Monika Winn

Dr. Monika Winn served as professor of Business Strategy & Sustainability, Francis G. Winspear Scholar, and as Director of the Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation at the Gustavson School of Business until July 2020. She is a pioneering scholar in the area of business sustainability and has won many awards for her scholarly work. Her leadership helped sustainability and social responsibility become integral parts of the culture and values at Gustavson.

Monika taught business strategy to PhD, graduate and undergraduate students with the goal of helping them to not only recognize the risks of climate change and degrading ecosystems to business, but also discover and act on the strategic opportunities for proactive businesses taking leadership roles in innovation and learning to incorporate sustainability methodology into organizational strategy and culture. She served as co-founder and director of the Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation (CSSI) -- a research centre within Gustavson -- that acts as a central resource offering research and teaching support to all faculty members to incorporate sustainability and social responsibility in their work.

Monika’s research focuses on organizational and institutional change related to sustainability. More recent research streams included:

• examining institutional logics (the mindsets and worldviews that shape organizational action) that support or hinder sustainability initiatives in business,
• integrating business strategy with nature’s functioning principles while enhancing resilience for climate change, and
• leveraging social and environmental issues for progressive strategic action.

Her research has been published in such journals as the Academy of Management Review, Organization Studies, Business and Society, Journal of Business Venturing, the British Journal of Management and others. Monika actively collaborated with colleagues in several international research networks spanning Europe, North America and Australia. She was a contributor to the Greening of Industry Network since its beginnings, co-founded and chaired the international Academy of Management’s Organizations and the Natural Environment Division, and supported a host of other scholarly initiatives adopting sustainability in research and teaching.

Her broad base of teaching experience served her well, which included executive education on corporate sustainability. Most active networks and affiliations included those in Canada, the United States and Australia (e.g., the Sustainable Enterprise Academy, the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, University of Queensland, and the University of California at Santa Barbara and Irvine.

Prior to attaining her PhD in 1996, she founded and ran a successful business in Southern California.

Journal Publication

Pogutz, S., & Winn, M. I. (2016). Cultivating Ecological Knowledge for Corporate Sustainability: Barilla’s Innovative Approach to Sustainable Farming. Business Strategy and the Environment, 25(6), 435–448.

Winn, M. I., & Pogutz, S. (2013). Business, Ecosystems, and Biodiversity: New Horizons for Management Research. Organization & Environment, 2(26), 203–229.

Linnenluecke, M., Griffiths, A., & Winn, M. I. (2013). Firm and Industry Adaptation to Climate Change: A Review of Climate Adaptation Studies in the Business and Management Field. WIRE – Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews  (WIREs) Climate Change, 1002(10), 325.

Winn, M. I., Pinkse, J., & Illge, L. (2012). Case Studies on Trade-Offs in Corporate Sustainability. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 19(2), 63–68.

Linnenluecke, M., Griffiths, A., & Winn, M. I. (2012). Extreme Weather Events and the Critical Importance of Anticipatory Adaptation and Organizational Resilience in Responding to Impacts. Business Strategy and the Environment, 21(1), 17–32.

Pogutz, S., Micale, V., & Winn, M. I. (2011). Corporate Environmental Sustainability Beyond Organizational Boundaries: Market Growth, Ecosystems Complexity and Supply Chain Structure as Co-Determinants of Environmental Impact. Journal of Environmental Sustainability, 1(1).

Winn, M. I., Kirchgeorg, M., Linnenluecke, A., & Günther, E. (2011). Impacts from climate change on organizational environments: A conceptual foundation. Business Strategy and the Environment, 20(3), 157–173.

Hahn, T., Kolk, A., & Winn, M. I. (2010). A new future for business? Rethinking management theory and business strategy. Business and Society, 1(11), 35–55.

Chapter

Ranson, H., Ceulemans, K., & Winn, M. (2017). Embedding Sustainability in the Gustavson School of Business: A Change in Culture. In Management Education for Corporate Social Performance (pp. 149–171). USA: Information Age Publishing.

Tashman, P., Rivera, J., & Winn, M. I. (2015). Corporate climate change adaptation – an emerging field on non-market strategy in an uncertain world. In The Routledge Companion to Nonmarket Strategy. London: Routledge: Oxon.

Winn, M. I., & Zietsma, C. (2014). The War of the Woods: MacMillan Bloedel Seeks Peace. In Organization Theory & Design, Third Canadian Edition (pp. 527–537). Canada: Nelson.

Cohen, B., & Winn, M. I. (2013). Market Imperfections, Opportunity and Sustainable Entrepreneurship. In Social Entrepreneurship (pp. 29–49). Edward Elgar.

Recognition & Awards

Grants

• UVic ORS Scholarly Travel Grant, Funded by UVic Office of Research Services (April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017), awarded August 18, 2016 ($1,250.00), Completed, Summer 2016, CoPI M. Rahman with CoPI Stefano Pogutz, CoPI Monika Winn

• The Business of Biodiversity: Research on nature and management and organization studies, Funded by GEPRG (April 1, 2014 - March 31, 2015), awarded April 1, 2014 ($2,500.00), Completed, Spring 2015, PI Monika Winn

• The Business of Biodiversity: Developing a Typology of Corporate Ecosystem Restoration Projects, Funded by GEPRG (September 1, 2012 - August 31, 2013), awarded September 1, 2012 ($2,500.00), Completed, Fall 2013, PI Monika Winn

• The research network for business sustainability, Funded by SSHRC (April 1, 2007 - March 31, 2013), awarded April 1, 2007 ($1,950,000.00), Completed, Spring 2013, CoInvestigator Monika Winn with PI Pratima Bansal, CoInvestigator Robert Anderson, CoInvestigator Raymond Cote, CoInvestigator Peggy Cunningham, CoInvestigator Carolyn Egri, CoInvestigator Corinne Gendron, CoInvestigator Steve Maguire, CoInvestigator Martin Martens, CoInvestigator Marie-France Turcotte, CoInvestigator Alain Verbeke

• International Research Network on Social and Environmental Aspects in Business and Management; (SEABUS), Funded by German Ministry of Education and Research (April 1, 2009 - March 31, 2011), awarded April 1, 2009 ($8,684.00), Completed, Spring 2011, CoInvestigator Monika Winn with PI T Hahn

• How higher education affects students' identity formation and well being: a closer look at the role of field of study, professors, and curriculum, Funded by SSHRC (April 1, 2008 - March 31, 2011), awarded April 1, 2008 ($110,459.00), Completed, Spring 2011, CoInvestigator Monika Winn with PI F Grouzet

• International Research Network on Social and Environmental Aspects in Business and Management; (SEABUS), Funded by German Ministry of Education and Research (April 1, 2005 - March 31, 2010), awarded April 1, 2005 ($15,979.00), Completed, Spring 2010, CoInvestigator Monika Winn with PI T Hahn

• North of Cascadia: Preparing for Surprise, Funded by SSHRC (April 1, 2008 - March 31, 2009), awarded April 1, 2008 ($20,000.00), Completed, Spring 2009, CoInvestigator Monika Winn with PI R Ommer, CoInvestigator C Zietsma

• Canada's coastal future: preparing for surprise, Funded by SSHRC Major Collaborative Research Initiatives Program (November 1, 2006 - November 1, 2007), awarded November 1, 2006 ($20,000.00), Completed, Spring 2008, CoInvestigator Monika Winn with PI Rosemary Ommer

Courses Taught 

• Business & Sustainability (PhD)
• Global Issues: Business Sustainability (PhD)
• Business & Sustainability (BCom)