Workplace Pro-environmental Behavior Research Articles

Green, keen, and somewhere in between: An employee environmental segmentation study

Past research analyzes employee engagement in pro-environmental behavior by assuming all employees are similar in their values, beliefs, and norms (VBN). We argue that a segmented approach is more effective in understanding workplace pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) and seek to develop a typology of employees. Analyzing data from 702 office employees in the UK, this study yields a more finely grained segmentation of employee differences regarding environmental dimensions, personality traits, behaviors, and perceptions. Based on a cluster analysis methodology, this paper identifies three distinct employee segments: ‘Acorns,’ ‘Saplings,’ and ‘Trees.’ Theoretically, our findings suggest that the VBN theory should be expanded by integrating personality traits, and that organizational environmental policy makers should pay attention to the green subcultures that may form within clusters. Practically, our typology helps organizations design interventions to target different groups of employees with customized motivational strategies, communication tactics, and engagement approaches.

Environmentally specific servant leadership and workplace pro-environmental behavior: A dual mediation in context of hotel industry

Environmental issues are getting significant attention from academicians and practitioners. In this regard, a top to bottom integration of actions has become necessary to address these issues. Therefore, the present study addresses the question of fostering the pro-environmental behaviors from a leadership perspective. The study examines the relationship between environmentally specific servant leadership and workplace pro-environmental behaviors. Additionally, the study examines the mediating effect of organizational support and environmental commitment. Since the study is designed in the context of hospitality industry, the population of this study comprises employees working in hotels. Following a positivist research philosophy, the study adopted a quantitative deductive approach. The questionnaire was developed by adapting previously validated measures. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed among the respondents, and 204 returned questionnaires were subjected to data analysis using SPSS and SMART-PLS. The results of the study revealed that environmentally-specific servant leadership positively influences environmental commitments, organizational support, and workplace pro-environmental behaviors among employees. Additionally, the results identified a positive significant influence of environmental commitments, and organizational support on workplace pro-environmental behaviors. It was also found that organizational support and environmental commitments significantly mediate the relationship between environmentally-specific servant leadership and workplace pro-environmental behaviors. Notably, workplace environmental behaviors were found to be moderately influenced by environment-specific servant leadership. It is concluded that leaders play a crucial role in determining the environment oriented behavior among the employees. The study offers valuable insights for both policymakers and top management of hotels to focus on servant leadership for fostering pro-environmental behaviors among hotel employees to achieve environmental sustainability.

Employees go green: the roles of perceived CSR and intrinsic motivation

PurposeThis study investigates how and when employees' perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) encourages their workplace pro-environmental behavior (WPB).Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from 189 employees of different industries in southern China. Data were analyzed using PROCESS macro.FindingsThis study found that intrinsic motivation mediated the relationship between perceived CSR and WPB. Furthermore, self-concern strengthened the indirect perceived CSR–WPB link.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature of micro-CSR by highlighting intrinsic motivation as a mediating mechanism explaining how employees' perceived CSR encourages WPB. In addition, studying the moderating effects of other-orientation and self-concern enriches the understanding of when perceived CSR may or may not stimulate employees' WPB.

Modeling the workplace pro-environmental behavior through green human resource management and organizational culture: Evidence from an emerging economy

