The fashion industry, abundant in creativity and innovation, plays a significant role in today's society. However, in the 21st century, this sector faces unprecedented challenges, including the increasing environmental impact and the urgent need to adopt sustainable practices. Awareness of environmental damage has led more and more fashion companies to explore circular approaches focused on repairing, reusing, and recycling products to reduce waste and environmental harm. Despite this trend towards a more circular fashion, effective and lasting transformation cannot occur without organizational changes and resistance. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate and analyze the dynamics of organizational change that occur when fashion companies decide to move towards more sustainable and circular approaches. This transformation not only concerns the production and life cycle of products but also includes important aspects such as business management, organizational culture, and stakeholder relations. The adoption of more competitive practices in fashion companies requires a fundamental redefinition of decisions, the restructuring of supply chains, and widespread awareness within the organization. This inevitably entails a series of challenges, from resistance to change to balancing economic and environmental needs. The transition of fashion companies to business models that adopt circular practices is a path full of challenges and opportunities, reflecting the need for reconciliation, creativity, and environmental responsibility typical of the sector. Analyzing organizational change in this context can provide valuable insights that can be used to manage change more effectively and sustainably in the fascinating and dynamic world of fashion. In order to examine the organizational changes that occur in the fashion industry during the transition to circular fashion and analyze their impact on strategic decisions, business practices, and the implementation of sustainable initiatives, the thesis answers a fundamental research question: Which are the organizational changes in the transition towards the circular economy? Which are the drivers and resistances to change factors? To provide a comprehensive and structured answer, the thesis in question relies not only on a detailed review of theory and literature on this topic, along with research on the current fashion environment but also on a significant contribution provided by the testimony of a corporate reality such as Save The Duck. The in-depth analysis of this case study at different organizational levels, and the construction of an empirical analysis model based on the Lewin change management theory, has allowed the identification of circular changes, drivers and resistances embraced by a fashion company to successfully navigate through the transition to a circular paradigm. The adoption of more sustainable practices in this specific industrial sector is crucial to address current environmental challenges, and, in this sense, understanding and overcoming organizational tensions is equally crucial. Through a rigorous exploration of change management theories and models, a detailed analysis of theoretical implications, and an in-depth empirical contribution to research, through the construction of an analysis model based on the presented case study, the aim is to provide valuable insights to fashion industry companies aiming to successfully implement circular approaches, thus contributing to a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry.
IL CAMBIAMENTO ORGANIZZATIVO: LA TRANSIZIONE VERSO L'ECONOMIA CIRCOLARE. Il caso studio Save The Duck Il principale obiettivo di questa tesi è investigare e analizzare il processo e i drivers del cambiamento organizzativo che si verificano quando le aziende di moda decidono di orientarsi verso approcci più sostenibili e circolari. Questa trasformazione non riguarda solo la produzione e il ciclo di vita dei prodotti, ma include anche aspetti importanti come la gestione aziendale, la cultura organizzativa e le relazioni con gli stakeholder. L'adozione di pratiche più competitive nelle aziende di moda richiede una ridefinizione fondamentale delle decisioni, la ristrutturazione delle catene di approvvigionamento e una consapevolezza diffusa all'interno dell'organizzazione. Ciò comporta inevitabilmente una serie di sfide, dalla resistenza al cambiamento al bilanciamento delle esigenze economiche e ambientali. La transizione delle aziende di moda verso modelli di business che adottano pratiche circolari è un percorso ricco di sfide e opportunità, riflettendo la necessità di riconciliazione, creatività e responsabilità ambientale tipiche del settore. Analizzare il cambiamento organizzativo in questo contesto può fornire preziosi spunti che possono essere utilizzati per gestire il cambiamento in modo più efficace e sostenibile nel mondo affascinante e dinamico della moda. Al fine di esaminare i cambiamenti organizzativi che avvengono nell'industria della moda durante la transizione verso una moda circolare e analizzare il loro impatto sulle decisioni strategiche, le pratiche aziendali e l'attuazione di iniziative sostenibili, la tesi risponde a una domanda di ricerca fondamentale: Quali