Organizational sustainability in public institutions of higher education. A theoretical – empirical approach

Objective: Based on two approaches, the triple bottom line (TBL) and the quadruple bottom line (QBL), this paper aims to (1) identify the components that make up the construct of Organizational Sustainability (OS) in a public institution of higher education (PIHE) and (2) validate those components. Method: A questionnaire called organizational sustainability diagnostic (OSD) was constructed and applied to 239 volunteer subjects, faculty and staff members of a PIHE. Data analysis included qualitative and quantitative test of content and construct validity, and exploratory factor analysis. Results: (1) the construct OS is consistent with the QBL variables (environmental sustainability, social sustainability, financial sustainability and institutional sustainability), and (2) the OSD is a valid and reliable instrument for diagnosing OS in PIHEs. These results require further empirical evidence. A research agenda is proposed to extend the study to other PIHEs, and create tools to assess the construct OS using historical data.