This quantitative study investigates the relationships of green human resource management (GHRM) practices (e.g., green training and involvement, green recruitment, green performance management and compensation, and green transformational leadership) on green organizational culture and pro-environmental behavior, and the moderating role of green social capital and green values. This study adopts a cross-sectional design and collects quantitative data from 232 respondents working in top-to middle-level managerial positions in medium and large enterprises using a questionnaire survey after obtaining a list of companies from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Multan in Pakistan, applying the snowball sampling technique. A combined approach including partial least squares structural equation modeling and necessary condition analysis is employed to unravel the underlying mechanism between GHRM practices, green organizational culture, and pro-environmental behavior using Smart PLS version 4. The findings reveal that green transformational leadership (β = 0.267, p < 0.01), green performance management and compensation (β = 0.412, p < 0.01), green training and involvement (β = 0.226, p < 0.01) have a significant positive connection with green organizational culture. Moreover, green social capital (β = 0.206, p < 0.01), green values (β = 0.460, p < 0.01), and green organizational culture (β = 0.143, p < 0.05) have a significant influence on workplace pro-environmental behavior. The study did not discover any moderating influence of green values and GS on the relationship between green organizational culture and pro-environmental behavior. Nevertheless, it did identify a mediating effect of green organizational culture in the connections between green recruitment, green training & involvement, green performance management & compensation, green transformational leadership, and pro-environmental behavior. The original contribution of this study includes offering in-depth insights into the relationship between GHRM practices and pro-environmental behavior through an integrated framework combining the GHRM framework, ability motivation opportunity (AMO) theory, and norm activation model to the extant literature. With its empirical investigation, this constitutes a pioneering study in the field of GHRM that offers numerous practical implications with the robust result obtained using sufficiency logic tests applying necessary condition analysis. Organizations should recruit employees with green values and give them training, and performance and compensation benefits to ensure green transformational leadership and enhance pro-environmental behavior in the organization.

Understanding the Impact of Environmentally Specific Servant Leadership on Employees' Pro-Environmental Behaviors in the Workplace: Based on the Proactive Motivation Model.

The increasingly severe environmental situation has brought challenges to the world, and organizations are aware of the importance of environmental management and are committed to changing individuals' environmental behavior patterns. Based on the proactive motivation model, this study constructs a moderated multiple mediation model to explore the impact mechanism and boundary conditions between environmentally specific servant leadership (ESSL) and employees' workplace pro-environmental behaviors (WPB). This study examines 440 Chinese industrial sector employees, and the linear regression method test results show that: (1) ESSL significantly promotes employees' WPB. (2) Green self-efficacy (GSE), green organizational identity (GOI), and environmental passion (EP) act as multiple mediators between ESSL and employees' WPB. (3) Green shared vision (GSV) positively moderates the relationship between ESSL and employees' WPB. This study provides a new theoretical perspective on how ESSL affects employees' WPB, which is analyzed from three aspects: "can do", "reason to", and "energized to". This new mechanism reveals that leaders should transform their leadership style to that of environmental service, and focus on enhancing the employees' GSE, GOI, and EP. Moreover, ESSL should make copious use of green strategy tools, such as GSV, to realize the above mechanism.

Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility and Workplace Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Person-Organization Fit and Organizational Identification's Sequential Mediation.

Organizations’ environmental performance has come increasingly under scrutiny given the need for sustainable, low-carbon economies. Workers’ pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) can contribute to greener operations, but research on workplace PEBs is still an emerging field. This study examined how employees’ perceptions of environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and practices are related to their self-reported voluntary PEBs, including person-organization fit (P-O fit) and organizational identification’s role as sequential mediators. Data were gathered from 178 workers from different organizations via an online survey. The results reveal a positive relationship between perceived environmental CSR practices and work PEBs, which are both directly and indirectly connected through P-O fit and organizational identification. Managers can thus use environmental CSR activities to capitalize on employees’ P-O fit and organizational identification, thereby fostering work PEBS.

Pulling on Heartstrings: Three Studies of the Effectiveness of Emotionally Framed Communication to Encourage Workplace Pro-Environmental Behavior

We investigated whether the emotional framing of climate change communication can influence workplace pro-environmental behavior. In three quasi-experimental studies, we examined whether emotional displays in climate change communication affected participants’ subsequent workplace pro-environmental behavior. In Studies 1 and 2, undergraduate and master’s students viewed a fictional news video about climate change, where the newsreader displayed one of five emotions: sadness, fear, anger, contentment, and hope. The dependent variable was recycling behavior following the viewing. In Study 3, office employees viewed the same news videos online; the dependent variable was requesting further information to increase pro-environmental behavior in the workplace. The results from all three studies show that displayed emotion significantly affected pro-environmental behavior and that sadness, in particular, resulted in significantly less workplace pro-environmental behavior. These results indicate the need to study the effect of discrete emotions, rather than assuming that emotions of the same valence have similar effects. The results also underscore the importance of using experimental designs in advancing the field. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for research, theory, and practice of emotionally framed communication of sustainability messages.

