IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i14p5778-d386091.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

“That is Not What I Live For”: How Lower-Level Green Employees Cope with Identity Tensions at Work

Author

Listed:
  • Susanne Blazejewski

    (Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Chair for Sustainable Organization and Work Design, 53347 Alfter, Germany)

  • Franziska Dittmer

    (Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Chair for Sustainable Organization and Work Design, 53347 Alfter, Germany)

  • Anke Buhl

    (Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Chair for Sustainable Organization and Work Design, 53347 Alfter, Germany)

  • Andrea Simone Barth

    (Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences, Chair for Sustainable Organization and Work Design, 53347 Alfter, Germany)

  • Carsten Herbes

    (Institute for International Research on Sustainable Management and Renewable Energy, Nuertingen Geislingen University, 72622 Nürtingen, Germany)

Abstract

Research on green identity work has so far concentrated on sustainability managers and/or top-management actors. How lower-level green employees cope with identity tensions at work is, as yet, under-researched. The paper uses an identity work perspective and a qualitative empirical study to identify four strategies that lower-level employees use in negotiating and enacting their green identities at work. Contrary to expectations, lower-level green employees engage substantially in job crafting as a form of identity work despite their limited discretion. In addition, the study demonstrates that lower-level green employees make use of identity work strategies that uphold rather than diminish perceived misalignment between their green identities and their job context.

Suggested Citation

  • Susanne Blazejewski & Franziska Dittmer & Anke Buhl & Andrea Simone Barth & Carsten Herbes, 2020. "“That is Not What I Live For”: How Lower-Level Green Employees Cope with Identity Tensions at Work," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-23, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:14:p:5778-:d:386091
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/14/5778/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/14/5778/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nic Beech & Robert MacIntosh & Peter McInnes, 2008. "Identity Work: Processes and Dynamics of Identity Formations," International Journal of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(9), pages 957-970.
    2. Paillé, Pascal & Raineri, Nicolas, 2015. "Linking perceived corporate environmental policies and employees eco-initiatives: The influence of perceived organizational support and psychological contract breach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(11), pages 2404-2411.
    3. Justin M. Berg & Adam M. Grant & Victoria Johnson, 2010. "When Callings Are Calling: Crafting Work and Leisure in Pursuit of Unanswered Occupational Callings," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(5), pages 973-994, October.
    4. Anke Buhl & Susanne Blazejewski & Franziska Dittmer, 2016. "The More, the Merrier: Why and How Employee-Driven Eco-Innovation Enhances Environmental and Competitive Advantage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-17, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Md. Mahiuddin Sabbir & Khan Md Raziuddin Taufique, 2022. "Sustainable employee green behavior in the workplace: Integrating cognitive and non‐cognitive factors in corporate environmental policy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 110-128, January.
    2. Mohammed Ahmed Japir Bataineh & Matina Ghasemi & Mazyar Ghadiri Nejad, 2023. "The Role of Green Training in the Ministry of Education’s Corporate Environmental Performance: A Mediation Analysis of Organizational Citizenship Behavior towards the Environment and Moderation Role o," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Magadán-Díaz, Marta & Sotiriadis, Marios & Rivas-García, Jesús, 2019. "Drivers of eco-innovation in the Spanish hospitality industry," MPRA Paper 94090, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Anna Rogozińska-Pawełczyk, 2023. "Inclusive Leadership and Psychological Contract Fulfilment: A Source of Proactivity and Well-Being for Knowledge Workers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-16, July.
    5. Mohd Asrof Gulam Nabi & Wan Khairuzzaman Wan Ismail, 2016. "Job Crafting In Public Sector," International Journal of Business Research and Management (IJBRM), Computer Science Journals (CSC Journals), vol. 7(4), pages 63-81, October.
    6. Pascal Paillé & Jorge H. Mejía Morelos & Nicolas Raineri & Florence Stinglhamber, 2019. "The Influence of the Immediate Manager on the Avoidance of Non-green Behaviors in the Workplace: A Three-Wave Moderated-Mediation Model," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(3), pages 723-740, March.
    7. Gema Albort-Morant & Jörg Henseler & Gabriel Cepeda-Carrión & Antonio L. Leal-Rodríguez, 2018. "Potential and Realized Absorptive Capacity as Complementary Drivers of Green Product and Process Innovation Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, February.
    8. Andrew Soren & Carol D. Ryff, 2023. "Meaningful Work, Well-Being, and Health: Enacting a Eudaimonic Vision," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(16), pages 1-21, August.
    9. Nicholas Burton & Mai Chi Vu, 2021. "Moral Identity and the Quaker tradition: Moral Dissonance Negotiation in the WorkPlace," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 174(1), pages 127-141, November.
    10. Bindl, Uta K. & Unsworth, Kerrie L. & Gibson, Cristina B. & Stride, Christopher B., 2019. "Job crafting revisited: implications of an extended framework for active changes at work," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 90175, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Schweisfurth, Tim G. & Raasch, Christina, 2015. "Embedded lead users—The benefits of employing users for corporate innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 168-180.
    12. Jajja, Muhammad Shakeel Sadiq & Asif, Muhammad & Montabon, Frank & Chatha, Kamran Ali, 2020. "The indirect effect of social responsibility standards on organizational performance in apparel supply chains: A developing country perspective," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    13. Viola Muster & Ulf Schrader & Susanne Blazejewski & Martina Schäfer & Anke Buhl & Christoph Harrach & Marc Schmidt-Keilich & Elisabeth Süßbauer, 2016. "Integration von Mitarbeitern als Konsumenten in Nachhaltigkeitsinnovationsprozesse," Sustainability Nexus Forum, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 417-421, December.
    14. Ying-Lien Ni & Che-Chun Kuo & Chia-Huei Wu & Wen Hsin Chang & Lung Hung Chen, 2022. "How Can We Cope with Self-Control Demands and Enhance Proactive Vitality Management? The Role of Leisure Crafting and Supervisor Recreational Sports Support," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 3961-3980, December.
    15. Mitchell Neubert & Katie Halbesleben, 2015. "Called to Commitment: An Examination of Relationships Between Spiritual Calling, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(4), pages 859-872, December.
    16. Drencheva, Andreana & Stephan, Ute & Patterson, Malcolm G. & Topakas, Anna, 2021. "Navigating interpersonal feedback seeking in social venturing: The roles of psychological distance and sensemaking," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(4).
    17. Sujin Chang & Kihye Han & Yongae Cho, 2020. "Association of Happiness and Nursing Work Environments with Job Crafting among Hospital Nurses in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-9, June.
    18. Lucas Amaral Lauriano & Juliane Reinecke & Michael Etter, 2022. "When Aspirational Talk Backfires: The Role of Moral Judgements in Employees’ Hypocrisy Interpretation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(4), pages 827-845, December.
    19. Giovana Vitória Nunes Leite Duarte & Susana Pereira Antunes Procópio & Angélica Cotta Lobo Leite Carneiro & Leandro de Morais Cardoso, 2022. "Development and Validation of a Tool for Assessing Sustainable Social Practices in Food Services," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-18, December.
    20. Andrea Kim & Youngsang Kim & Kyongji Han, 2019. "A Cross Level Investigation on the Linkage Between Job Satisfaction and Voluntary Workplace Green Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(4), pages 1199-1214, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:14:p:5778-:d:386091. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.