Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Go green! Exploring the organizational factors that influence self-initiated green behavior in the United Arab Emirates

  • Published:
Asia Pacific Journal of Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

As multinational corporations (MNCs) aim to become more environmentally sensitive, responsible leaders need to create organizational cultures that facilitate green behaviors among their employees. Successfully encouraging green behaviors can enhance an organization’s environmental impact and performance. This exploratory study examines the perceptions, attitudes, and values of managers, employees, and academicians in engaging employees in self-initiated green behaviors. The study uses a qualitative method in which three-day workshops were conducted with 40 mixed participants of focus groups from the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. This paper introduces a green behavior model (GBM) based on the “behavior change wheel” (BCW) theoretical framework (Michie, van Stralen, & West, 2011).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adler, N. J., Doktor, R., & Redding, S. G. 1986. From the Atlantic to the Pacific century: Cross-cultural management reviewe. Journal of management, 12(2): 295–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Afsar, B., Cheema, S., & Javed, F. 2018. Activating employee's pro-environmental behaviors: The role of CSR, organizational identification, and environmentally specific servant leadership. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25(5): 904–911.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen, I. 1991. The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 179–211.

  • Andersson, L., Shivarajan, S., & Blau, G. 2005. Enacting ecological sustainability in the MNC: A test of an adapted value-belief-norm framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 59: 295–305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bamberg, S., & Möser, G. 2007. Twenty years after Hines, Hungerford, and Tomera: A new meta-analysis of psycho-social determinants of pro-environmental behaviour. Journal of environmental psychology, 27(1): 14–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakar, N. N. A., Hassan, M. Y., Abdullah, H., Rahman, H. A., Abdullah, M. P., Hussin, F., & Bandi, M. 2015. Energy efficiency index as an indicator for measuring building energy performance: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 44: 1–11.

  • Bansal, P., & Roth, K. 2000. Why companies go green: A model of ecological responsiveness. Academy of Management Journal, 43(4): 717–736.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blok, V., Wesselink, R., Studynka, O., & Kemp, R. 2015. Encouraging sustainability in the workplace: A survey on the pro-environmental behaviour of university employees. Journal of Cleaner Production, 106: 55–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bodur, M., & Sarigöllü, E. 2005. Environmental sensitivity in a developing country: Consumer classification and implications. Environment and Behavior, 37(4): 487–510.

    Google Scholar 

  • Börner, D., Kalz, M., & Specht, M. 2015. It doesn’t matter, but: Examining the impact of ambient learning displays on energy consumption and conservation at the workplace. Environmental Education Research, 21(6): 899–915.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bose, S., Khan, H. Z., Rashid, A., & Islam, S. 2018. What drives green banking disclosure? An institutional and corporate governance perspective. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 35(2): 501–527.

    Google Scholar 

  • Budovska, V., Torres Delgado, A. and Øgaard, T., 2019. Pro-environmental behaviour of hotel guests: Application of the theory of planned behaviour and social norms to towel reuse. Tourism and hospitality research, p.1467358419831431.

  • Carrico, A. R., & Riemer, M. 2011. Motivating energy conservation in the workplace: An evaluation of the use of group-level feedback and peer education. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(1): 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, Y. H., & Leung, A. S. 2018. Workplace green behaviour of managerial and professional employees in Hong Kong. In Research handbook on employee pro-environmental behaviour: 148. Edward Elgar Publishing.

  • Chiaburu, D. S., Oh, I., Berry, C. M., Li, N., & Gardner, R. G. 2011. The five-factor model of personality traits and organizational citizenship behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96: 1140–1166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ciocirlan, C. E. 2017. Environmental workplace behaviors: Definition matters. Organization & Environment, 30(1): 51–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026615628036.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colley, K., Brown, C., & Montarzino, A. 2017. Understanding knowledge workers’ interactions with workplace greenspace: Open space use and restoration experiences at urban-fringe business sites. Environment and Behavior, 49(3): 314–338.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, A. N., Fielding, K. S., & Louis, W. R. 2015. Environmentally active people: The role of autonomy, relatedness, competence and self-determined motivation. Environmental Education Research: 1–27.

  • Cordano, M., & Frieze, I. H. 2000. Pollution reduction preferences of US environmental managers: Applying Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. Academy of Management journal, 43(4): 627–641.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Groot, J. I., & Steg, L. 2008. Value orientations to explain beliefs related to environmental significant behavior how to measure egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric value orientations. Environment and Behavior, 40(3): 330–354.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Roeck, K., & Farooq, O. 2018. Corporate social responsibility and ethical leadership: Investigating their interactive effect on employees’ socially responsible behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics, 151(4): 923–939.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeBoer, J., Panwar, R., & Rivera, J. 2017. Toward a place-based understanding of business sustainability: The role of green competitors and green locales in firms' voluntary environmental engagement. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(7).

  • Dixon, G. N., Deline, M. B., McComas, K., Chambliss, L., & Hoffmann, M. 2015. Using comparative feedback to influence workplace energy conservation: A case study of a university campaign. Environment and Behavior, 47(6): 667–693.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dolnicar, S., & Grün, B. 2009. Environmentally friendly behavior: Can heterogeneity among individuals and contexts/environments be harvested for improved sustainable management? Environment and Behavior, 41(5): 693–714.

    Google Scholar 

  • Du, X., Chang, Y., Zeng, Q., Du, Y., & Pei, H. 2016. Corporate environmental responsibility (CER) weakness, media coverage, and corporate philanthropy: Evidence from China. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 33(2): 551–581.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eom, K., Kim, H. S., & Sherman, D. K. 2018. Social class, control, and action: Socioeconomic status differences in antecedents of support for pro-environmental action. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 77: 60–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fielding, K. S., McDonald, R., & Louis, W. R. 2008. Theory of planned behaviour, identity and intentions to engage in environmental activism. Journal of environmental psychology, 28(4): 318–326.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franzen, A., & Meyer, R. 2010. Environmental attitudes in cross-national perspective: A multilevel analysis of the ISSP 1993 and 2000. European Sociological Review, 26: 219–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gao, S. S., & Zhang, J. J. 2006. Stakeholder engagement, social auditing and corporate sustainability. Business Process Management Journal, 12(6): 722–740.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gärling, T., Fujii, S., Gärling, A., & Jakobsson, C. 2003. Moderating effects of social value orientation on determinants of proenvironmental behavior intention. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23: 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Global footprint network 2010. Available at:www.intechopen.com. Global warming. Accessed Mar 2019.

  • Gond, J. P., Cabantous, L., & Krikorian, F. 2018. How do things become strategic?‘Strategifying’corporate social responsibility. Strategic Organization, 16(3): 241–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Govindarajulu, N., & Daily, B. F. 2004. Motivating employees for environmental improvement. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 104(4): 364–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graves, L. M., Sarkis, J., & Zhu, Q. 2013. How transformational leadership and employee motivation combine to predict employee proenvironmental behaviors in China. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 35: 81–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graves, L. M., Sarkis, J., & Gold, N. 2019. Employee proenvironmental behavior in Russia: The roles of top management commitment, managerial leadership, and employee motives. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 140: 54–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hargreaves, T. 2011. Practice-ing behaviour change: Applying social practice theory to pro-environmental behaviour change. Journal of Consumer Culture, 11(1): 79–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Higgs, A. L., & McMillan, V. M. 2006. Teaching through modeling: Four schools’ experiences in sustainability education. Journal of Environmental Education, 38: 39–53. https://doi.org/10.3200/JOEE.38.1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobson, K. 2004. Researching ‘sustainable consumption’in Asia-Pacific cities. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 45(2): 279–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ilies, R., Nahrgang, J. D., & Morgeson, F. P. 2007. Leader-member exchange and citizenship behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92: 269–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ilies, R., Fulmer, I. S., Spitzmuller, M., & Johnson, M. D. 2009. Personality and citizenship behavior: The mediating role of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94: 945–959.

    Google Scholar 

  • Issa, N. S. C., & Al Abbar, S. D. 2015. Sustainability in the Middle East: Achievements and challenges. International Journal of Sustainable Building Technology and Urban Development, 6(1): 34–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jayaraman, K., Haron, H., Sung, G. B., & Lin, S. K. 2011. Consumer reflections on the usage of plastic bags to parcel hot edible items: An empirical study in Malaysia. Journal of Cleaner Production, 19(13): 1527–1535.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, B. B. 2002. Knowledge, action and pro-environmental behaviour. Environmental Education Research, 8(3): 325–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiao, L., Harrison, G., Dyball, M. C., & Chen, J. 2017. CEO values, stakeholder culture, and stakeholder-based performance. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 34(4): 875–899.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamdar, D., & Van Dyne, L. 2007. The joint effects of personality and workplace social exchange relationships in predicting task performance and citizenship performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92: 1286–1298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, A., Kim, Y., & Han, K. 2018. A Cross level investigation on the linkage between job satisfaction and voluntary workplace green behavior. Journal of Business Ethics: 1–16.

  • Kim, Y. J., Kim, W. G., Choi, H. M., & Phetvaroon, K. 2019. The effect of green human resource management on hotel employees’ eco-friendly behavior and environmental performance. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 76: 83–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein, S. A., Heck, D. W., Reese, G., & Hilbig, B. E. 2019. On the relationship between openness to experience, political orientation, and pro-environmental behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 138: 344–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. 2002. Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3): 239–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220145401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laidley, T. M. 2013. The influence of social class and cultural variables on environmental behaviors: Municipal-level evidence from Massachusetts. Environment and Behavior, 45(2): 170–197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasrado, F., 2018. Legacy of Excellence: The Case of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In Achieving Organizational Excellence (pp. 37–56). Springer, Cham.

