A Multilevel Model of Environmentally Specific Social Identity in Predicting Environmental Strategies: Evidence from Technology Manufacturing Businesses

Stanley Y. B. Huang, Chih-Wen Ting and Yu-Ming Fei
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Stanley Y. B. Huang: Department (Master Program) of Financial Technology, School of Financial Technology, Ming Chuan University, Taipei 111, Taiwan
Chih-Wen Ting: Department of Tourism Management, Nanhua University, Chiayi 62248, Taiwan
Yu-Ming Fei: Department of Marketing and Logistics Management, College of Business Management, Chihlee University of Technology, New Taipei 22050, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: This study proposed a multilevel model of environmentally specific social identity based on upper echelons theory and examined how environmentally specific transformational leadership influenced the environmentally specific social identity of the top management team (TMT), which consequently influenced a corporation’s choices of proactive environmental strategies. Besides, the environmentally specific transformational leadership atmosphere at the TMT level also influenced the environmentally specific social identity atmosphere at the TMT level, which consequently influenced a corporation’s choices of proactive environmental strategies at the same time. In particular, this study proposed a novel concept–environmentally specific social identity based on social identity theory, including environmentally specific self-categorization, environmentally specific affective commitment, environmentally specific self-esteem. This study employed a hierarchical linear model and collected longitudinal data of 210 chief executive officers with their 840 members of TMTs at technology manufacturing businesses of Greater China at three waves over six months to analyze the theoretical model. This study found that individual-level environmentally specific transformational leadership and TMT-level environmentally specific transformational leadership (atmosphere) influenced individual-level environmentally specific social identity and TMT-level environmentally specific social identity (atmosphere), which consequently influenced proactive environmental strategies. These findings provide theoretical insights for the field of sustainable development that can advance the literature on proactive environmental strategies.

Keywords: environmentally specific transformational leadership; environmentally specific social identity; hierarchical linear model; proactive environmental strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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