Sustainability, hegemony and the dialectics of change

Abstract

Given that at its centre lies a concern for enduring global social and environmental welfare, for many sustainability appears to be a common sense concept. However, in an economic system that is based upon continued economic growth, the notion that social and environmental imperatives should be at least equal in priority across all sectors of society (government, business and civil society) means that sustainability is inherently fraught with tensions. A recent review of business and society literature reveals that little analysis has been published on the nature of these tensions within and between organisations and sectors, including government (Van der Byl & Slawinski, 2015). Further, little critical examination is available of why and how, given what is at stake, economic imperatives continue to be favoured over social and environmental ones.