This book contains compilation of emerging discourses on responsible leadership for sustainability in uncertain times. Uncertainty is looming large at global level due to COVID, climatic disruptions and persisting social discriminations, especially since the pandemic, which have disrupted economies at both local and global levels. Technology was a boon to mitigate hardships emerging from such disruptions. The book documents the leadership roles, welfare issues, best practices and innovations that help organizations to sustain in a VUCA world. Economic, social and environmental concerns and their mitigation as documented in this book will be relevant for future planning and execution for sustainable existence. A blend of research by practitioners and academicians, capturing organizational experiences through case studies makes it attractive for a wide range of readership. Business leaders will find this book extremely helpful to understand the nuances and insights for responsible leadership and innovative strategies for stakeholder management and engagement for sustained businesses. Practitioners would get insights into responsible leadership for improving existing sustainable practices and speed up the transition which is necessitated due to disruptions. Prospective entrepreneurs may find that book helpful for creating responsible organizations which are sustainable due to responsible management of resources, employees and environment. Students and researchers can learn from the cases and documentation on responsible leadership, social and environmental concerns and sustainability in this book.

This book offers up-to-date insights into the theory and practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability management. Gathering contributions by a team of international scholars, it shares perspectives from a variety of academic disciplines, including management and tourism as well as accounting, higher education research and supply chain management. Guided by the credo of achieving 'Responsible Business for Uncertain Times and a Sustainable Future,' the authors present their latest reflections on, and possible solutions for, sustainable and responsible business practices. All of the contributions presented here are critical, evidence-based and solution-oriented, making the book both practical and insightful reading for academics and practitioners alike.

As CEOs and business leaders navigate a world of complex global challenges, sustainability is no longer optional but a business imperative. In this book, two sustainability leaders with decades of experience – Henrik Henriksson, CEO of Scania and Elaine Weidman Grunewald, Co-founder of the AI Sustainability Center, and former Chief Sustainability & Public Affairs Officer at Ericsson – offer a simple but powerful three-step model for leading an organization on a sustainability transformation journey that aims at big, audacious, world-changing goals. Honest about the dilemmas but bullish on the opportunities, the authors advise leaders on how to accelerate sustainability in their organizations told through a Swedish lens, where the country’s values and culture permeate the boardroom and the C-suite, bringing a unique clarity and conviction to leading with integrity. In practical insights gleaned from the authors’ own experience, the book takes leaders through the three phases of sustainability leadership: from establishing a solid foundation rooted in purpose, culture, values, principles and consistent, credible leadership, to integrating sustainability into the core business, and then to executing a vision that not only shifts the direction of the company but can change an entire industry, and even the world. Throughout the book, more than 25 interviews with other leading CEOs of Swedish companies as well as successful start-ups, investors, economists, and other experts illuminate the path to sustainability leadership from different perspectives. These are complemented by case studies describing how companies got it right – or turned themselves around after getting it very, very wrong. With this hands-on insiders’ guide, CEOs and C-suite leaders can take sustainability to the next level. This is the encouragement and inspiration business leaders need to move past incremental improvement at a time when exponential, world-changing action is more urgent than ever.

With a range of well-respected voices from across the business, political, third sector and research spectrum, this important book provides an accessible insight into responsible leadership. It represents the most comprehensive and informed work on responsible leadership linked to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) produced to date. This carefully edited volume, based on a collaborative partnership between the Institute for Responsible Leadership (IRL) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), contains twenty chapters in seven parts which address the relationship between responsible leadership and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These original and accessible contributions discuss progress in a variety of areas relevant to the goals, including climate change and biodiversity, global health, cybercrime, human trafficking, corporate social responsibility, gender, education and social cohesion. The world-leading expert contributors are drawn from a wide range of societies and continents and cover key aspects of responsible leadership in a lively and impactful fashion. This book is for leaders at every level in the public, private and third sectors, students concerned with responsible leadership, academics and researchers studying leadership in different disciplinary fields, and all those committed to sustainable development and progressing the UN SDGs.

The book addresses the concept of diversity and inclusiveness (D&I) and brings stories from the corporate, practitioners, think tanks and NGOs. It advocates the need and implementation of the D&I concept to build society of the future. It strives to bring out a focused approach in connecting “Theory to Practice”. Every chapter delves into a different area and presents real-time practices as well as the challenges and the way forward. The book explains the various levels at which discrimination can occur such as demographic profiles, regional differences, religious alliances, college pedigree, marital status, sexual preferences, physical disability and health differentiation, pregnancy or returning mothers and technology competence. The book cites examples of inclusion from progressive organizations such as ABB India, Marico, TCS, PNB Metlife and Alsthom. Presenting the business case of D&I, the book emphasizes on creating a robust D&I strategy with a road map and alignment through internal and external frameworks as well as periodic audits. The Responsible, Accountable, Consultant and Informed (RACI) matrix is discussed while setting up the D&I analytics framework within the organization. The book also presents the growing role of artificial intelligence tools that can empower employees to participate in the D&I journey of an organization. It shares how tools such as Balloonr, Glint, Organization View, Planbox, Pluto and Waggl have been specially designed to allow employees to anonymously provide ideas and respond to ideas provided by others. Going forward, the D&I practices will have to be more customized than generalized, and this book brings up real evidences to make its point

The surge in remote and hybrid work arrangements has sparked a paradigm shift in the employment ecosystem. While remote work offers employees the coveted flexibility and freedom from daily commutes, it also introduces challenges such as isolation, reduced visibility, and questions about productivity. Impact of Teleworking and Remote Work on Business: Productivity, Retention, Advancement, and Bottom Line delves into the multifaceted impact of teleworking on businesses, exploring how different organizations grapple with these challenges, drawing on the experiences of industry giants like Google and IBM. It carefully dissects the advantages and disadvantages of teleworking, addressing distractions, cybersecurity concerns, and the polarized nature of remote work across global and skill dimensions. The book presents an exploration of solutions tailored for diverse stakeholders. From strategies to enhance employee productivity and maintain confidentiality to fostering human connections and tackling the challenges faced by new hires, each chapter offers actionable insights. Employers, employees, and management teams will find guidance on creating a collaborative and innovative remote work culture, mitigating distractions, and striking a balance between work and personal life. The suggested topics span the gamut of remote work intricacies, from the relationship between remote work and job satisfaction to strategies for maintaining connections between managers and remote employees. With small, medium, and large companies, government agencies, and universities as the target audience, the book serves as a strategic guide for entities seeking to harness the potential of remote work while mitigating its challenges.

This book is the first to combine the much talked about topics of leadership and sustainability, and provides readers with a comprehensive overview and pragmatic approach to leading sustainable organizations. Chapters include discussions, case examples, steps, and useful tools centred on the components of the Leading the Sustainable Organization model. This model provides managers with a pragmatic, end-to-end framework for creating (in the case of new entities) or shifting (in the case of existing firms) their organizations’ workforces to a sustainability focus. Leading the Sustainable Organization is the perfect tool for executives and managers in small, medium, and large companies, and in all industries, to assist with the difficult and confusing topic of leading sustainability efforts. This book will be of great interest to students and academics who want to learn more about corporate sustainability.