Home / Regular Issue / JSSH Vol. 30 (2) Jun. 2022 / JSSH-8410-2021

 

Going Green in the Workplace: Through the Lens of the Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour

Mohamad Fazli Sabri, ,Norjumaaton Fazhani Razak, Eugene Aw and Rusitha Wijekoon

Pertanika Journal of Social Science and Humanities, Volume 30, Issue 2, June 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47836/pjssh.30.2.02

Keywords: Attitude, colleagues, green workplace behaviour, knowledge, Malaysia, perceived behavioural control, PLS-SEM, supervisors, Theory of Planned Behaviour

Published on: 9 June 2022

The success of green organisational initiatives depends completely on individual employees’ behaviour. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the determinants of green workplace behaviour in the Malaysian governmental work settings. The study’s theoretical framework was based on the theory of planned behaviour. PLS-SEM was utilised to analyse data collected from 460 respondents from Malaysian public organisations, which revealed the following results: (1) green workplace behavioural intention positively influences green workplace behaviour; (2) attitude towards green workplace behaviour, supervisor’s green workplace behaviour, colleagues’ green workplace behaviour, and perceived behavioural control have positive effects on green workplace behavioural intention; (3) environmental knowledge positively influences attitude towards green workplace behaviour. This study’s findings enhance the theoretical foundation of green workplace behaviour and can assist public organisations in promoting green workplace behaviour.

  • Afsar, B., Badir, Y., & Kiani, U. S. (2016). Linking spiritual leadership and employee pro-environmental behavior: The influence of workplace spirituality, intrinsic motivation, and environmental passion. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 45, 79-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.11.011

  • Ajzen, I. (1991). Theory of planned behavior. Organization Behavior and Human Decision Process, 50, 179-211.

  • Ajzen, I. (2002). Perceived behavioral control, self‐efficacy, locus of control, and the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(4), 665-683.

  • Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Prentice-Hall.

  • Al‐Ghazali, B. M., & Afsar, B. (2020). Green human resource management and employees’ green creativity: The roles of green behavioral intention and individual green values Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 28(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1987

  • Aw, E. C. X., & Chong, H. X. (2019). Understanding non-private label consumers’ switching intention in emerging market. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 37(6), 689-705. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-11-2018-0514.

  • Aw, E. C. X., & Sabri, M. F. (2020). Single mothers’ subjective well-being: Empirical evidence from Malaysia. Health Care for Women International, 42(4-6), 756-777. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2020.1744148

  • Blok, V., Wesselink, R., Studynka, O., & Kemp, R. (2015). Encouraging sustainability in the workplace: A survey on the pro-environmental behavior of university employees. Journal of Cleaner Production, 106, 55-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.07.063

  • Brick, C., & Lewis, G. J. (2016). Unearthing the “green” personality: Core traits predict environmentally friendly behavior. Environment and Behavior, 48(5), 635-658. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916514554695

  • Chuah, S. H. W., El-Manstrly, D., Tseng, M. L., & Ramayah, T. (2020). Sustaining customer engagement behavior through corporate social responsibility: The roles of environmental concern and green trust. Journal of Cleaner Production, 262, 121348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121348

  • Darnall, N., & Sides, S. (2008). Assessing the performance of voluntary environmental programs: Does certification matter? Policy Studies Journal, 36(1), 95-117. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0072.2007.00255.x

  • De Roeck, K., & Farooq, O. (2018). Corporate social responsibility and ethical leadership: Investigating their interactive effect on employees’ socially responsible behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics, 151(4), 923-939. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3656-6

  • Dumont, J., Shen, J., & Deng, X. (2017). Effects of green HRM practices on employee workplace green behavior: The role of psychological green climate and employee green values. Human Resource Management, 56(4), 613-627. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm. 21792

  • Dunlap, R. E., Van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E. (2000). New trends in measuring environmental attitudes. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 425-442. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00176

  • Fawehinmi, O., Yusliza, M. Y., Mohamad, Z., Faezah, J. N., & Muhammad, Z. (2020). Assessing the green behavior of academics. International Journal of Manpower, 41(7), 879-900. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-07-2019-0347

  • Fernando, Y., Wah, W. X., & Shaharudin, M. S. (2016). Does a firm’s innovation category matter in practicing eco-innovation? Evidence from the lens of Malaysian companies practicing green technology. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 27(2), 208-233. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-02-2015-0008

  • Firing, K., Karlsdottir, R., Laberg, J. C., & Wicklund, R. A. (2012). An experimental study of social norms in situation. Military Psychology, 24(6), 542-550. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2012.742841

  • Francoeur, V., Paillé, P., Yuriev, A., & Boiral, O. (2019). The measurement of green workplace behaviors: A systematic review. Organization & Environment, 32(2), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026619837125

  • Gao, L., Wang, S., Li, J., & Li, H. (2017). Application of the extended theory of planned behavior to understand individual’s energy saving behavior in workplaces. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 127, 107-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.08.030

  • Greaves, M., Zibarras, L. D., & Stride, C. (2013). Using the theory of planned behavior to explore environmental behavioral intentions in the workplace. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 34, 109-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.02.003

  • Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.

  • Haouari, N., Makan, A., & El Ghmari, A. (2019). Building an environmental communication from environmental intention and its determinants: Case of Moroccan companies. International Journal of Environment, Workplace and Employment, 5(1), 90-105. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJEWE.2019.097180

  • Hargreaves, T. (2011). Practice-ing behavior change: Applying social practice theory to pro-environmental behavior change. Journal of Consumer Culture, 11(1), 79-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469540510390500

  • Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1007%252Fs11747-014-0403-8

  • Hofstede, G. H. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Sage.