Examining the Influence of Transformational Leadership and Green Culture on Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Empirical Evidence From Florida City Governments

Despite growing interest in greening initiatives, the environmental performance of public organizations largely depends on the voluntary participation of public employees in undertaking pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). Can organizations encourage better participation? What is the role of leadership and organizational culture in influencing these behaviors? This study investigates the influence of transformational leadership and organizational green culture on employees’ PEBs. Data were collected through a survey of public employees in two city governments in Florida. Confirmatory factor analysis followed by the multiple regression analysis were employed to test the proposed model. Findings reveal that organizational factors have the potential to influence the workplace PEBs, but in a complex manner. Certain barriers are found to significantly moderate the effects of organizational factors on employees’ PEBs

Self-construal types and organizational citizenship behavior for the environment of employees in a university

PurposeIn researching into workplace pro-environmental behaviors, there is sparse evidence on self-construals with dimensions of organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE), particularly among university employees. To fill this gap, the purpose of the study is to investigate the associations of self-construals with eco-civic engagement, eco-helping and eco-initiatives among 256 (men = 139 and women = 117) employees of a University.Design/methodology/approachThrough the use of cross-sectional survey method, data were collected to investigate theoretically deduced hypotheses. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsResults showed that independent self-construal was positively associated with eco-civic engagement,β = 0.25,t = 2.55,p &lt; 0.01, eco-helping, β = 0.42,t = 4.51,p &lt; 0.01 and eco-initiatives,β = 0.36,t = 3.73,p &lt; 0.01, whereas interdependent self-construal had significant positive relationship with eco-civic engagement only,β = 0.27,t = 2.73,p &lt; 0.01.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research can manipulate self-construal and collect observational data on eco-civic engagement, eco-helping and eco-initiatives. The findings should be further developed using larger samples among other higher education institutions (HEIs).Practical implicationsThis study provides a basis that self-construction can influence OCBE, particularly, focusing on independence can drive eco-civic engagement, eco-helping and eco-initiatives while focusing on interdependence can motivate eco-civic engagement. The findings may guide future development of workplace environmental sustainability programs and policies to aid university managers, practitioners, organizers and promoters of environmental sustainability on the university campuses.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to environmental sustainability literature in HEIs by providing information on the usefulness of self-construal types in motivating employee participation in OCBE.

A Daily Investigation of the Effect of Performance Pressure on Pro-Environmental Behavior

Research on workplace pro-environmental behavior is on the raise, but little research has examined the dynamic fluctuations in pro-environmental behaviors. Due to the scarcity of that research, it remains unclear when and under which conditions employees’ pro-environmental behavior will be triggered or constrained from time to time. This research provides insights into the dynamic nature of pro-environmental behavior and its work-relevant predictors. Drawing on threat rigidity theory, we theorize that daily performance pressure, as one of the most salient threatening work experiences, will increase self-concern which correlates with task-related pro-environmental behavior, and will decrease other-concern which correlates with prosocial pro-environmental behavior. Moreover, employees’ functional attitudes towards pro-environmental behavior are predicted to moderate these effects. In an experience sampling study of 114 employees across 10 consecutive workdays, we found that daily performance pressure had a negative effect on prosocial pro-environmental behavior through a decrease in other-concern. Furthermore, this relationship was mitigated by employees’ value-expressive function such that the negative effect was weaker for employees with a high (vs. low) value-expressive function towards pro-environmental behavior. Interestingly, we also found that daily performance pressure had a negative effect on task-related pro-environmental behavior through an increase in self-concern. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Workplace pro-environmental behaviors in small and medium-sized enterprises: an employee level analysis

Employees spend much time in the workplace; however, most research have not examined employee’s workplace pro-environmental behavior in small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries. This paper examines the direct and indirect effect of predictor variables on employee’s workplace pro-environmental behavior using the comprehensive action determination model. Employees working in small and medium-sized enterprises (n = 296) in three cities in Jiangsu Province, China, were chosen through snowball, convenience sampling, and survey data were obtained via the administration of self-report questionnaires. Principal component analysis with orthogonal rotation (varimax) was used to subject all measures to uni-dimensionality test using an eigenvalue > 1 criterion. Regression analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation model were used for data reduction and analysis using SPSS version 22. The findings indicate that perceived behavior control, intention to act, sustainable actions, environmental attitude, and social norms had a direct effect while information need, habit strength, and situational conditions had an indirect effect on workplace pro-environmental behavior.

