Sustainable leadership at Siam Cement Group

Journal of Business Strategy - Tập 32 Số 4 - Trang 32-41 - 2011
SooksanKantabutra1, Gayle C.Avery2
1Assistant Professor at the College of Management, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
2Professor at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Macquarie University, Macquarie Park, Sydney, Australia

Tóm tắt

PurposeThis study examines the question of whether sustainable leadership principles, also known as Rhineland leadership, can apply to a listed business in an emerging economy.Design/methodology/approachAvery's sustainable leadership grid provided the framework for analysis of a major publicly‐listed Thai enterprise, the Siam Cement Group (SCG). A multi‐method case study used semi‐structured interviews with various stakeholders, observations, and internal and external documentation. The Rhineland principles were grouped into six categories for analysis: long‐term perspective, investing in people, organizational culture, innovation, social and environmental responsibility, and behaving ethically.FindingsOverall, data showed moderate to strong evidence for 18 of the 19 grid practices at SCG, the exception being the CEO serving as speaker of the top team rather than being a heroic leader. Moderate evidence was found for consensual and devolved decision making and self‐governing teams. All 16 other elements were strongly evident.Research limitations/implicationsCase studies cannot lead to generalizations, and therefore further research is required into other businesses to gauge the extent of Rhineland practices in Thailand and other developing economies.Practical implicationsRhineland principles link to enhanced brand and reputation, customer and staff satisfaction, and financial performance compared with business‐as‐usual practices. Therefore, managers are advised to evaluate their current practices with a view to adopting more sustainable versions. The sustainable leadership grid provides a useful checklist for this purpose.Social implicationsSociety and the planet stand to benefit under Rhineland practices. Increasingly, business is expected to help address many of the pressing problems facing humankind, such as climate change, pollution, unethical practices, and shortages of fossil fuels, water, and other resources. Rhineland leadership can contribute here because of its concern for the wider effects of its activities on society and the environment.Originality/valueThis paper is highly original. It contains the first examination of Rhineland leadership in a developing economy. In addition, it shows that even a public company can resist pressures to conform to business‐as‐usual practices and adopt the long‐term, socially responsible principles of Rhineland leadership.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Albert, M. (1993), Capitalism vs Capitalism: How America's Obsession With Individual Achievement and Short‐term Profit Has Led it to the Brink of Collapse, Four Walls Eight Windows, New York, NY.

Avery, G.C. (2005), Leadership for Sustainable Futures: Achieving Success in a Competitive World, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.

Avery, G.C. and Bergsteiner, H. (2010), Honeybees and Locusts: The Business Case for Sustainable Leadership, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

Bangkok Post (2007), Bangkok Post Mid‐year Economic Review, The Post Publishing Public Co., Bangkok.

Bennis, W. (2003), “Flight of the phoenix: authentic leaders learn how to fly”, Executive Excellence, Vol. 20 No. 5, pp. 4‐5.

Booz Allen Hamilton (2003), “Results of global CEO survey”, Strategy + Business.

Collins, J.C. (1997), “And the walls came tumbling down”, in Hesselbein, F., Goldsmith, M. and Beckhard, R. (Eds), The Organization of the Future, Jossey‐Bass, The Drucker Foundation, San Francisco, CA, pp. 19‐28.

Collins, J.C. and Porras, J.I. (1994), Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, Century, London.

Hall, P.A. and Soskice, D. (2001), “An introduction to varieties of capitalism”, in Hall, P.A. and Soskice, D. (Eds), Varieties of Capitalism: The Institutional Foundations of Comparative Advantage, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 1‐68.

Kennedy, A.A. (2000), The End of Shareholder Value: The Real Effects of the Shareholder Value Phenomenon and the Crisis it is Bringing to Business, Orion Business Books, London.

Verschoor, C.C. (2004), “Does superior governance still lead to better financial performance?”, Strategic Finance, October, pp. 13‐14.

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

Journal of Business Strategy

Tập 32 Số 4

32-41

Thông tin tác giả