A Qualitative Study on Employees’ Psychological Strategies in Response to the Perceived Misalignment Between Their Environmental Self-Identity and Their Perceived Organization’s Green Identity

Rebeski, Karen (2024) A Qualitative Study on Employees’ Psychological Strategies in Response to the Perceived Misalignment Between Their Environmental Self-Identity and Their Perceived Organization’s Green Identity. Master thesis, Psychology.

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	Text Masters-ThesisS5665698.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only Download (806kB)

Abstract

Organizations face increasing pressure to adopt sustainable practices. Understanding the psychological strategies employees use when perceiving a misalignment between their environmental self-identity (ESI) and their perceived organization’s green organizational identity (GOI) underscores the potential for employee-driven initiatives to contribute to broader sustainable transformation. We conducted a qualitative study with German employees across various work sectors, such as manufacturing, health care, education, and transport. Based on 72 emerging subthemes from 14 semi-structured interviews and prior research, we developed a theoretical framework outlining social distance, social creativity, and social change strategies employees use to navigate the perceived identity misalignment. Further, our framework presents how employees’ emotional responses toward the perceived misalignment as well as inter- and intrapersonal boundary conditions determine their choice of strategies. Theoretical and practical implications of our framework, its limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. Keywords: environmental self-identity, green organizational identity, employee-driven sustainable initiatives, sustainable organizational transformation

Item Type:	Thesis (Master)
Supervisor name:	Kok, C.A. and Werff, E. van der
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	Environmental Psychology (EP) [Master Psychology]
Date Deposited:	15 Jul 2024 07:05
Last Modified:	15 Jul 2024 07:05
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3862

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