firm. Therefore, companies will need the support of organizational climate and workplace spirituality in the steps they take towards becoming a sustainable company and in their strategies.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Clean Energy: It is a management strategy for integrating renewable, clean energy sources into the company's ecosystem.
Corporate Social Responsibility: It is the company's activity to voluntarily meet the demands of various internal and external stakeholders to create profit for stakeholders and social concerns.
Product Stewardship: It is a management strategy in which the company's product life cycle is entirely focused on environmental sustainability.
Limiting/Saving: It is a management strategy for the economical use of all resources used in the company, primarily energy.
Natural Resource-Based View: A management theory suggests that organizations will gain a competitive advantage if they have resources for environmental sustainability and develop related capabilities.
Workplace Spirituality: It is the presence of spiritual factors and influencers that can give meaning to employees' lives in their work and workplace, a spiritual atmosphere in which they can be in integrity with their true selves and are not exposed to any obstacles in terms of spirituality.
Resource-based view: A management theory suggests that organizations will gain a competitive advantage thanks to their resources and the capabilities they develop accordingly.
Pollution Prevention: It is a management strategy that aims to reduce company costs while serving environmental sustainability by preventing the emergence of waste and emissions by intervening at the first stage.