Sustainable co-evolution of environmental regulation and oligopolies: moving towards a managerial theory of meta-organisational approaches

The evolution of environmental regulation is largely influenced by the reciprocal influence exerted by policies, natural resources and stakeholders' behaviours in an often disregarded and continuously adapting-by-interacting setting. On the basis of this assumption, we explored the role of oligopolistic industries in shaping the evolution of environmental regulation. In particular, this paper presents the analysis of two real cases and describes the factual chain of causation that could lead to spontaneous dynamics of interaction between industrial leaders, policy makers and local communities in the development of environmental regulation. Findings of this work highlight the pivotal role of meta-organisations in matching the evolution of environmental regulation with the introduction of sustainable practices. What is more, this role seems to emerge spontaneously as a natural consequence of trial-and-error processes. Here, we draw some implications for management to guide oligopolistic industries in designing and implementing corporate strategies that can lead to win-win cooperation with the agents of the meta-organisation.