The early departure of young workers from their work positions, which has become a social problem. On the other hand, within the definitions such as those of the Global Reporting Initiative （GRI）, companies that address social and environmental issues are frequently regarded as sustainable organisations. This study theoretically clarifies why such companies can be considered highly sustainable, by elucidating the nature of environmental motivation of managers and employees. The methods used by this study are primarily a literature survey, supplemented by interview information. Altruistic management （termed social and environmental management） and its associated work possess a nature that extends temporally and spatially beyond the ordinary. Further, at the individual level, incorporating societal and environmental challenges into employees’ work leads them to perceive their work as interrelated with higher-level systems, such as society and the global environment. Consequently, employees are encouraged to understand the significance of their work, social role, and position within the overall structure. This enables individual members to perceive the rewarding nature of their work within a broader context, （i.e. representing spatial expansion）. In contrast, as Maslow （1954） indicated, motivation based on growth needs has no upper limit （temporal expansion）. Therefore, if an organisation satisfies its employees’ need for personal growth over the long term, those individuals are likely to remain with that organisation. By tackling social and environmental challenges across the entire organisation continually, the workers of such organisation can continually gratify the growth needs through their works. If its employees continually experience growth through having a sense of purpose in their work, the organisation's sustainability will be enhanced. This paper’s contributions are that first, it theoretically clarifies why companies that engage in social and environmental management can be considered sustainable; second, it elucidates the specific content of environmental motivation. Maslow's （1943; 1954; 1971） research on the hierarchy of needs clarified fundamental human instincts; yet a company’s social and environmental management also possesses rational and intended（strategic） dimensions （e.g. Frankl 1947;2005）. So the primary implication of this research is the importance of harmonising instinct （need） and reason （intention/will）. Accordingly, a task for future studies is to further advance a theoretical examination based on Frankl’s （1947; 2005） theories.
