‘I have to put my citizen's hat on’: Operational and societal mindsets to provide a new perspective on organisational decision-making for sustainability

Abstract

Managerial cognition research is becoming more prevalent in the corporate sustainability literature, providing insights as to how functioning of the mind impacts decision-making. As we witness catastrophic decline of the planet's natural capital, entering the sixth wave of mass extinction, this study investigates decision-making related to natural resource consumption through interviews with 32 decision-makers in the construction/infrastructure and manufacturing industries. Drawing on mindset theory and interview data, we develop the concept of an operational mindset and a societal mindset. The study also identifies the occurrence of individuals switching between operational and societal mindsets when asked to consider the sustainability of key natural resources for the interviewees' organisations. While similarities exist with the prominent business case and paradoxical cognitive frames concept, a number of differences are identified by drawing on the foundations of mindset theory and extensive empirical research from its application in other business disciplines.