Inter-Organizational Collaboration on Projects Supporting Sustainable Development Goals: The Company Perspective
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. Company Involvement in Sustainable Development
2.2. The ARA Model
3. Research Methodology
3.1. Method
- -
- with respect to the first central question (on the nature of the investigated collaboration):
- (1)
- What activities and what kinds of resources are contributed by each partner when collaborating on joint SD projects?
- (2)
- What is the role of actor (interpersonal) bonds in initiating and undertaking such collaborations?
- -
- with respect to the second central question (on the outcomes generated for companies):
- (3)
- What are the positive effects of this collaboration for companies?
- (4)
- Are there any negative effects of this collaboration for companies?
3.2. Respondents and Investigated Companies
4. Results
4.1. Projects Undertaken in Collaboration: Content, Level of Formalization, Duration, Company Partners and Initiator
4.2. Successful Joint Projects: Activity Links, Resource Ties and Actor Bonds
4.2.1. Activities Undertaken and Resources Contributed by Each Partner
4.2.2. Actor Bonds in the Process of Initiating and Undertaking the Collaboration
4.3. Positive and Negative Effects of the Collaboration for the Company
- a larger fund was obtained for implementing the project;
- it was possible to join forces and thus make the project possible (the company employees would not have had time to complete the entire project themselves);
- it was possible to achieve a bigger final effect (e.g., to renovate and furnish more rooms);
- it was possible to help more beneficiaries;
- the project was implemented in a shorter amount of time because of the division of tasks and the assignment of people with the right competences.
- NGOs lack an understanding of the realities of how a business operates;
- NGOs work more slowly than companies; decisions take longer, which may lead to longer preparation time and/or longer project implementation;
- NGOs are not sufficiently prepared to work with volunteers from the company;
- NGOs only want financial resources, not deeper collaboration with companies.
5. Discussion and Conclusions
5.1. Activity Links and Resource Ties
- The companies’ partners mostly supplement the companies’ resources in terms of specialist knowledge and experience required for project implementation, whilst also contributing to their positive image and widely recognized reputation.
- Companies mostly supplement their partners’ resources by providing funds and volunteers.
- Activities undertaken by company employees are usually complemented by their partners in terms of detailed project planning, organization and coordination, and providing necessary specialized materials and equipment.
5.2. Actor Bonds
5.3. Effects of the Collaboration for the Company
5.4. Theoretical and Practical Contribution
5.5. Limitations and Implications for Future Research
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Project Name | R/A * | Company/Partner | Description |
---|---|---|---|
[Planting trees] | R | Company | work of company volunteers, funds for buying seedlings, shovels and hot drinks for volunteers |
Partner | work of foundation volunteers, professional knowledge about planting trees, specialized materials/equipment needed for project realization, positive image (external NGO); land for project implementation (public organization) | ||
A | Company | organizing the project, preparing internal messages for employees, communicating in social media, renting a bus to transport company volunteers; planting trees (company volunteers) | |
Partner | coordinating the project, advising on seedling selection, helping with planting trees, buying seedlings, buying shovels, communicating in social media (external NGO); designating land for project implementation (public organization) | ||
[Planting meadows] | R | Company | work of company volunteers, funds for project realization |
Partner | expertise in sowing melliferous flower meadows, seeds and plants to be planted, equipment used when planting meadows, reputation (external NGO) | ||
A | Company | promoting the idea of a project among own employees, choosing a partner for project realization and conducting a dialogue with the partner (corporate foundation) | |
Partner | seed and plant production, delivery of seeds, plants and equipment to the place of project implementation (external NGO); designation of land for project implementation (public organization) | ||
[Parents’ zones in hospitals] | R | Company | the idea of the project, funds for realization, work of company volunteers |
Partner | expertise in volunteering projects and voluntary work with ill children (PR agency); work on the project (PR agency, famous actress); positive image (famous actress) | ||
A | Company | choosing a hospital (beneficiary) for each edition, recruiting workers to implement the project (to do a renovation) among company employees; renovating and furnishing parents’ zones in hospitals (company volunteers) | |
