Work and organizational psychology and the climate crisis

Edina Dóci

Chapter 19 in Handbook of Critical Work and Organizational Psychology, 2026, pp 325-342 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The climate and ecological crisis poses a fundamental threat to life and work, yet work and organizational (W-O) psychology has remained largely silent on this critical issue. Where it has engaged with the crisis, W-O psychology has focused primarily on individual behavior change, often reinforcing narratives that deflect responsibility away from systemic causes. This article addresses this gap by reinterpreting the climate crisis as a socio-ideological phenomenon rooted in growthism, productivism, and instrumentalization – ideologies that are enacted and sustained through the modern workplace. It argues that W-O psychology must attend not only to the environmental impacts of work but also to the psychological investments in productivity and performance that underpin the crisis. Particular attention is given to the unequal psychological effects of the crisis, especially along Global North–South lines. Drawing on a critical work and organizational psychology (CWOP) perspective, the article proposes three pathways – denunciation, imagination, and emancipation – through which the field can contribute to a just socio-ecological transition.

Keywords: Climate Crisis; Work and Organizational Psychology; Critical Psychology; Psychological Inequalities; Productivism; Socio-Ecological Transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035331055
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