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Living sustainability, or merely pretending? From explicit self-report measures to implicit cognition
Gerald Steiner1, Bernhard Geissler1,2, Günther Schreder1
11Department for Knowledge and Communication Management, Faculty of Business and Globalization, Danube University Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria.
Sustainability Science
|August 28, 2018
Summary
Organizational sustainability culture may be weak due to a mismatch between explicit and implicit attitudes. This study used the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to reveal low congruence between executives' stated and subconscious sustainability beliefs.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Psychology
- Sustainability Science
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Explicit attitudes may not align with implicit attitudes, particularly in sustainability research.
- Current sustainability research often overlooks implicit measures and focuses on isolated aspects.
- The congruence between implicit and explicit attitudes is proposed as foundational to an organization's sustainability culture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the congruence between explicit and implicit sustainability attitudes among executives.
- To highlight the limitations of traditional surveys in measuring implicit attitudes and attitude congruence.
- To establish a baseline for understanding the role of attitude congruence in organizational sustainability.
Main Methods:
- A browser-based Implicit Association Test (IAT) was employed as a reaction-time cognitive measure for implicit attitudes.
- A questionnaire-based survey was administered to assess explicit sustainability attitudes.
- Data from 114 executives were analyzed using Pearson correlation, repeated measures MANOVA, and principal component analysis.
Main Results:
- A low degree of congruence was found between executives' explicit and implicit sustainability orientations (Pearson's r ranging from -0.10 to 0.31).
- Findings suggest potential influences of impression management and limited self-awareness regarding sustainability orientation.
- The study identified a significant gap between espoused sustainability values and underlying cognitive processes.
Conclusions:
- The incongruence between explicit and implicit sustainability attitudes poses a challenge for genuine organizational sustainability.
- Rethinking internal and external learning processes is crucial for fostering alignment between attitudes and actions.
- Addressing this knowledge gap is essential for advancing sustainability initiatives within organizations and society.
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