SUSTENTABILIDADE E INOVAÇÃO SOB A PERSPECTIVA DA ABORDAGEM DAS CONFIGURAÇÕES: A Emergência de um Quinto Imperativo

Innovation and sustainability are central management themes in contemporary society. This centrality is due to the impact that both exert upon the performance of many organizations. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the theoretical implications that emerge from treating innovation and sustainability as relevant aspects for the success of contemporary organizations. To accomplish this objective, the essay arguments that this discussion must be centered upon the propositions of the configurations approach. The reasoning starts with an exposition of the assumptions underlying the configurations approach. Then, innovation and its impacts are discussed and its relationship with Danny Miller´s four configuration imperatives is shown. For sustainability, the argument is that it can be viewed as a fifth configuration imperative. The conclusion emphasizes the need to consider the limits of innovation and sustainability as part of mid-range theories in Management and, thus, not universal in nature. Furthermore, in the case of sustainability, it is suggested that its emergence as a mandatory practice in organizations management requires a fundamental shift in the meaning of Management.