Sustainable Symbols in Entrepreneurial Ventures: An Exploratory Study

Symbolic management has emerged as a significant area of study as entrepreneurs use it to acquire resources. Symbolic actions aid in achieving diverse objectives, such as organizational legitimacy, fostering entrepreneurial activities, and promoting corporate social responsibility initiatives. Despite an increased emphasis on practicing sustainability, there is a noticeable gap in sustainability authenticity, particularly in entrepreneurial firms and small business ventures. This research, that is work-in-progress, investigates the extent to which entrepreneurial ventures and small businesses genuinely implement sustainable practices versus engaging in symbolic gestures of sustainability. Using an inductive research design, we analyze small and medium-sized entrepreneurial enterprises that adopt and practice sustainable business strategies. The findings of this study reveal varying degrees of implementation of sustainable practices among entrepreneurial firms and small business ventures that are adopting sustainable business models. We contribute to the entrepreneurial and sustainability literature by offering insights into prioritizing sustainable actions tailored to the needs of individual firms.