The impact of human capital management factors and conservation culture on the energy efficiency of industrial interprises

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in implementation of business models based on the principles of sustainable development in order to provide harmonious joint development of human resources, organizational culture and technical production systems. In this paper we analyze the impact of human resource management practices, the energy saving culture and employee knowledge in the field of energy efficiency on the ability of Russian industrial enterprises to achieve energy management goals. The methods used include factor analysis and modeling of structural equations (SEM); the authors developed a questionnaire for measuring the influence of internal intellectual factors: human resources, culture, and knowledge on the energy efficiency of industrial production. For the first time in the literature, based on the SEM method, the impact of human resource management practices on energy performance has been assessed. The empirical base of the research includes the materials of a managers and technical specialists survey in 14 Russian industrial companies in the period from 2016 to the spring of 2017. The results of the analysis show that employee training, the development of energy efficiency competencies and the internal exchange of knowledge on energy conservation issues have a significant impact on the achievement of energy policy objectives by enterprises.