Motivational influences on supply manager environmental sustainability behavior
Abstract
Purpose
Although supply chain managers serve a central role when implementing corporate environmental sustainability objectives, existing literature does not demonstrate high levels of supply manager support for such initiatives. This paper aims to investigate the potential of individual behavioral influences to explain supply manager orientation toward environmental responsibility.
Methodology/approach
This paper constructs a research model based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore how personal environmental motivations influence supply manager environmental behavior in the workplace. This paper also incorporates hyperbolic discounting as a cognitive bias moderator in the model. The research hypotheses were tested with regression of survey data of practicing supply managers in the USA.
Findings
Support was found for the direct TPB hypotheses, revealing the importance of an individual’s personal attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control on interpreting and applying the organization’s environmental sustainability objectives. Although the interactive effect of hyperbolic discounting as a cognitive bias was not supported, a direct effect was found.
Practical implications
The findings can help organizations improve supply manager support for sustainability initiatives.
Originality/value
Prior supply chain sustainability research has examined drivers and barriers at political, legal, economical and overall firm levels. This study expands this research base by investigating individual-level barriers and drivers related to personal responsibility for environmental sustainability. As a second contribution, integration of cognitive biases in the TPB has been understudied in existing literature.
Keywords
Citation
Anthony Swaim, J., Maloni, M.J., Henley, A. and Campbell, S. (2016), "Motivational influences on supply manager environmental sustainability behavior", Supply Chain Management, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 305-320. https://doi.org/10.1108/SCM-07-2015-0283
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited