Adoption of integrated reporting and changes to internal mechanisms in Japanese companies

Abstract The increase in companies' use of integrated reporting (IR) has led to an increase in academic interest in IR. However, IR research from an internal corporate perspective is limited. This study investigates the approaches and internal mechanisms that early adopters use to implement IR. Further, the study examines whether IR drives organisational change at an early stage. A multiple case study was conducted. Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews and email exchanges with the managers responsible for IR in seven Japanese companies. Results showed that the long‐term perspective in Japanese companies might explain the application of IR without negative responses to its introduction, regardless of the approach used to adopt IR. As a first‐order change, the adoption of IR leads to incremental changes in the reporting contents and processes and linkage between financial and non‐financial measures in business strategy. The first‐order change could accelerate the promotion and practice of integrated thinking, thus leading to second‐order changes. However, awareness of integrated thinking needs to be raised not only in management but also in lower levels of the organisation. The use of IR within companies is one possible solution to this problem. This study contributes to new knowledge regarding sustainability and sustainability reporting by focusing on how the application of IR and integrated thinking can promote changes to internal mechanisms and organisational value towards the creation of long‐term value.