Partner | administrative assistance, preparing the concept and designing the arrangement of the zone, contact with the hospital selected by the company, selection of a specific space in the hospital for the parents’ zone, training for company volunteers (preparing them for direct contact with ill children) (PR agency); participation in the opening ceremony of the zone; being the project ambassador (famous actress) | ||
[A therapeutic book] | R | Company | the idea of the project (book), funds for book printing, work of company volunteers |
Partner | professional knowledge, therapeutic texts and materials used to write the book, reputation (external NGO); work on the project (external NGO, famous individuals) | ||
A | Company | reading the book in hospitals (company volunteers); responding to requests and sending the book to those interested in it (corporate foundation) | |
Partner | providing the novelist factual assistance when writing the book (external NGO); writing the book (a novelist); reading the book in hospitals (famous individuals) | ||
[Reading and collecting books] | R | Company | work of company volunteers, company rooms for workshops |
Partner | professional knowledge of fairytale therapy, work of foundation volunteers, positive image (external NGO) | ||
A | Company | collecting books for ill children, visiting ill children in hospitals, reading books in hospitals (company volunteers) | |
Partner | collecting books for ill children, equipping libraries in hospitals, preparing company volunteers for reading to ill children, communicating in social media (external NGO) | ||
[One tree for each e-invoice] | R | Company | funds to buy seedlings, work of company volunteers |
Partner | work of foundation volunteers, professional knowledge of planting trees, specialized equipment needed for project realization, positive image (external NGO) | ||
A | Company | co-organizing the project, organizing transport; planting trees (company volunteers) | |
Partner | finding a place for planting, negotiating with local authorities, organizing catering for company volunteers, selecting seedlings, buying seedlings, delivering seedlings to the place of planting, calculating carbon dioxide absorption of planted trees (external NGO) | ||
[Picnics for local community] | R | Company | funds, work of company volunteers |
Partner | work of association volunteers, professional knowledge, specialized equipment for project realization, reputation (NGO); trucks and drivers (for-profit organizations) | ||
A | Company | organizing integration meetings, inviting suppliers and customers to meetings | |
Partner | co-organizing integration meetings (external NGO); presenting trucks, sharing knowledge about safety in transport (for-profit organizations) | ||
[Educating children about safe travel] | R | Company | work of company volunteers, professional knowledge and experience, room with car seats, contest prizes, gifts for children |
Partner | professional knowledge and experience, positive image of the police, specialized materials/equipment needed for project realization (public organization) | ||
A | Company | organizing workshops (sending invitations, preparing the room with car seats), talking with children about safety, displaying educational films, teaching children how to fasten seatbelt, organizing contest with prizes | |
Partner | educating children about road safety, presenting a police car to children (public organization) | ||
[Open air library] | R | Company | funds for the project and its realization, work of company volunteers |
Partner | professional knowledge, work of students preparing the project, work of a teacher supervising the project, reputation (public organization) | ||
A | Company | recruiting company volunteers, formulating project evaluation criteria, setting a schedule (company foundation); installing benches, boxes and other equipment in the open-air library (company volunteers) | |
Partner | preparing, coordinating and supervising the project, consulting, arranging space (public organization); coordinating the project, managing financial funds (external NGO) |
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Company Code | Industry | Area of the Company’s Main Activity | Dominant Capital | Year Operations Began in Poland |
---|---|---|---|---|
A * | Service | Insurance | British | 1992 |
B * | Service | Bank | French | 2008 |
C | Service | Bank | Polish | 2001 |
D | Service | Consulting | French | 1996 |
E * | Production | Building materials | Mexican | 1996 |
F | Production | Refrigeration, air conditioning and heating | Danish | 2001 |
G * | Service | Bank | Dutch | 1996 |
H | Service | Sales of construction machinery | Dutch | 2001 |
I | Service | Telecommunications | French | 2005 |
J | Service | Railway carrier | Polish | 1926 |
K * | Service | Home-credit and digital consumer finance | British | 1997 |
