The Ecletism of the Sustainable Paradigm: Framing and Analysis from Organizational Studies

Abstract

This article has two objectives: (1) to present and to define a paradigm for sustainability which better connects with the organizational studies; and, (2) to prove that this paradigm, as a mode of perception of reality together with the organizational studies, must be eclectic, pluralist and flexible. It was realized a qualitative, exploratory and bibliographical research. It was developed a theoretical reference imbued of linking the sustainable development and the organizational studies by mentioning authors like Burrell and Morgan (1979), Marsden and Townley (2001) and Reed (2007). After this, some categorizations about the sustainable development presented by Gladwin, Kenelly and Krause (1995), Fergus and Rowney (2005), Lélé (1991) and Mebratu (1998) have been presented. After this some epistemological postures have been discussed too (SCHWANDT, 2006) and followed by the introduction of the theory of the organizational act (MAGGI, 2006) as the one which sustains the interdisciplinarity observed in the foundations of the sustainable paradigm. This, in sum, is understood as the one which enables the necessary relation between the sustainable development and the organizational studies, just by understanding the term in perspective as an investigation phenomena that matters to the organizational studies. Its ecletism is highlighted by its pluralistic, dialogical and flexible essence.