Forthcoming:

Marcel van Marrewijk (2008)
A typology of institutional frameworks supporting corporate sustainability
According to Dr. Clare Graves, mankind has developed eight core value systems , as responses to prevailing circumstances. This phase wise orientation to (environmental) contexts and value systems suggests that a one-solution-fits-all concept of corporate sustainability is not adequate. This chapter introduces an integral business framework – a sequence of ideal type organizations - each characterized by specific institutional arrangements – supporting and enabling particular sets of sustainability efforts aligning organizational development phases. Each phase presents a specific definition and manifestation of sustainability, linked to particular (societal) circumstances and related value systems.

Marcel van Marrewijk (2008)
Strategic Orientations; Multiple ways for implementing sustainable performance
The Four Phase Model®, created by prof.dr. Teun W. Hardjono in 1995, distinguishes four ideal type strategic orientations and shows that these strategies brighten and dim in a specific sequence, adding the most required competences to the organization, and creating a natural rhythm to corporate dynamics. By applying this theory one can understand the nature and whereabouts of the organization’s systemic constraints, revealing the basic features for creating a roadmap towards sustainable performance improvement and competence development. The model generates the top priorities, selects the most adequate (ideal type) interventions and key performance indicators.
Combining strategic ‘situations’ as indicated by the Four Phase Model and phase-wise ‘contexts’ as introduced by Spiral Dynamics, provides a conceptual synergy with four innovative outcomes: Firstly, aligned with specific contexts, the strategic interventions and KPI’s can be made more specific and practical, thus creating a roadmap for performance improvement and organizational development. Secondly, it structures change management into four distinctive hierarchical complexity levels: (1) enhancing fundamental skills, structures and procedures (vitalizing); (2) improving contemporary levels, aligned with the dominant value system (optimizing); (3) new re-orientations while continuing within current systems (shifting) and (4) a transformation to a more complex context or emerging value system (transforming). Thirdly, powered with the combined understanding of above concepts, one can deduct the specific context and situation for each intervention, instrument or approach to be applied effectively. Fourthly, the combination provided the bases for the so-called Strategy Scan and Strategic Sustainability Scan.


Publicaties:

Marcel van Marrewijk (2008)
The Cubrix, An Integral Framework for Managing Performance Improvement and Organisational Development
Marcel van Marrewijk, academic director of Research to Improve, has developed an integral, multi-level, multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder management framework, based on a phase-wise development approach as described by Clare Graves’ Levels of Existence Theory, Ken Wilber’s Four Quadrant Theory and the author’s Global Excellence Model. This conceptual framework is coined, the Cubrix.
Journal of Technology and Investments: February 2010, ISSN Print: 2150-4059, ISSN Online: 2150-4067

Marcel van Marrewijk (2007)
A Value-Based and Multi-Level Model of Economic systems
This paper shortly introduces the three original concepts and shows how these models have been merged into the Cubrix. In part two the author demonstrates how Research to Improve designed various surveys, scans, monitors and assessments, all based on this framework. Furthermore, the Cubrix has also been supportive in designing the Performance Improvement Cycle and offer input for developing roadmaps for transitions.
Academics from various European Business Schools and researchers from Great Place to Work® Institutes have analyzed Europe’s largest employee database on workplace perceptions. This EU Workclimate project, coordinated by Esade’s Institute of Labour Studies, concluded that consistently over the years particular clusters of countries showed better workclimate performances than other.
The author introduces a sequence of ideal type economic systems, based on Spiral Dynamics, a theory explaining levels of existence within people, groups of people, organizations and societies. Per type the author elaborated on the underlying value systems and relating institutional structures, such as leadership style, governance and measurement format. As a summary, a Transition Matrix is presented which indicate the paradigm shifts per discipline, as manifested in the subsequent ideal type economic systems.
This paper provides provisional answers to the following questions which are vitally important for Europe ability to meet “world class performance” in the near future.
Does this theory explain the clusters in economics performance? Can we described national economies adequately by these ideal type economic systems? Do countries seem to converge to a particular level or does Europe exist of leading and lagging contributors to the European Economy? What are the consequences of an European Economic model consisting of a sequence of various economic systems?
Journal of Technology and Investments: February 2010, ISSN Print: 2150-4059, ISSN Online: 2150-4067

