Public sector organizations (PSOs) have the potential to serve as active agents in driving sustainability transitions (STs). However, the inherent bureaucratic rigidity within these organizations often poses significant challenges to fostering innovation in their sustainable daily practices and behaviors. This paper theoretically explores the potential that transformative innovation (TI) can have on the institutional logics within PSOs for fostering their implication in STs.
Based on a literature review, key concepts of institutional logics dynamics and transformative innovation policy (TIP) cycle and characteristics are interrelated for building a conceptual framework.
The findings suggest that TIP involves a cycle and characteristics that could trigger the mechanisms that institutionalize sustainability in the logics of PSOs. Similarly, it involves the de-institutionalization of incumbent logics in the public sector organizational field.
The proposed conceptual framework derived from these findings can be used as a tool for sustainability researchers and policymakers to design and refine policies targeted towards activating the institutionalization mechanisms explored. The framework can be extended through further research to consider transformative outcomes and the specific influence of institutional entrepreneurship as enhancing the adoption of sustainability logics.
While processes of institutionalization in ST have been studied, their direct connection between institutional logics and TIs is a gap this study aims to address. Additionally, this work advances the understanding of ST regime dynamics, an area that remains underexplored.
