RETHINKING THE ROLE OF THE ORGANIZATION IN PURSUING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: AMIDST PANDEMIC

Abstract

This study observes the influence of Institutional Pressures, including mimetic, coercive, and normative, on organizational engagement and their actions towards sustainable development goals. It also examines the mediating effect of absorptive capacity and top management commitment. The employees of public, private and non-government organizations were the target population of this study. The survey questionnaire was used for collecting the data. The analysis was done through Smart-PLS 3. The research found that institutional pressures were decisive for an organization's dedication to and participation in sustainability programs during pandemic crises. One of the rare initiatives to take into account COVID-19's current and anticipated detrimental effects on reaching the SDGs is this study. It adds to a growing body of research that employs institutional theory to illuminate the crucial influence of institutional pressures on organizational engagement. We offer some of the first empirical data to support the inclusion of inside and across organizational dynamics within the institutional theory to comprehend why firms' SDG receptivity varies and, more importantly, how organizations respond to sustainable development goals in the context of COVID19. The study's conclusions support and expand on the theoretical contributions of institutional theory's application to sustainability research. It's important to note that a study grounded in institutional theory—or any other viewpoint will rarely be able to comprehend the epidemic's complexity entirely. However, it can aid in addressing questions such as the ones we looked into in our research