The Crucial Role of Green Soft Skills and Leadership for Sustainability: A Case Study of an Italian Small and Medium Enterprise Operating in the Food Sector

Caterina Farao (), Chiara Bernuzzi and Chiara Ronchetti
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Caterina Farao: Department of Economics, University of Insubria, Via Monte Generoso, 71, 21100 Varese, Italy
Chiara Bernuzzi: Department of Economics, University of Insubria, Via Monte Generoso, 71, 21100 Varese, Italy
Chiara Ronchetti: Department of Economics, University of Insubria, Via Monte Generoso, 71, 21100 Varese, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-25

Abstract: Increasing concerns about the human impact on the environment are leading to new challenges for companies and their employees. Specifically, the food industry is facing the need to provide sustainable services, requiring a specialized and skilled workforce. This article presents a case study of an Italian sustainable Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) operating in the food sector in order to determine the drivers of working for this company, the key skills needed, and the Green Human Resource Management practices adopted. A total of 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees and thematically analyzed. The findings showed that soft skills were perceived as more relevant than hard skills, although the food sector is characterized by high technical complexity and subjected to several national and international regulations. Moreover, the crucial role of organizational culture in determining the relevance of soft skills within the company and in fostering the implementation of the holacracy organizational management method emerged. Finally, by detecting the relevance recognized to values and soft skills during the recruitment and selection process, our findings provided some evidence of Green Human Resource Management in sustainable SMEs.

Keywords: green skills; soft skills; sustainability; corporate social responsibility; green human resource management; green leadership; thematic analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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