Written by: Nivedeeta Thombare, Muskan Shah, Moitrayee Das
Kodak invented one of the first digital cameras, but it was too focused on the traditional way of doing things. It was not Kodak’s lack of innovative spirit that doomed it – it was its inability to break its habits of thought. There are many companies in this world right now who are in danger of making the same mistake. Companies who have all the information, technologies and resources necessary to become more sustainable get stuck in their old ways of thinking.
One of the key issues of this time period is sustainability. Countries have started creating climate policies; companies publish ESG reports; investments in green technologies are massive. Despite all the growing consciousness and commitment, progress is usually slower than we would expect. The problem does not lie in technology or finances; the issue is in people’s behavior.
Creatures of Habit
Human beings are creatures of habit, deeply influenced by established patterns of behavior and thinking. Our decisions, routines, and responses are shaped by behaviors that develop over time through experience, culture, and social conditioning. These patterns shape our decisions, routines, and responses to change. Although all this contributes to people’s stability and certainty, it may become an obstacle when it is necessary to adapt to something else. People realize that some kind of behavior is hindering their development but are unable to change. Some people do not even understand that their behavior is conditioned by certain assumptions.
The same applies to organizations. There are many businesses that declare their dedication to sustainability despite running according to conventional frameworks in which immediate benefits outweigh potential environmental and social benefits. That is why sustainability tends to be left on paper instead of being used in decisions and organization’s operations. The challenge is rarely the absence of information. Rather, it is the persistence of established ways of thinking and working culture.
What Research Shows
This perspective of sustainability has received empirical support in recent years. Research conducted in 2024 has revealed that employees’ environmental awareness, readiness for change, and organizational culture play an important role in implementing sustainable strategies. The higher probability of obtaining environmental success in organizations in which employees see themselves as responsible for the environment and where sustainability is implemented in practice. The study argues that sustainability goals are unlikely to succeed unless organizations actively foster behavioral readiness among their workforce (Köhler & Kauffeld, 2024).
The challenge becomes particularly evident when organizations attempt to implement sustainability policies without addressing organizational culture. Research published in Discover Sustainability in 2024 found that workplace green behavior is strongly influenced by employees’ environmental self-identity and the collective culture within organizations. Employees are more likely to adopt sustainable practices when environmental responsibility becomes part of how they see themselves and their role within the organization (Xing & Zainal, 2024). These findings suggest that sustainability is not merely a technical challenge but a human one.
There is much we can learn from history. In the past, the energy sector drove the economy using fossil fuels. Energy companies based their successes on a proven approach that has been used for generations, which made it impossible to think about another path. Despite the scientific evidence regarding the impact of global warming and pressure from the government, investors, and customers for green energy, most of them continued to stick to traditional business practices. It is not an issue of lack of technology or capital but the ease of what has always worked before.
Today, the reality has drastically changed. Fossil fuel businesses, which have failed to make the shift in their operations, face stricter regulations, increased criticism from investors, reputational risks, and growing competition from renewable energy firms. This example provides a valuable lesson applicable far beyond the energy sector. Businesses never face difficulties due to the lack of solutions to their problems. Organizations find it difficult to change their established approaches, which proves to be more challenging than the development of innovative approaches. The first step towards sustainability is challenging the existing mindsets.
Role of Leadership
Leadership plays a crucial role in breaking these patterns. A 2024 study by Ren, Li, and Mavros found that transformational leadership significantly strengthens employees’ pro-environmental behavior. When leaders actively demonstrate environmental commitment and encourage innovation, employees become more willing to embrace sustainable practices. The findings suggest that sustainability is not only a policy issue but also a leadership challenge.
Transformational leadership is key in overcoming these habits. Recent studies prove that leaders who behave environmentally responsibly and promote innovation can influence their followers to behave more sustainably. Also, recent research in Green Human Resource Management proves that companies who integrate sustainability principles into recruiting, training, knowledge management and performance systems are much more successful in changing behaviors than those who only apply compliance approach.
Similarly, recent research on Green Human Resource Management published in 2025 found that environmental awareness, mindfulness, and knowledge-sharing practices contribute significantly to workplace sustainability outcomes. Organizations that embed sustainability into recruitment, training, and daily work processes are more successful in creating lasting behavioral change (Li & Li, 2025).
Sustainability as a Human Challenge
These findings point toward a larger reality: sustainability is fundamentally a human challenge. Policies, regulations, and technologies can provide direction, but they cannot transform organizations unless people are willing to rethink established behaviors. Sustainable transformation requires individuals and institutions to question long-standing assumptions, learn new ways of operating, and adapt to changing social and environmental realities.
This supports the findings that psychologists have been discussing for many decades now. Carol Dweck’s theory of growth mind set states that those who are ready to learn, experiment, and innovate have a better chance of coping up with uncertainty. In the same manner, Kurt Lewin’s (1947) Change Theory argues that any sustainable change must start with “unfreezing” the current behavior before introducing any new behaviors. This is because in emerging economies like India, companies find themselves between the two extremes of sustainability requirements and the need for economic development. For most companies, particularly SMEs, sustainability is still seen as a mere compliance issue or philanthropic action rather than a strategic one. Financial and technological barriers aside, there is also the barrier created by behavioral inertia.
Environmental changes, resource limitations, and increasing disparities between societies require more than organizational change; they require organizational learning and a change in thinking processes. Policy and technology can guide the way, but organizations cannot evolve without people willing to evolve themselves. Sustainability requires learning cultures, visionary leaders, and employees who feel responsible for the environment in their professional lives.
Recent research published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2025) further emphasizes that organizational culture, leadership, and employee engagement collectively shape workplace pro-environmental behavior. The study concludes that sustainability initiatives are most effective when behavioral change becomes embedded within organizational culture rather than treated as a separate corporate agenda.
Future will belong to the organizations ready to question themselves, to learn constantly, and adapt to the new conditions around them. Sustainability is not merely environmental or economic issue—it is a behavioral one.
Our inability to evolve ourselves might be the biggest obstacle to sustainable development.
References
Gao, H., et al. (2025). Exploring the Nexus of Green Human Resource Management, Leadership and Organizational Culture on Workplace Pro-Environmental Behavior. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.
Köhler, A., & Kauffeld, S. (2024). Role of Individual Environmental Consciousness in Industrial Decarbonization Transition. Sustainability, 16(13), 5462.
Lewin, K. (1947). “Frontiers in Group Dynamics.” Human Relations, 1(1), 5–41.
Li, Y., & Li, Y. (2025). Enhancing Pro-Environmental Behavior Through Green Human Resource Management. Sustainability, 17(6), 2411.
Ren, Q., Li, W., & Mavros, C. (2024). Transformational Leadership and Sustainable Practices: How Leadership Style Shapes Employee Pro-Environmental Behavior. Sustainability, 16(15), 6499.
Xing, S., & Zainal, S. R. M. (2024). Collectivism-Based Organizational Culture, Green Empowerment, Environmental Self-Identity and Workplace Green Behavior. Discover Sustainability.
Nivedeeta Thombare is an Independent Researcher, Muskan Shah is a Research Assistant at FLAME University, Pune, and Moitrayee Das is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at FLAME University, Pune.