Activities of organizations located in Poland in the field of sustainable development

Dawid Szostek

Abstract


Theoretical background: The article discusses the activities of organizations located in Poland in the field of sustainable development (SD). This is a specific development, which considers the needs of future generations. These activities may concern environmental, social or economic issues. The identified knowledge gap refers to the type of the most common SD-activities, possible partners in such projects, employee involvement and motivation to participate in such activities, and the perceived advantages and negative aspects of SD-projects.

Purpose of the article: The purpose of the article is to evaluate the activities of organizations located in Poland in the field of sustainable development. The described issues include: the type of the most common SD-activities, possible partners in such projects, employee involvement and motivation to participate in such activities, and the perceived advantages and negative aspects of SD-projects.

Research methods: The empirical material was obtained from 13 individual in-depth interviews conducted by telephone in 2018.

Main findings: The analysed organizations implemented mainly social, but also ecological projects. By the implementation of projects, they cooperated mainly with NGO-partners, but only if it was necessary (e.g. if the NGO had more knowledge and experience in a specific field). Most of the projects were based on the active participation of employees in the form of volunteering; such projects had the most positive effects for the project’s goals, but also for the employees and the company. Hence, companies willingly motivated employees to participate in such projects not only by informational and organizational support, but also through various methods of distinguishing employees (e.g. volunteering gala, cup of coffee with the CEO). Companies see considerable benefits in such projects for themselves and for the staff. The perceived disadvantages are few, and in any case they can be minimized and are fully discounted by the potential benefits.


Keywords


sustainable development; sustainable management

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/h.2019.53.1.99-109
Date of publication: 2019-10-14 10:02:15
Date of submission: 2019-01-18 11:23:16


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