From attention to action: How board environmental expertise influences corporate environmental performance

Abstract

How do board environmental experts influence corporate environmental performance? Drawing on the advisory role of the board, we examine this question and propose that board environmental expertise fosters attention toward stakeholders through the development of decision-makers’ knowledge structures and the identification of opportunities to address a wider range of stakeholders, ultimately contributing to stronger stakeholder orientation. In addition, we theorize that board environmental expertise fosters substantive actions toward environmental performance by reducing information asymmetry and accurately assessing the risks of investing in pro-environmental initiatives. We also consider how the effects unfold in different institutional contexts. We theorize and find that national stakeholder salience increases attention pressure toward stakeholders and that environment-oriented legislation adds to the action pressure toward environmental performance. Our results, based on 11,634 firm-year observations from 15 countries between 2003 and 2016, support our theoretical predictions.