sono i cambiamenti organizzativi nella transizione verso l'economia circolare? Quali sono i fattori trainanti e le resistenze al cambiamento? Per fornire una risposta completa e strutturata, la tesi in questione si basa non solo su una dettagliata revisione della teoria e della letteratura su questo argomento, insieme alla ricerca sull'attuale ambiente della moda, ma anche su un significativo contributo fornito dalla testimonianza di una realtà aziendale come Save The Duck. L'analisi approfondita di questo caso studio a diversi livelli organizzativi e la costruzione di un modello di analisi empirica basato sulla teoria del cambiamento di Lewin ha permesso di identificare cambiamenti circolari, fattori trainanti e resistenze accettati da un'azienda di moda per navigare con successo attraverso la transizione verso un paradigma circolare. L'adozione di pratiche più sostenibili in questo specifico settore industriale è cruciale per affrontare le sfide ambientali attuali, e, in questo senso, comprendere e superare le tensioni organizzative è altrettanto cruciale. Attraverso un'approfondita esplorazione delle teorie e dei modelli di gestione del cambiamento, un'analisi dettagliata delle implicazioni teoriche e un contributo empirico approfondito alla ricerca, tramite l’analisi empirica del caso studio presentato, l'obiettivo è fornire suggerimenti manageriali alle aziende del settore della moda che mirano a implementare con successo approcci circolari, contribuendo così a un'industria della moda più sostenibile e responsabile.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: THE TRANSITION TOWARDS CIRCULAR ECONOMY. SAVE THE DUCK CASE STUDY.
MARCELLI, BENEDETTA
2022/2023
Abstract
The fashion industry, abundant in creativity and innovation, plays a significant role in today's society. However, in the 21st century, this sector faces unprecedented challenges, including the increasing environmental impact and the urgent need to adopt sustainable practices. Awareness of environmental damage has led more and more fashion companies to explore circular approaches focused on repairing, reusing, and recycling products to reduce waste and environmental harm. Despite this trend towards a more circular fashion, effective and lasting transformation cannot occur without organizational changes and resistance. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate and analyze the dynamics of organizational change that occur when fashion companies decide to move towards more sustainable and circular approaches. This transformation not only concerns the production and life cycle of products but also includes important aspects such as business management, organizational culture, and stakeholder relations. The adoption of more competitive practices in fashion companies requires a fundamental redefinition of decisions, the restructuring of supply chains, and widespread awareness within the organization. This inevitably entails a series of challenges, from resistance to change to balancing economic and environmental needs. The transition of fashion companies to business models that adopt circular practices is a path full of challenges and opportunities, reflecting the need for reconciliation, creativity, and environmental responsibility typical of the sector. Analyzing organizational change in this context can provide valuable insights that can be used to manage change more effectively and sustainably in the fascinating and dynamic world of fashion. In order to examine the organizational changes that occur in the fashion industry during the transition to circular fashion and analyze their impact on strategic decisions, business practices, and the implementation of sustainable initiatives, the thesis answers a fundamental research question: Which are the organizational changes in the transition towards the circular economy? Which are the drivers and resistances to change factors? To provide a comprehensive and structured answer, the thesis in question relies not only on a detailed review of theory and literature on this topic, along with research on the current fashion environment but also on a significant contribution provided by the testimony of a corporate reality such as Save The Duck. The in-depth analysis of this case study at different organizational levels, and the construction of an empirical analysis model based on the Lewin change management theory, has allowed the identification of circular changes, drivers and resistances embraced by a fashion company to successfully navigate through the transition to a circular paradigm. The adoption of more sustainable practices in this specific industrial sector is crucial to address current environmental challenges, and, in this sense, understanding and overcoming organizational tensions is equally crucial. Through a rigorous exploration of change management theories and models, a detailed analysis of theoretical implications, and an in-depth empirical contribution to research, through the construction of an analysis model based on the presented case study, the aim is to provide valuable insights to fashion industry companies aiming to successfully implement circular approaches, thus contributing to a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/3698