[T]here are two kinds of approaches to transform the behavior of organizations, one approach is to use empathy to understand human needs and motivation, and the other is power, the ability to force or coerce a particular behavior. (…) It appears to me that the empathic approach and power based approach are often at odds in organizations or out of balance.
via To Be Sustainable Organizations Must Balance Empathy and Power.
I believe that the rise of the participatory internet culture and the growing concern about environmental impacts by companies will force many organizations to emphasize empathy much more than they currently do to keep clients, staff and partners.
Sustainable Teams 
you are quite correct, any organization that is not focusing on the long term future is an organization that will fail to attract people who are interested in a long term future :) Reward short term gains, you will only attract people interested in short term gains. Very basic management, you get what you measure.