The greening of organizational culture

Citation

(2003), "The greening of organizational culture", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 7 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/mbe.2003.26707aae.008

The greening of organizational culture

The greening of organizational culture

Harris, L.C. and Crane, A., Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2002, Vol. 15 No. 3.

Summarizes the arguments for organizations adopting a more environmentally-friendly culture, discussing the values that are seen as underpinning such a culture. Assesses the extent to which organizations have moved towards adopting a green organizational culture, interviewing executives and managers from 44 organizations. Finds that the managers were aware that their organizations had given indications that they were supportive of sustainable development. However, notes that while a few organizations were strongly supportive, others were lukewarm with managers perceiving hostility to green issues among senior managers. Points to similar variations when managers were asked to give examples of their company's green culture. Studies the reasons for the variation between the organizations, setting out a model that shows the factors identified by the managers as influencing the depth, degree and diffusion of a green organizational culture – performance beliefs, industry macrocultures, organizational barriers, cultural fragmentation, resistance to change, symbolic events, alternative philosophies and industry macroculture. Discusses how these factors affect the extent to which an organization can describe itself as being environmentally-friendly. Considers the implications of this research for the understanding of how organizations develop a green culture and for further research.