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Managers’ Citizenship Behaviors for the Environment: A Developmental Perspective

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Abstract

The objective of this longitudinal study is to analyze the intrinsic drivers and values underlying managers’ organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment (OCBEs) from a developmental psychology perspective based on measuring the stages of consciousness that shape the meaning-making systems of individuals. At time 1, the stages of consciousness of 138 managers were qualitatively assessed using the Leader Development Profile test. At time 2, a quantitative survey measured the environmental beliefs and OCBEs of these managers. The links between stages of consciousness, environmental beliefs, and OCBEs were analyzed using hierarchical regressions. The main findings show that managers’ stages of consciousness positively influence two types of OCBEs, namely eco-initiatives and eco-helping, while environmental beliefs influence eco-helping and eco-civic engagement but do not appear to be connected with the stage of consciousness development. This paper first contributes to the literature on corporate greening by shedding more light on the aspects of behavioral and developmental psychology that underlie environmental leadership. Second, it bridges the gap between theories that have developed separately by showing the interconnectedness between the managers’ stage of consciousness and the more concrete environmental behaviors in the workplace that could have emulative effects throughout the organization.

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Notes

  1. For example, various studies have analyzed the relationships between stages of moral development and stages of consciousness or ego development. For a synthesis of these studies, see for example Manners and Durkin (2001) and Snarey et al. (1983).

  2. For more information on this test, see also http://www.cook-greuter.com/ (Retrieved October 2015).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Laval University, 2325, rue de la Terrasse, local 1638, Quebec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Olivier Boiral

  2. Louvain School of Management Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Place des Doyens 1 bte L2.01.02, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Nicolas Raineri

  3. École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP), 555, boulevard Charest Est, Quebec, QC, G1K 9E5, Canada

    David Talbot

  4. KEDGE Business School, 680 Cours Libe´ration, 33405, Talence, France

    David Talbot

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  1. Olivier Boiral
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Boiral, O., Raineri, N. & Talbot, D. Managers’ Citizenship Behaviors for the Environment: A Developmental Perspective. J Bus Ethics 149, 395–409 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3098-6

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