Workplace and Non‐workplace Pro‐environmental Behaviors: Empirical Evidence from Florida City Governments

AbstractPublic employees are expected to be good stewards of public resources and engage in pro‐environmental behaviors (PEBs). Using different categorizations of PEBs, this article examines whether public employees perform these PEBs in workplace and non‐workplace settings. The article further investigates how PEBs are influenced by salient characteristics of public organizations—that is, public service motivation (PSM) and civic participation categorized as civic engagement and cognitive engagement. Data were collected through a survey of public employees in two city governments in Florida. A structural equation model was employed to test the proposed model. Findings indicate that PSM has a positive influence on workplace PEBs and similar PEBs in the non‐workplace settings. Civic engagement has a positive influence on both workplace and non‐workplace PEBs. Barriers significantly moderate the effects of PSM and cognitive engagement on workplace and non‐workplace PEBs.

Toward a new measure of organizational environmental citizenship behavior

Previous work has conceptualized workplace pro-environmental behaviors within the organizational citizenship behavior framework and a scale to measure these behaviors has been developed. The goal of the present research was to address conceptual and psychometric issues of this scale by: (a) conceptualizing organizational environmental citizenship behavior within the dominant target-based framework, (b) developing and refining a new, more comprehensive measure of organizational environmental citizenship behavior and (c) validating this new measure by providing evidence for its content, construct, convergent, discriminant, concurrent, incremental concurrent and nomological validity, and its internal and temporal stability. To this end, six separate studies (N=652) were conducted, which together produced a psychometrically acceptable measure of organizational environmental citizenship behavior. Theoretical and practical implications from this research and direction for future research are discussed.

How and When Does Perceived CSR Affect Employees’ Engagement in Voluntary Pro-environmental Behavior?

Scholarly interest in employees’ voluntary pro-environmental behavior has begun to emerge. While this research is beginning to shed light on the predictors of workplace pro-environmental behavior, our understanding of the psychological mechanisms linking the various antecedents to employees’ environmentally responsible behavior and the circumstances under which any such effects are enhanced and/or attenuated is incomplete. The current study seeks to fill this gap by examining: (a) the effects of perceived corporate social responsibility on employees’ voluntary pro-environment behavior; (b) an underlying mechanism that links CSR perceptions to these behaviors; and (c) a boundary condition to these relationships. Data from 183 supervisor-subordinate dyads employed in large- and medium-sized casinos and hotels in Guangdong China and Macau revealed that employees’ corporate social responsibility perceptions indirectly affect their engagement in voluntary pro-environmental behavior through organizational identification, and these effects are stronger for employees high in empathy.

Trust in the context of psychological contract breach: Implications for environmental sustainability

This study examines the links between organizational support, trust in manager, psychological contract breach, job satisfaction, and workplace pro-environmental behavior. We tested the conditional indirect effect of organizational support and pro-environmental behavior through job satisfaction at different levels of psychological contract breach and trust in the manager. Using a convenience sample (N = 651), the findings show that job satisfaction only mediates the effect of organizational support on pro-environmental behavior at a low level of psychological contract breach. The findings also indicate that (low) psychological contract breach only moderates the conditional indirect effect of organizational support and pro-environmental behavior through job satisfaction at a high level of trust in manager. Practical implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are proposed.

