Employee green behaviour: How organizations can help the environment

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Organizational Behavior
• Sustainability Management

Background:

• Organizations play a dual role in climate change, contributing to causes and implementing solutions.
• Growing interest exists in micro and macro factors influencing employee green behavior.
• Existing literature highlights individual factors (values, self-concordance) and organizational factors (environmental capabilities, leadership, HRM practices).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interplay between micro (employee-level) and macro (organizational-level) factors affecting employee green behavior.
• To emphasize the need for a dynamic systems perspective in understanding employee environmental actions within organizations.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on micro and macro factors influencing employee green behavior.
• Conceptual analysis of the interaction between individual environmentalism and organizational initiatives.

Main Results:

• Organizational initiatives for employee green behavior do not have a uniform effect.
• The effectiveness of organizational interventions is contingent upon employees' existing environmentalism.
• An interplay exists between individual values and organizational strategies.

Conclusions:

• A dynamic systems perspective is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of employee green behavior.
• Future research should consider the interaction of individual and organizational factors.
• Recognizing employee environmentalism is key to tailoring successful organizational sustainability strategies.