Translating Sustainable Development Goals‐Oriented Business Practices Into Sustainable Development: Practice Maturity, Managerial Gender, and Organizational Results

ABSTRACT Despite growing interest in SDG‐oriented business practices, limited attention has been paid to how practice maturity and managerial gender jointly shape the translation of sustainability initiatives into Sustainable Development and organizational results. This study addresses this gap by examining a model in which SDG‐oriented practices at three maturity levels (basic, advanced, and expert) influence Sustainable Development and organizational performance, while Sustainable Development acts as a mediator and managerial gender operates as a moderator. Drawing on a micro‐foundations perspective, the study uses survey data from 200 medium‐sized Spanish firms and applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS‐SEM) combined with multi‐group analysis. The findings indicate that SDG‐oriented business practices positively affect Sustainable Development and organizational results, with stronger effects observed as practice maturity increases. Sustainable Development partially mediates the relationship between sustainability practices and performance, suggesting that firms derive economic benefits not only from direct operational improvements but also through the development of sustainability‐related organizational capabilities. The results further reveal significant gender differences, as advanced and expert practices display stronger effects in female‐led firms, whereas basic‐level practices exert relatively stronger effects in male‐led firms. By integrating practice maturity and managerial agency into a unified explanatory framework, this study contributes to the sustainability management literature by providing a more differentiated explanation of how SDG‐oriented practices generate organizational value. The findings also suggest that organizations should align sustainability governance structures with the maturity level of sustainability practices and foster gender‐diverse managerial approaches to strengthen sustainability capabilities and long‐term organizational performance.