Sustainability‐Oriented Organizational Change: A Systematic Review of Organizational Theories

Sustainability‐oriented organizational change (SOOC) is increasingly explained through organizational theories (OTs), yet the theoretical foundations of this literature remain unsystematized. To address this gap, this theory‐centered systematic literature review (SLR) maps and compares the OTs mobilized across 55 peer‐reviewed articles. Through construct clarification, this review shows that out of 44 identified theoretical perspectives, only 13 satisfy the operational definition of an OT. Analysis of their assumptions synthesizes these retained OTs into a phenomenon‐specific taxonomy comprising three higher‐order explanatory logics: externally driven organizational response, endogenous organizational development, and interpretive and communicative reorientation. Together, these steps expose five systematic blind spots concerning construct ambiguity, limited explanatory diversity, lack of cross‐logic integration, a focus on incremental over transformative change, and undertheorized normative and political dimensions of sustainability. Accordingly, this SLR establishes a baseline for future organizational theorizing on SOOC while providing practitioners with a diagnostic lens to broaden attention across SOOC facets.