Silos and Sustainability: How Organisational Boundaries Shape Corporate Sustainability Integration

this study examines the relationship between the permeability of organizational boundaries and corporate sustainability integration. based on an analysis of survey responses from 7,000+ organisation members in three nordic countries (denmark, norway, sweden), the study demonstrates how the permeability of organisational boundaries increases the level of corporate sustainability integration and reduces the level of organisational tensions. moreover, the findings show how boundary permeability becomes increasingly important for understanding corporate sustainability integration as the size of the organisation increases. the study provides new knowledge by demonstrating how organisational ‘sites of difference’ shape the level of corporate sustainability integration. multiple, co-existing boundaries are found in all types of organisations, yet limited knowledge exists on how the characteristics of these demarcation lines influence the embeddedness of sustainability issues in strategy and operations.