Marcel van Marrewijk (2005)
A developmental approach towards Corporate Sustainability: The European Corporate Sustainability Framework for managing complexity and corporate transition
This paper describes a phase-wise development approach, which generates a sequence of meaningful interpretations of Corporate Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility (CS-R). These interpretations constitute the basis of the European Corporate Sustainability Framework, recently developed with the support of the European Commission. This new-generation management framework supports organizations in managing complexity, implementing CS-R and corporate transition. The framework also sets the foundation for a systemic and coherent set of sustainability tools for management purposes to be used in a stakeholder approach.
In: Journal of Ethical Management Decision Making, Vol. 6, Nos. 3/4, 2005, 257 - 272

Marcel van Marrewijk & Dr. Hans M. Becker (2004)
The Hidden Hand of Cultural Governance: The transformation process of Humanitas, a Community-driven organization providing cure, care, housing and well-being to elderly people
This article gives a practice-based and theoretical overview of the transformation from a traditional hierarchical organization in the care & cure sector towards a so-called Community-driven organization providing human happiness to 6,000 elderly people. The actual case study is intertwined with conceptual information for better understanding of the innovative transition which took place at Humanitas. The case description includes its initial situation, its new core values, mission and objectives and shows the sequence of emerging policies and interventions that resulted in a stakeholder oriented business model for the care sector.
The selected concepts are Graves’ Emerging Cyclical Level of Existence Theory (or Spiral Dynamics), Ken Wilber’s Four Quadrant Model, Roberts Simons’ Four Levers of Control and various elements from the European Corporate Sustainability Framework, sponsored by the European Commission.
The conclusion marks the match between theory and practice in transforming Humanitas Rotterdam into providing cure, care, housing and well-being to elderly people.
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 55 No. 2, December 2004, 205-214.

Marcel van Marrewijk, Iris Wuisman, Wim de Cleyn, Joanne Timmers, Virgilio Panapanaan and Lassi Linnanen (2004)
A Phase-wise Development Approach to Business Excellence: Towards an innovative, stakeholder-oriented assessment tool for organizational excellence and CSR
The European Corporate Sustainability Framework (ECSF) is, among other concepts, based on a phase-wise development approach as described by Clare Graves’ Levels of Existence Theory. As much as corporate sustainability has a sequence of adequate interpretations, aligned with each development level, also the notion of business excellence can be defined at multiple levels, as this paper demonstrates.
Furthermore, the authors analyze the current EFQM Excellence Model for particular biases towards various development levels and suggest a new and innovative two-step approach to assessing organizational performance with respect to organizational excellence and corporate sustainability. According to the organization’s ambition, the assessment is either limited to a shareholder approach, mainly focusing at optimal usage of resources, or it also includes an additional assessment format based on the stakeholder approach, with specific reference to the organization’s performance on the financial, social and ecological bottom line.
This paper demonstrates the need and feasibility of an EFQM-Based assessment tool with a combined focus on corporate sustainability and organizational excellence.
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 55 No. 2, December 2004, 83-98.

Marcel van Marrewijk (2004)
The Social Dimension of Organizations: Recent experiences with Great Place to Work® assessment practices
This paper elaborates on conceptual, empirical and practical arguments why corporations need to focus on their social dimensions, in order to further enhance organizational performance.
The paper starts with an introduction on the general trend towards inclusiveness and connectedness. It then elaborates on the phase-wise development of cultures and organizational structures. Managing corporate improvement by building cultures of trust is the central focus of this contribution. By showing the cultural dimensions of Great Places to Work and their workplace practices, worthwhile experiences leading to organizational improvement and superior financial performance are demonstrated.
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 55 No. 2, December 2004, 135-146.

Marcel van Marrewijk (2004)
A Value Based Approach to Organization Types: Towards a coherent set of stakeholder-oriented management tools
This paper describes a set of ideal type organizations in a developmental sequence. As these descriptions are based on Spiral Dynamics (or Emerging Cyclical Levels of Existence Theory -ECLET), the types are labeled as Order, Success, Community and Synergy.
Per type the author elaborated on the underlying value system and relating institutional structures, such as leadership role, governance and measurement format. As a summary, a Transition Matrix is presented which indicate the paradigm shifts per discipline/department, as manifested in the subsequent ideal type organizations.
As Order and Success generally describe the majority of corporations in Western Economies, the latter two types introduce new approaches to more innovative – and more sustainable/responsible – ways to doing business. Based on Community Values, the author introduces a new measurement format which is the foundation for a systemic and coherent set of management tools to be used in a stakeholder approach. These tools relate to the strategic, tactical and operational tasks of management and have been developed by researchers of the ECSF consortium. The set includes two tools which are generic: the Strategic Sustainability Scan (Strategy) and the Sustainability Matrix, which is a self-assessment tool (tactics). Three operational tools are context and industry specific: These are the Community related Responsive Business Scorecard and Benchmark Format for measuring and monitoring sustainability performance and a methodology – a Management Information System – to generate information on people, planet and profit in order to provide data for the set of key performance indicators.
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 55 No. 2, December 2004, 147-158.

