How Green Bankers Promote Behavioral Integration of Green Investment and Financing Teams—Evidence from Chinese Commercial Banks

Abstract

Facing the need for green investment and financing brought about by the process of “carbon neutrality”, more and more leaders of commercial banks have begun to initiate green transformation of their enterprises and become green bankers with green finance awareness and vision, while their subordinate green investment and financing teams, as executive units with complementary green finance knowledge, skills, information, and expertise, have become a key link in the bank’s green investment and financing management. Relying on structuration theory and using the multi-case study method, this research analyzes how green bankers promote the behavioral integration of green investment and financing teams from the perspective of team structure construction and deconstructs the process of transforming the development vision of green bankers into green investment and financing practices. Through a pairing study of eight commercial banks, it was found that green bankers can build a green investment and financing team structure to promote their behavioral integration through resources and rules. There are six effective strategies in the construction behavior, including: building a consensus on green finance strategy within the enterprise; guiding the green investment and financing team to exploratively learn green finance knowledge; facilitating collaboration across positions; implementing a fair “result-oriented” salary structure; granting rights to subordinate employees who are competent for green investment and financing tasks; and building a job division and operation mechanism with clear responsibilities. Finally, suggestions are put forward to improve the salary system of green bankers, optimize the training system of green financial talents, and use digital management to ensure the independent authority of green investment and financing positions.