Systemic sustainability in action: a qualitative multi-case study of organizational routines and stakeholder engagement in higher education institutions

Purpose This study aims to understand how higher education institutions (HEIs) operationalize systemic sustainability by examining their organizational routines and stakeholder engagement processes, guided by systems thinking to identify feedbacks among routines, governance and stakeholder dynamics rather than to develop formal simulation models. It seeks to identify the mechanisms, enabling factors and barriers that shape institutional transitions toward holistic sustainability integration. This study does not develop formal system dynamics models; rather, it qualitatively identifies reinforcing and constraining feedback mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative multi-case study design was employed, focusing on three HEIs recognized for advanced sustainability initiatives. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with faculty, administrators, staff and students, complemented by document analysis and observations of campus-level practices. In total, 30 participants were interviewed across the three HEIs, including administrators, faculty, sustainability officers and student representatives, enabling a multi-perspective view of systemic sustainability processes. Systems-informed thematic analysis, combining cross-case pattern mapping with the identification of reinforcing and constraining mechanisms, and drawing on stakeholder theory, was used to interpret patterns across institutional contexts; the study does not include quantitative system dynamics modeling. Findings Four interrelated drivers emerged: the embedding of sustainability into daily organizational routines, inclusive stakeholder engagement that nurtures collective agency, adaptive governance mechanisms enabling coordinated action and mediating influences of leadership and institutional culture. Despite noteworthy progress, challenges persist, including fragmented responsibilities and resistance to cultural change within specific groups. The analysis primarily uncovers qualitative patterns and mechanisms, highlighting how sustainability becomes institutionalized through recursive practices and feedbacks rather than through isolated initiatives or formally modeled dynamic trajectories. Originality/value The study contributes by offering a qualitative, systems-informed framework that links organizational routines, governance arrangements and stakeholder dynamics in the sustainability transformation of HEIs. It advances understanding of systemic sustainability as an embedded, evolving process by articulating key reinforcing and constraining mechanisms in HEI sustainability transitions. It provides policymakers, university leaders and educators with actionable insights to foster more integrated, resilient and participatory sustainability strategies across higher education systems.