Description
Chapter 1. The Greening of Workplaces: Evidence, Issues, Theories and Related Fields. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the greening of workplaces. The subject is approached from the perspective of employee subjectivity rather than the organization as a whole, which, however coherent it may be as both an entity and a research perspective, often tends to be viewed as devoid of personality. This chapter provides points of reference with the aim of illustrating how members of an organization exert a set of pressures on the natural environment through their activities. The chapter reviews the various related areas of research to identify synergies and takes stock of the different theories used in the environmental literature to establish differences and points of convergence. Chapter 2. Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Definition, Classification and Determinants This chapter reviews the current state of knowledge on pro-environmental behaviors observed in organizations. A classification based on the following 4 core characteristics will be provided: the type of behavior, the degree of inclusion in the work task, the required intensity, and the nature of the position held. The chapter will identify the key determinants using coherent categories, including psychological, relational and organizational factors. Chapter 3. The Question of Non-Environmental Behaviors This chapter aims to refine our understanding of the key issues surrounding the greening of workplaces by focusing the discussion on non-environmental behaviors. The question of non-environmental behaviors remains both little studied and poorly understood. Although rare, studies in this area suggest that individuals may adopt non-environmental behaviors in their workplace without intending to cause harm to the natural environment or even without realizing that their actions are environmentally harmful. This chapter aims to provide the basis for drawing a fine distinction between environmental and non-environmental behaviors. Chapter 4. What Do We Mean by Environmental Performance? This chapter discusses the question of environmental performance. The main focus of management research is on the conditions of emergence of performance. Depending on the area considered, the performance of an organization may be measured, for example, in economic, social, technological or other terms. However, when expressed in ecological terms, environmental performance as an indicator remains little known. While it ought to be a matter for discussion, environmental performance is often presented as being self-evident. This chapter sets out to clarify the matter with the aim of better understanding how pro-environmental behaviors contribute to the environmental performance of an organization. Chapter 5. The Question of the Boundaries of the Organization Many studies have reported that individuals tend to behave differently toward the environment depending on the context in which they find themselves. This chapter sets out to describe “the border model”, as developed by Clarke (2000), and to apply it to the greening of workplaces with a view to examining the principles for understanding how organizational and non-organizational settings exert different pressures on individuals. This chapter also discusses the few studies that have sought to explain how organizations seeking to reduce their environmental impact are able to take advantage of the individual habits and skills developed by their employees outside the boundaries of the organization. Chapter 6. Employees and Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Constraints, Barriers and Obstacles. This chapter provides an original analysis of barriers to the adoption of pro-environmental behaviors by individuals. An overview of the literature on environmental issues indicates that the study of obstacles to individual environmental commitment is a marginal research topic by comparison with studies focused on incentives and facilitators. This chapter provides an overview of the current state of knowledge on factors that limit the likelihood of employees adopting pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace. The chapter draws on the principle of the “Lewinian field” as an analytical framework and examines the extent to which, depending on their degree of physical and mental proximity (whether real or perceived), employees feel hindered in their environmental commitment. Chapter 7. Greening the Workplace Through Employees: An Integrative Model This chapter continues the discussion begun in previous chapters. The existing literature focuses mainly on the individual, managerial and organizational conditions governing the adoption of pro-environmental behaviors in the workplace. Alongside this, albeit to a lesser extent, part of the literature also acknowledges the existence of non-environmental behaviors by seeking to describe their causes. Against this backdrop, this chapter presents a new integrative model designed to bring together pro-environmental and non-environmental behaviors, pressures and constraints, and incentives to the greening of the workplace. Chapter 8. Greening the Workplace: Connecting Theory to Practice Through Research This chapter reviews the current state of knowledge on the choices made by and within organizations with a view to encouraging, supporting and helping staff to incorporate environmental considerations into their daily work routines. The chapter sets out to examine our understanding of the measures implemented to reduce the ecological footprint of an organization. It also assesses the effectiveness of such measures from the perspective of environmental performance indicators.