L * | Service | Logistics | Dutch | 1991 |
M * | Service | Logistics | German | 2001 |
N * | Production | Automotive industry | German | 2001 |
O | Service | Financial intermediary | Polish | 2010 |
P * | Production | Automotive industry | Japanese | 2001 |
R | Production | Automotive industry | German | 1993 |
S | Production | Brewing industry | Dutch | 1998 |
Company Code and Project Content | Partners in the Collaboration |
---|---|
Company A: Planting trees Planting trees for the local community in one Polish city by encouraging company employees to take part in sports activities (the number of trees depended on the number of kilometers run by the employees—for each 10 km the company planted one tree) (one-off action) | (1) External foundation specializing in protecting biodiversity and increasing landscape diversity; (2) the local authority unit responsible for city forests |
Company B*: Planting meadows Planting melliferous flower meadows and placing hives in urban spaces (one-off action in two Polish cities) | (1) External foundation specializing in establishing and maintaining flower meadows; (2) the local authority unit responsible for city forests |
Company E: Parents’ zones in hospitals Creation of ‘Parents’ zones’ in Polish hospitals, i.e., specific rooms designed for parents and their hospitalized children to spend time together (repeat project) | (1) PR agency; (2) famous actors |
Company G *: A therapeutic book Publishing and disseminating a therapeutic book for families of autistic children: fairytales helping to understand the perspective of ill children (one-off action) | (1) External foundation supporting autistic people; (2) novelist specializing in children’s books; (3) therapists and doctors; (4) famous actors and singers |
Company K: Reading and collecting books Reading books to ill children by company volunteers as part of fairytale therapy and collecting books for hospital libraries (repeat project) | (1) External foundation dealing with the fairytale therapy for children in hospitals |
Company L: One tree for each e-invoice Planting trees in response to a client’s decision to replace paper invoices with e-invoices (each agreement to an e-invoice means one tree planted by the company on behalf of the client) (repeat project) | (1) External foundation specializing in increasing landscape diversity |
Company M: Picnics for local community Organizing outdoor picnics for the local community (repeat project) | (1) External association focusing on supporting development of the local community; (2) the company’s buyers and suppliers |
Company N: Educating children about safe travel Organizing meetings with policemen and company employees in order to teach children how to travel safely (repeat project) | (1) Local police station |
Company P *: Open air library Construction of an open-air library in a health resort park (one-off action) | (1) External foundation specializing in implementing pre-school and nursery projects; (2) higher state school offering studies in landscape architecture |
Party of Relationship | Resources * | Activities * |
---|---|---|
Company | work of company volunteers (9), financial funds for project realization (7), ideas behind the project (3), company rooms for project implementation (2), professional knowledge and experience (1), gifts for beneficiaries (1) | activities undertaken by company volunteers—planting trees, renovating zones in hospitals, reading the therapeutic book, etc. (8), organizing or co-organizing the project (4), running internal and external communication (3) |
Partner | specialist knowledge related to the project (9), positive image, reputation (9), voluntary work requiring specialist skills (8), specialized materials or equipment needed for project realization (6), land for project implementation (2) | preparing, coordinating or supervising the project (7), collecting, selecting, delivering, buying, producing materials or equipment needed for project implementation (6), finding space or designating land for project implementation (4), running external communication (3), voluntary activities undertaken together with company volunteers (3), training company volunteers (2) |
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Escher, I.; Brzustewicz, P. Inter-Organizational Collaboration on Projects Supporting Sustainable Development Goals: The Company Perspective. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4969. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124969
Escher I, Brzustewicz P. Inter-Organizational Collaboration on Projects Supporting Sustainable Development Goals: The Company Perspective. Sustainability. 2020; 12(12):4969. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124969
Chicago/Turabian StyleEscher, Iwona, and Pawel Brzustewicz. 2020. "Inter-Organizational Collaboration on Projects Supporting Sustainable Development Goals: The Company Perspective" Sustainability 12, no. 12: 4969. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124969