Behind the strategic façade: the unsustainability of sustainability in business schools

Purpose This study aims to investigate how sustainability is justified and enacted among institutional leaders in European business schools. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on 30 in-depth interviews with deans of Financial Times-ranked European business schools, the study applies institutional theory and critical university studies to examine how coercive, mimetic and normative isomorphism shape sustainability discourse and practice. Findings The study identifies a strategic façade: a visible but largely symbolic commitment to sustainability, maintained to satisfy rankings agencies, accreditation bodies and stakeholder expectations. This façade enables symbolic compliance while maintaining the status quo and avoiding significant institutional change. Originality/value The study advances institutional theory by introducing the strategic façade of sustainability, demonstrating how symbolic alignment becomes a durable equilibrium under neoliberal governance.