Resolve the tensions of sustainability in small businesses: when the management of paradoxes becomes difficult to sustain

This research uses the strategic literature on paradoxes to analyze the problems associated with the management of sustainability tensions in small business. For this purpose, a qualitative study is conducted with small businesses in a sector with strong societal responsibility (agriculture), voluntarily committed to a process of improving their sustainability (ISO 14001). Thus, three types of paradoxical tensions are identified and characterized, highlighting the persistent problems of responsible action. Then, the results show how a constructive and virtuous resolution of these tensions can be difficult to maintain in a small business.