Measuring regenerative orientation: A new scale for firms' net-positive impact beyond sustainability

This study introduces regenerative orientation (RO), a firm's strategic approach going beyond traditional sustainability and actively seeking to enhance social–ecological systems. We developed and validated a 12-item, two-factor scale that considers social and ecological perspectives, offering a consistent measurement. The scale, refined and validated with two large survey samples and 1680 responses, shows robust properties and a significant association with firm performance. Addressing theoretical ambiguity between existing concepts, we propose RO as an emerging firm-level paradigm that aims to create net-positive benefits for social–ecological systems and has the potential to revolutionize strategic sustainability. Our findings enable further research on the mechanisms and drivers of RO and on factors that influence organizational resilience and performance.