  • Lasrado, F., & Arora, B. 2018. Social identity and environmental citizenship in multinational corporations: An exploratory investigation and future research directions. Social Identities, 24(5): 624–646.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le, T. H., & Quah, E. 2018. Income level and the emissions, energy, and growth nexus: Evidence from Asia and the Pacific. International economics, 156: 193–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leung, Y., & Rosenthal, S. 2019. Explicating perceived sustainability-related climate: A situational motivator of pro-environmental behavior. Sustainability, 11(1): 231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, K., Brooks, M., Darnton, A., & Jones, J. E. 2008. Promoting pro-environmental behaviour: Existing evidence and policy implications. Environmental Science & Policy, 11(5): 456–466.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luu, T. T. 2018. Employees’ green recovery performance: The roles of green HR practices and serving culture. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(8): 1308–1324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manika, D., Wells, V. K., Gregory-Smith, D., & Gentry, M. 2015. The impact of individual attitudinal and organisational variables on workplace environmentally friendly behaviours. Journal of Business Ethics, 126(4): 663–684.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masurel, E. 2007. Why SMEs invest in environmental measures: Sustainability evidence from small and medium-sized printing firms. Business Strategy and the Environment, 16(3): 190–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merritt, A., & Stubbs, T. 2012. Incentives to promote green citizenship in UK transition towns. Development, 55(1): 96–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M., & West, R. 2011. The behaviour change wheel: A new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science, 6(1): 42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra, S., & Suar, D. 2013. Salience and corporate responsibility towards natural environment and financial performance of Indian manufacturing firms. Journal of Global Responsibility, 4(1): p44–p61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nisiforou, O. A., Poullis, S., & Charalambides, A. G. 2012. Behaviour, attitudes and opinion of large enterprise employees with regard to their energy usage habits and adoption of energy saving measures. Energy and Buildings, 55: 299–311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niu, X., Wang, X., & Xiao, H. 2018. What motivates environmental leadership behaviour–an empirical analysis in Taiwan. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 11(2): 173–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nordlund, A. M., & Garvill, J. 2002. Value structures behind proenvironmental behavior. Environment and Behavior, 34: 740–756.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton, T. A., Zacher, H., & Ashkanasy, N. M. 2014. Organisational sustainability policies and employee green behaviour: The mediating role of work climate perceptions. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 38: 49–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton, T. A., Parker, S. L., Zacher, H., & Ashkanasy, N. M. 2015. Employee green behavior: A theoretical framework, multilevel review, and future research agenda. Organization & Environment, 28(1): 103–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olya, H. G., Bagheri, P., & Tümer, M. 2019. Decoding behavioural responses of green hotel guests: A deeper insight into the application of the theory of planned behaviour. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.

  • Ones, D. S., & Dilchert, S. 2012. Environmental sustainability at work: A call to action. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 5(4): 444–466.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paço, A. D., & Varejão, L. 2010. Factors affecting energy saving behaviour: A prospective research. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 53(8): 963–976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pavalache-Ilie, M., & Cazan, A. M. 2018. Personality correlates of pro-environmental attitudes. International journal of environmental health research, 28(1): 71–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinto, D. C., Nique, W. M., Añaña, E. D. S., & Herter, M. M. 2011. Green consumer values: How do personal values influence environmentally responsible water consumption? International Journal of Consumer Studies, 35(2): 122–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ponzi, D., 2019. The business of greening: Policy measures for green business development in Asia.

