Resumo

In the current context of environmental awareness and climate challenges, companies face critical questions regarding sustainable practices and innovations. Literature highlights a positive correlation between these practices and innovation capacity, improving efficiency and attracting sustainability-aligned talent. However, the impact of cultural influences on these dynamics remains underexplored, despite being essential for understanding how cultural values shape organizational cultures and impact sustainable innovations across diverse societal contexts.

This article aims to understand the role of long-term orientation and indulgence values shared among countries in relation to the adoption of sustainable practices by companies and their impact on the level of sustainable innovation within organizations. By bridging gaps in cultural impact on organizational sustainability, the study offers insights for enhancing sustainability strategies and international cooperation policies.

The theoretical framework explores how cultural values shape sustainable innovation within organizations. Cultural dimensions such as long-term orientation and indulgence influence companies' approaches to sustainability, impacting innovation capacity. Regulatory pressures and stakeholder expectations further drive companies to adopt sustainable practices, fostering innovation. Integration of sustainability into corporate strategy enhances operational efficiency and stimulates ongoing innovation efforts, despite initial costs.

The methodology involves a survey spanning 33 countries selected from the 2020 Flash Eurobarometer 486 dataset. Data sources include the Eurobarometer for organizational practices, Environmental Performance Index for sustainability metrics, and Hofstede's cultural dimensions. Variables like sustainable innovation, organizational practices, and climate change mitigation are analyzed using multilevel linear regression to explore relationships between cultural values, organizational practices, and sustainable innovation across diverse national contexts.

This study integrates Hofstede's cultural dimensions of long-term orientation and indulgence to explore their impact on sustainable innovation. Findings reveal that companies adopting sustainable practices experience enhanced innovation capacity, especially in larger firms with greater resources. Cultural values like long-term orientation and indulgence significantly correlate with sustainable innovation, highlighting how societal values shape organizational strategies. This multi-level analysis provides deeper insights into fostering sustainable practices amid diverse cultural landscapes.

Findings confirm that cultural values like long-term orientation and indulgence positively influence companies' ability to innovate sustainably. Implementation of sustainable practices significantly enhances innovation capacity, emphasizing the importance of integrating environmental and social considerations into business strategies. This research underscores the need for inclusive approaches to sustainability that consider diverse cultural contexts, enhancing corporate resilience and competitiveness in global markets.

Ardito, L. (2023). The influence of firm digitalization on sustainable innovation performance and the moderating role of corporate sustainability practices: An empirical investigation. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(8), 5252-5272. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3415 Eurobarometer (2020). Flash Eurobarometer 486: SMEs, start-ups, scale-ups and entrepreneurship (v1.00). retrieved from: https://search.gesis.org/research_data/ZA7637