The International Journal Of Business & Management (ISSN 2321–8916) www.theijbm.com 53 Vol 4 Issue 3 March, 2016 THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT Pro-Activeness and Organizational Sustainability of Selected Manufacturing Firms in Anambra State 1. Introduction Organizations today both large and small are all struggling for survival in an ever dynamic ecological system. However, how an organization and its activities will remain perennially relevant to the society is an issue of urgent concern to managers of those organizations and it is the sole responsibility of management to ensure that its organization remains relevant and continue operation over a long period of time adapting effectively to changes in its dynamic environment and achieving its core objectives which include profit maximization, survival and growth. More importantly, the success of an organization is likely to be dependent on its ability to continuously adapt to changing environment and this explains why organizations are adopting strategies that can help them ensure continuity and also remain relevant to the society. As organizations seek solutions and palliative measures for the many international, local and regional challenges facing its activities today, the word sustainability seems to be the only strategic mechanism organizations could adopt to tackle such challenges. According to Linnenluecke & Griffiths (2009, p.358), “the concept of sustainability came to the surface in the global context following the report ‘our common future’ by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987) an establishment of the United Nations also referred to as the Brundtland Commission”. The commission in explaining sustainability relates it to economic prosperity, social justice and environmental quality by coining the term sustainable development, defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987, P.43). In the past different scholars have used different constructs to describe organizational sustainability. Some see it from the perspective of having enough funds to meet the present and future needs of its diverse stakeholder while some conceptualize it from the economic, environmental and social perspective which is commonly referred to as the triple bottom line or the 3ps (profit, planet, and people) of sustainability. For instance, Sharma, (2003) in Linnenluecke & Griffiths (2009, p.358), have argued that organizational sustainability “implies the challenge to simultaneously improve social and human welfare while reducing their ecological impact and ensuring the effective achievement of organizational objectives”. On the other hand, Perrini & Tencati, (cited in Gadenne, Sands & Mia, 2012) are of the opinion that a firm’s sustainability is contingent on its ability to establish and uphold sustainable relationships with all of its core stakeholders including the wider community. As noted earlier, the success of an organization is likely to be contingent on its ability to continuously adapt to its changing environment. Buys (2012, p.915) supports this idea by stating that “an organization that fails to adjust to its changing environment would lose its relevance, its customers and ultimately the support of its stakeholders”. The achievement of organizational sustainability in a turbulent and complex environment is always a difficult task to managers of various organizations especially within the manufacturing domain. it is obvious that in a developing economy like ours, organizations are always struggling for survival in a resource constrained economy which undoubtedly has promoted aggressive competition among organizations. Similarly, increasing natural and man-made disasters and poor management of industrial waste as well as increasing pace of new technology are some of Nwankwo, C. Anthony Postgraduate Researcher, Department of Management, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria Dr. Nwuche, A. Christine Head of Department, Department of Management, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria Abstract: This study sought to ascertain the effect of pro-activeness as an antecedent to organizational sustainability measures such as organizational learning and resilience. The study is descriptive and using quantitative methods; empirically examines the relationship between pro-activeness and organizational sustainability. A total of two hypotheses are postulated and tested using the Spearman rank order correlation coefficient. The results revealed a significant relationship between pro-activeness and the measures of organizational sustainability, namely: organizational learning and resilience; hence it was concluded that pro-activeness was imperative for outcomes related to learning and resilience and thus the sustainability of the organization. Based on the conclusions it was thereafter recommended that organizations actively seek out and take advantage of availing business opportunities through well-planned risk-assessment processes and activities in order to remain competitive and for the sustainability of their operations Keywords: Pro-activeness, organizational learning, resilience, sustainability, risk