Factors driving sustainability in a transitioning economy business school

Latin American Journal of Management for Sustainable Development. 2022. Vol. 5. No. 4. P. 299–320.

Martins F. P., Varvara Larina, Ivanova E., Dynin A., Chernysheva A., Volkova A.

Business schools are nesting grounds for transformational leadership. The schools began to transform their business models following sustainability principles, and many succeeded. Nevertheless, there is a
persistent decoupling between theoretical models and practical action. It is crucial to identify possible driving factors that can bridge this gap. This study aims to identify factors driving sustainability in a business school from the
transitioning economy in a contextualised way. We used a mixed-method approach with desk research, online-survey, and expert interviews to collect our empirical data. We applied the theoretical framework of the DRIFAR model, reflecting the Western business schools’ context to a Russian business school, and updated the model comprising of six factors: 1) awareness; 2) strategy; 3) education; 4) research; 5) partnership and outreach; 6) architecture and urban planning. Our findings indicate that the ‘awareness’ factor requires more effort in the case of a business school from Russia that can be achieved through better communication efforts, as well as formal and informal engagement with the internal and external stakeholders.

Keywords: Russia, sustainability, business school, driving factors, transitioning economy