How an Environmental Sustainability Community Fostered Employee-Driven Innovation at Lam Research

Abstract

OVERVIEW: Firms are increasingly promoting innovations that advance environmental sustainability across all aspects of their business, but this can be challenging in global, complex, technology-focused organizations. Much research has focused on top-down strategic initiatives; however, efforts at Lam Research, a global supplier of innovative semiconductor manufacturing products, demonstrate how bottom-up, employee-led initiatives can foster sustainability-oriented innovations and a culture of sustainability. We describe the development of the Lam Employee Sustainability Community (LESC) and how five practices of entrepreneurial leadership supported employee-driven innovations that fostered environmental sustainability initiatives across different levels within the firm. This approach has implications for other global product development firms aiming to integrate top-down and bottom-up strategies for environmental sustainability.