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Giving employees a voice: An investigation into Danone’s unique employee engagement program as a catalyst for sustainability at work and beyond

Helms, Madeleine LU (2021) IMEM01 20211
The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics
Abstract
The survival of our planet is in crisis, and it is affecting society at large. People recognise companies have significantly contributed to the problem, and stakeholders expect and demand businesses to do better. Nowadays, there are strong arguments in sustainability for engaging with as many employees as possible to find novel and innovative solutions more quickly. This study investigated how a purpose-driven multinational company, Danone, uses an employee engagement program to accelerate sustainable and fair development. The program's goal is to allow employees to co-own the sustainable agenda and foster a deeper ownership mindset. The purpose of this study was to describe the program's design at Danone headquarters, the implementation... (More)
The survival of our planet is in crisis, and it is affecting society at large. People recognise companies have significantly contributed to the problem, and stakeholders expect and demand businesses to do better. Nowadays, there are strong arguments in sustainability for engaging with as many employees as possible to find novel and innovative solutions more quickly. This study investigated how a purpose-driven multinational company, Danone, uses an employee engagement program to accelerate sustainable and fair development. The program's goal is to allow employees to co-own the sustainable agenda and foster a deeper ownership mindset. The purpose of this study was to describe the program's design at Danone headquarters, the implementation in North America and Mexico, its effects on organisational processes, sustainability and social initiatives and employees' behaviour. Lastly, the author will explain which contextual factors influence how employees perceive it. The results show that employee engagement programs can effectively accelerate collective intelligence, company-individual value alignment, and sustainable development. However, internal and external contexts affect the program's success. The program helped increase employees' green abilities, motivation, and opportunities. It also had some unexpected side effects, such as an increase in employees' expectations towards the business. The topic of employee engagement for sustainable development is an emerging topic helping practitioners ensure more effective sustainability practices and support the important attempts to save our planet for future generations to come. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Helms, Madeleine LU
supervisor
organization
course
IMEM01 20211
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
employee engagement, sustainable development, purpose, collective intelligence, green human resource management
report number
2021.38
ISSN
1401-9191
language
English
id
9062756
date added to LUP
2021-10-11 15:06:18
date last changed
2021-10-11 15:06:18
@misc{9062756,
  abstract     = {{The survival of our planet is in crisis, and it is affecting society at large. People recognise companies have significantly contributed to the problem, and stakeholders expect and demand businesses to do better. Nowadays, there are strong arguments in sustainability for engaging with as many employees as possible to find novel and innovative solutions more quickly. This study investigated how a purpose-driven multinational company, Danone, uses an employee engagement program to accelerate sustainable and fair development. The program's goal is to allow employees to co-own the sustainable agenda and foster a deeper ownership mindset. The purpose of this study was to describe the program's design at Danone headquarters, the implementation in North America and Mexico, its effects on organisational processes, sustainability and social initiatives and employees' behaviour. Lastly, the author will explain which contextual factors influence how employees perceive it. The results show that employee engagement programs can effectively accelerate collective intelligence, company-individual value alignment, and sustainable development. However, internal and external contexts affect the program's success. The program helped increase employees' green abilities, motivation, and opportunities. It also had some unexpected side effects, such as an increase in employees' expectations towards the business. The topic of employee engagement for sustainable development is an emerging topic helping practitioners ensure more effective sustainability practices and support the important attempts to save our planet for future generations to come.}},
  author       = {{Helms, Madeleine}},
  issn         = {{1401-9191}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Giving employees a voice: An investigation into Danone’s unique employee engagement program as a catalyst for sustainability at work and beyond}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}