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Question: The Process of Establishing a Green Climate: Face-To-Face Interaction between Leaders and Employees in the Microsystem

Answer: This study explores the processes of establishing a green organizational climate in small-scale
companies. Previous studies have primarily focused on factors associated with proenvironmental behaviour
in large organizations. The role of a green organizational climate –specifically, the interactional processes
involved in the construction of a green climate – has largely been unexplored. Entrepreneurial small companies
constitute an ideal arena within which to study the initial phase of greening processes. The present study examined the
process of establishing a green organizational climate in seven small-scale Norwegian
companies. This article presents a systems model that was developed to analyse how
processes at different levels interact in the shaping of the green climate. The design was a
longitudinal mixed-methods approach, consisting of focus-group interviews conducted in the
field, a questionnaire, and follow-up interviews with the leaders. Findings indicate that the
construction of a green climate had a strong, practise-based approach. The company founders
were driven by environmental values; they sparked the initial green measures, influenced the
employees – directly and indirectly – and also invited dialogue around and co-construction of
the green climate. Frequent face-to-face interactions within the microsystem of the
leaders/employees were decisive to the development of the green climate. The present study
contributes to the understanding of the process of greening an organization: specifically, how
green practice relates to the construction of a shared green climate. Contrary to previous
research and theorizing, this study indicates that it is possible to “go green” without a
superordinate green strategy

(Source: , 11 Oct 2021)

Source Link: https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1343&context=jvbl