  • Priyankara, H., Luo, F., Saeed, A., Nubuor, S., & Jayasuriya, M. 2018. How does Leader’s support for environment promote organizational citizenship behaviour for environment? A multi-theory perspective. Sustainability, 10(1): 271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prizzia, R., & Levy, J. 2018. Towards climate security and sustainable security in the Asia-Pacific region. In Asia-Pacific security challenges: 41–64. Cham: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramus, C. A., & Steger, U. 2000. The roles of supervisory support behaviors and environmental policy in employee “ecoinitiatives” at leading-edge European companies. Academy of Management Journal, 43(4): 605–626.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rayner, J., & Morgan, D. 2018. An empirical study of ‘green’ workplace behaviours: ability, motivation and opportunity. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 56(1): 56–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Remmen, A., & Lorentzen, B. 2000. Employee participation and cleaner technology: Learning processes in environmental teams. Journal of Cleaner Production, 8(5): 365–373.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ren, S., Tang, G., & Jackson, S. E. 2018. Green human resource management research in emergence: A review and future directions. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 35(3): 769–803.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renwick, D. W., Redman, T., & Maguire, S. 2013. Green human resource management: A review and research agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 15(1): 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, J. L., & Barling, J. 2013. Greening organizations through leaders’ influence on employees’ pro-environmental behaviors. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 34(2): 176–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, J. L., & Carleton, E. 2018. Uncovering how and when environmental leadership affects employees’ voluntary pro-environmental behavior. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 25(2): 197–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Safari, A., Salehzadeh, R., Panahi, R., & Abolghasemian, S. 2018. Multiple pathways linking environmental knowledge and awareness to employees’ green behavior. Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, 18(1): 81–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schelly, C., Cross, J. E., Franzen, W. S., Hall, P., & Reeve, S. 2012. How to go green: Creating a conservation culture in a public high school through education, modeling, and communication. Journal of Environmental Education, 43(3): 143–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scherbaum, C., Popovich, P. M., & Finlinson, S. 2008. Exploring individual-level factors related to employee energy-conservation behaviors at work. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36(3): 818–835.

    Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava, A. P., & Shree, S. 2019. Examining the effect of employee green involvement on perception of corporate social responsibility: Moderating role of green training. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 30(1): 197–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staddon, S. C., Cycil, C., Goulden, M., Leygue, C., & Spence, A. 2016. Intervening to change behaviour and save energy in the workplace: A systematic review of available evidence. Energy Research & Social Science, 17: 30–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stritch, J. M., & Christensen, R. K. 2016. Going green in public organizations: Linking organizational commitment and public service motives to public employees’ workplace eco-initiatives. American Review of Public Administration, 46(3): 337–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, Z., Warkentin, M., & Wu, L. 2019. Understanding employees’ energy saving behavior from the perspective of stimulus-organism-responses. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 140: 216–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thøgersen, J., & Møller, B. 2008. Breaking car use habits: The effectiveness of a free one-month travelcard. Transportation, 35(3): 329–345.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toner, K., Gan, M., & Leary, M. R. 2014. The impact of individual and group feedback on environmental intentions and self-beliefs. Environment and Behavior, 46(1): 24–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tudor, T. L., Barr, S. W., & Gilg, A. W. 2008. A novel conceptual framework for examining environmental behaviour in large organizations: A case study of the Cornwall National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom. Environment and Behavior, 40(3): 426–450.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ture, R. S., & Ganesh, M. P. 2014. Understanding pro-environmental behaviours at workplace: Proposal of a model. Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation, 10(2): 137–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vanderploeg, J., & Lee, S. E. 2019. Factors influencing pro-environmental behaviors in craft businesses. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 37(1): 51–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y. 2016. Promoting sustainable consumption behaviors: The impacts of environmental attitudes and governance in a cross-national context. Environment and Behavior, 49(10): 1–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, S., Wang, J., Ru, X., Li, J., & Zhao, D. 2019. Understanding employee’s electricity conservation behavior in workplace: Do normative, emotional and habitual factors matter. Journal of Cleaner Production.

  • Wiernik, B.M., Ones, D.S., Dilcert, S. and Klein, R.M., 2018. Individual antecedents of pro-environmental behaviors: implications for employee green behaviors. Research Handbook on Employee Pro-Environmental Behaviour (Cheltenham; Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp.63–82.

  • Wu, F., Tang, G., & Sun, W. 2018. Exploring ‘new generation’employees’ green tactics in environmental protection in China. Asia Pacific Business Review, 24(4): 510–527.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yuriev, A., Boiral, O., Francoeur, V., & Paille, P. 2018. Overcoming the barriers to pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace: A systematic review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 182: 379–394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, W., & Schroeder, P. 2010. Sustainable consumption and production: Trends, challenges and options for the Asia-Pacific region. Natural Resources Forum, 34(1): 4–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Z., Luo, B. N., & Tang, T. L. P. 2018. Corporate social responsibility excites ‘exponential’positive employee engagement: The Matthew effect in CSR and sustainable policy. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25(4): 339–354.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, Y., Sun, L. Y., & Leung, A. S. 2014. Corporate social responsibility, firm reputation, and firm performance: The role of ethical leadership. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 31(4): 925–947.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zientara, P., & Zamojska, A. 2018. Green organizational climates and employee pro-environmental behaviour in the hotel industry. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(7): 1142–1159.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Flevy Lasrado.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 3 Demographic information of the participants
Table 4 Themes, codes, and definitions of green behavior analysis

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lasrado, F., Zakaria, N. Go green! Exploring the organizational factors that influence self-initiated green behavior in the United Arab Emirates. Asia Pac J Manag 37, 823–850 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-019-09665-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-019-09665-1

Keywords

Navigation