Environmental Leadership

Responding to climate change is now a matter for all organizations and employees. Leaders play a key role in affecting employee behavior more generally, so it is likely that they also affect pro-environmental behaviors. This symposium explores the notion of environmental leadership within organizations. Across five presentations we will cover the definition and operationalisation of environmental leadership, what leaders feel and how environmental leaders may reduce their vulnerability to burn out, and how environmental leadership (and a form of 'anti' environmental leadership) affects employee behavior. The presentations include new theorizing, scale development, qualitative, and both survey and experimental quantitative studies that are based on samples from Australia, Canada, the U.S., and Russia. We conclude this symposium with an active discussion led by Dr. Julian Barling surrounding the theoretical, empirical and practical implications of environmental leadership and avenues for future research. Environmentally-specific Transformational Leadership: Scale Development and Validation Presenter: Jennifer Robertson; Western U. Goal Conflict in Workplace Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Signaling Role of the Leader Presenter: Kerrie Unsworth; U. of Western Australia Presenter: Mirella Wilson; U. of Western Australia Top Management Emotional Responses to Climate Change: A Longitudinal Study Presenter: Sally V. Russell; U. of Leeds Presenter: Kelly Fielding; U. of Queensland Presenter: Alice Evans; U. of Queensland Managerial Leadership and Employee Proenvironmental Behavior in Russia Presenter: Laura M. Graves; Clark U. Presenter: Joseph Sarkis; Worcester Polytechnic Institute Presenter: Natalia Gold; Northeastern U.

Developing an Integrated Conceptual Framework of Pro-Environmental Behavior in the Workplace through Synthesis of the Current Literature

Recent studies have begun to bridge the gap between general and workplace pro-environmental behavior by adapting specific existing behavioral models to the workplace environment. This conceptual article proposes a different approach by synthesizing the current general and workplace literature to develop a new model of the antecedents to pro-environmental behavior. Guided by this approach, this paper combines the insights of the current general and workplace models to develop an integrated framework of pro-environmental behavior in the workplace. In doing so, an overview of the current general and workplace literatures will be provided as well as their similarities and differences highlighted. The proposed framework will provide further insights into the antecedents of workplace pro-environmental behavior and identify common findings across the different existing workplace models. This theory can be the basis for further research in order to provide a comprehensive picture of the antecedents of pro-environmental behavior in the workplace. Lastly, implications for specific interventions to develop targeted Human Resource Management practices and work towards achieving environmental sustainability will be discussed.

Sustainable Innovation at Interface

In general, the literature on workplace pro-environmental behavior (WPEB) has focused on individual antecedents of WPEB at the micro organizational behavioral level from a social psychology perspective. While valuable, there have been few studies taking a more sociological and qualitative perspective on the organizational context. By offering in-depth qualitative findings of WPEB, by innovation team members at Interface’s European headquarters in the Netherlands, this paper has provided insights to the individual and organizational determinants. Interface is a compelling example of organization-wide set of WPEBs that have led to deep, transformational change within the company, and the rise of a new eco-centered business model. Our case illustrates how WPEB across a collection of actors can inspire and create continuous environmental improvement if supported by various organizational routines and culture. Furthermore, our paper illustrates how a multi-level WPEB climate can lead to radical sustainable inn...

Place Attachment: Capturing Causes of Individual Pro-Environmental Behaviors in the Workplace

Scholars from an array of disciplines have sought to explain why individuals engage in pro-environmental behaviors in various settings. In the field of environmental psychology, place attachment has been identified as a significant predictor of an individual's decision to act in pro-environmental ways. The construct of place attachment has not yet been employed in management research. Although organizational commitment and social identity, regularly used to predict behavior in the workplace, measure some similar dimensions as those found in place attachment, place attachment uniquely captures an individual's relationship with the natural environment. Recognizing possible overlaps among these literatures, as well as some remaining gaps between them, we make a preliminary investigation of how they might jointly contribute to an understanding of workplace pro-environmental behaviors, affording particular attention to how place attachment might extend management scholarship.

Driving green: Examining pro-environmental interventions in the auto manufacturing industry

In this paper we report the results of a study aimed at increasing proenvironmental behavior in a global automobile manufacturing plant in the UK. The study examines the efficacy of interventions targeted at using goal-setting, individual feedback, and comparative monitoring in improving proenvironmental behavior. Interactive relationships between the pairs of independent variables are also explored. Results indicated that the strength of the goal and individual feedback are good predictors of performance on the environmental program. The results also showed that strength of the goal and the level of comparative monitoring are predictors of more specific workplace pro-environmental behaviors. Furthermore, a two-way interaction is identified, indicating differential relationships between goal-strength, comparative feedback and work pro-environmental behavior. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.