Marcel van Marrewijk (2002)
European Corporate Sustainability Framework - for managing complexity and corporate transformation
The EU financed European Corporate Sustainability Framework (ECSF-) project is developing a multi-layer business framework with an analytical, contextual, situational and dynamic dimension, facilitating managing complexity and corporate change. It provides coherent sets of corporate institutional arrangements, including or based upon values systems, business philosophies, approaches, concepts and (measurement) tools.
In: International Journal of Business Performance Measurement, Vol.5 Nos.2/3, 2003, 213-222.

Marcel van Marrewijk & Joanne Timmers, Erasmus University Rotterdam (2002)
Human Capital Management: managing employee motivation,dedication and commitment
The traditional Human Resource Management practices do not match advanced sustainability principles nor is it aligned with EFQM management principles. In addition HRM was not able to generate the necessary company loyalty, dedication and employee motivation. This paper elaborates on a sustainable way of managing people, based upon alignment and dialogue between the individual employees and the organisation. The practical implementation is demonstrated in operations, corporate learning and corporate identity/company values.
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol 44, nr 2 and 3, May 2003, 171-184.

Marcel van Marrewijk & Teun W. Hardjono, ERBS/Erasmus University Rotterdam (2002)
European Corporate Sustainability Framework (ECSF) for managing complexity and corporate transformation
The European Corporate Sustainability Framework (ECSF) is a new generation management framework, aimed to meet increased corporate complexity and support corporate transformation towards more sustainable ways of doing business. It is a multi-layer, integral business framework with an analytical, contextual, situational and dynamic dimension.
Analytically, the framework is structured according to four focus points - the constitutional, conceptual, behavioural and evaluative perspective - providing integrative designs of complex and dynamic phenomena. The framework includes coherent sets of business philosophies, approaches, concepts and tools that structures corporate realities and generates sequences of steps in order to obtain adequate institutional structures, a road to corporate transformation and higher performance levels.
In: Journal of Business Ethics, Vol 44, nr 2 and 3, May 2003, 121-132.

Marcel van Marrewijk & Marco Werre, De Boer & Ritsema van Eck (2002)
Multiple Levels of Corporate Sustainability
According to Dr. Clare Graves, mankind has developed eight core value systems, as responses to prevailing circumstances. Given different contexts and value systems, a one-solution-fits-all concept of corporate sustainability is not reasonable. Therefore this paper presents various definitions and forms of sustainability, each linked to specific (societal) circumstances and related value systems. A sustainability framework - an essential element of the overall European Corporate Sustainability Framework - is described showing six types of organizations at different developmental stages, with different forms of corporate sustainability, each supported by specific institutional arrangements.
In:Journal of Business Ethics, Vol 44, nr 2 and 3, May 2003, 107-119

Marcel van Marrewijk (2002)
Concepts and Definitions of CSR and Corporate Sustainability: between agency and communion
This paper provides an overview of the contemporary debate on the concepts and definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Sustainability (CS). The conclusions, based on historical perspectives, philosophical analyses, impact of changing contexts and situations and practical considerations, show that 'one solution fits all'-definition for CS(R) should be abandoned, accepting various and more specific definitions matching the development, awareness and ambition levels of organizations.
In: Journal of Business Ethics Vol 44, nr 2 and 3, May 2003, 95-105

Marcel van Marrewijk & Teun W. Hardjono, ERBS/Erasmus University Rotterdam (2001)
The Social Dimensions of Business Excellence
This article first introduces the European Business Excellence Model (EFQM model), which have facilitated the transformation toward an integral management approach, including openings to corporate social responsibility. The autors will than elaborate on the cultural context of companies engaged in CSR and SRI activities. Furthermore they will end this article with an overview of CSR activities, structured according the EFQM model.
In: Corporate Environmental Strategy, Vol.8, No. 4 (2001)
Duurzaam en Maatschappelijke Verantwoord Ondernemen, Sigma, 2003