***Week 7 - Promoting Pro-Environmental Behaviour

Question 1

What is Pro-Environmental Behaviour and what have small scale employee pro-environmental behaviours found

Answer 1

• behaviour that intentionally pursues reduction of the negative impact of peoples actions on the natural world (stern, 2000)
• contribute to significant impact when multiplied throughout the entire organisation (Boiral, 2009)

Question 2

Human behaviour is key

Answer 2

1) need pro-environmental behaviour in addition to organisational and technological change (better lights)
2) Individuals decisions to participate or not in pro-environmental behaviour (turn the lights off)
- Tackle human behaviour issues is key to reducing energy use and waste generation (Steg & Vlek, 2009)

Question 3

Change how people feel to change behaviour (Value-Action Gap)

Answer 3

• need to look beyond (attitudes & beliefs) in achieving meaningful behaviour change
  1) Gap between what individuals say are their values, beliefs and attitudes and actual behaviour (Blake, 1999)
  2) Attitudinal/belief research tend to account for 35/38% of pro-environmental behaviour (Unsworth & Dmitrieve, 2010)

Question 4

e.g. providing information & feedback cause-effect

Answer 4

• Persuasion change how feel - procedural help understand how go about performing sometimes barrier to action
• raise awareness of the value and use of resources (smart meters)

Question 5

Effectiveness of social pressure and group comparison feedback in enhancing pro-environmental behaviour

Answer 5

• group/social pressure
  1) Key Study, Metallurgy Plant, Sierro et al (1996)
  2) Plant A - weekly comparative feedback own site and other
  3) Plant B - own energy wasting performance
• greater reductions comparative, sustained over 6 months

Question 6

Goal setting approaches

Answer 6

• based on goal setting theory (Locke & Latham, 1980)

- specific and difficult (yet achievable) attention directed towards goals, effort/performance enhanced

Question 7

Role of Leaders

Answer 7

• communicate the importance
• most instrumental with employees who have less of an environmental interest
• Roll modelling (Social Learning Theory, Bandura, 1977)
• Positive reinforcement and feedback
• Strategic decisions, process change and flexibility

Question 8

Combining techniques in interventions

Answer 8

• unlikely be a ‘silver bullet’ single interversion change all employees behaviour (Unsworth, Dmitrieva, & Adriasola, 2012)
• Goal, Feedback, Roll models lots of ways engaging

Question 9

Nudge behaviour (ethical change without being explicit first)

Answer 9

• choice architecture alters people behaviours without stopping any options or significally changing their economic incentives (Thaler & Sunstein, 2008)
  1) Hand wash money box eyes - associate symbols and actions
  2) pay tax not threat letting say 94% pay tax herd conformity
  3) stairs, urinals, washing hands fish

Question 10

Additional reading - promoting pro environmental behaviour

Answer 10

1) promos appeared to be effective in changing behaviour (Abrahamse et al 2005)
2) policies increase attractiveness of pro environmental behaviour are evaluated as more effective and acceptable than policies aimed at decreasing the attractiveness of environmental harmful behaviour (Steph, et al 2006)
3) crucial role of family and childhood experiences outdoors in promoting development of concern for the environment and pro environmental adult behaviour (Palmer J A et al 2006)