  • Hosseinpour, M., Mohamed, Z., Rezai, G., Shamsudin, M. N., & AbdLatif, I. (2015). How go green campaign effects on Malaysian intention towards green behavior. Journal of Applied Sciences, 15(6), 929-933. https://doi. org/10.3923/jas.2015.929.933

  • Iqbal, Q., Hassan, S. H., Akhtar, S., & Khan, S. (2018). Employee’s green behavior for environmental sustainability: A case of banking sector in Pakistan. World Journal of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, 15(2), 118-130. https://doi.org/ 10.1108/WJSTSD-08-2017-0025

  • Kim, A., Kim, Y., Han, K., Jackson, S. E., & Ployhart, R. E. (2017). Multilevel influences on voluntary workplace green behavior: Individual differences, leader behavior, and coworker advocacy. Journal of Management, 43(5), 1335-1358. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/ 0149206314547386

  • Kline, R. B. (2011). Principles and practice of Structural Equation Modeling (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.

  • Lee, Y. J., De Young, R., & Marans, R. W. (1995). Factors influencing individual recycling behavior in office settings: A study of office workers in Taiwan. Environment and behavior, 27(3), 380-403. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916595273006

  • Manika, D., Wells, V. K., Gregory-Smith, D., & Gentry, M. (2015). The impact of individual attitudinal and organizational variables on workplace environmentally friendly behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics, 126(4), 663-684. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s10551-013-1978-6

  • Ndubisi, N. O. (2004, July 4-7). Factors influencing e-learning adoption intention: Examining the determinant structure of the decomposed theory of planned behaviour constructs. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of HERDSA, Miri, Sarawak. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.461.1976&rep=rep1&type=pdf

  • Norton, T. A., Parker, S. L., Zacher, H., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2015). Employee green behavior: A theoretical framework, multilevel review, and future research agenda. Organization & Environment, 28(1), 103-125. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026615575773

  • Ojo, A. O., Raman, M., & Downe, A. G. (2019). Toward green computing practices: A Malaysian study of green belief and attitude among Information Technology professionals. Journal of Cleaner Production, 224, 246-255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.237

  • Ones, D. S., & Dilchert, S. (2012). Environmental sustainability at work: A call to action. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 5(4), 444-466. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/ j.1754-9434.2012.01478.x

  • Peng, J., Hou, N., & Pang, Y. (2019). Employees’ green behavior: Summarizing the concept and the theoretical explanation. Advances in Psychological Science, 27(7), 1297-1306. https://doi. org/10.3724/SP.J. 1042.2019.01297

  • Rayner, J., & Morgan, D. (2018). An empirical study of ‘green’ workplace behaviors: Ability, motivation and opportunity. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 56(1), 56-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12151

  • Razak, N. F., & Sabri, M. F. (2019). Pro-environmental workplace intention behavior in the Malaysian public organization. Asian Social Science, 15(4), 60-68. https://doi.org/ 10.5539/ass.v15n4p60

  • Rezapouraghdam, H., Alipour, H., & Darvishmotevali, M. (2018). Employee workplace spirituality and pro-environmental behavior in the hotel industry. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(5), 740-758. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2017.1409229

  • Sabri, M. F., & Aw, E. C. X. (2019). Financial literacy and related outcomes: The role of financial information sources. International Journal of Business & Society, 20(1), 286-298.

  • Sabri, M. F., Razak, N., & Wijekoon, R. (2019). The mediation effect of intention in the pro-environmental workplace (PEW) behavior of Malaysian public employees. Management Science Letters, 9(10), 1567-1576. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.5.029

  • Sabri, M. F., & Wijekoon, R. (2020). Understanding pro-environmental behavior (PEB) in the workplace: A systematic review. In U. Sumarwan, F. Tjiptono, G. C. Premananto, & M. F. Sabri (Eds.), Green consumer and marketing (1st ed., pp. 1-49). PT Penerbit IPB Press.

  • Sabri, M. F., Wijekoon, R., & Rahim, H. A. (2020). The influence of money attitude, financial practices, self-efficacy and emotion coping on employees’ financial well-being. Management Science Letters, 10, 889-900. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.10.007

  • Saeed, B. B., Afsar, B., Hafeez, S., Khan, I., Tahir, M., & Afridi, M. A. (2019). Promoting employee’s pro-environmental behavior through green human resource management practices. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(2), 424-438. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1694

  • Safari, A., Salehzadeh, R., Panahi, R., & Abolghasemian, S. (2018). Multiple pathways linking environmental knowledge and awareness to employees’ green behavior. Corporate Governance, 18(1), 81-103. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-08-2016-0168

  • Schneider, B., Ehrhart, M. G., & Macey, W. H. (2013). Organizational climate and culture. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 361-388. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143809

  • Shen, J., Dumont, J., & Deng, X. (2018). Employees’ perceptions of green HRM and non-green employee work outcomes: The social identity and stakeholder perspectives. Group & Organization Management, 43(4), 594-622. https://doi.org/ 10.1177/1059601116664610

  • Suganthi, L. (2019). Examining the relationship between corporate social responsibility, performance, employees’ pro-environmental behavior at work with green practices as mediator. Journal of Cleaner Production, 232, 739-750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.295

  • Tilikidou, I. (2007). The effects of knowledge and attitudes upon Greeks’ pro‐environmental purchasing behaviour. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 14(3), 121-134. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.123

  • Tom, M., & Soumyaja, D. (2019). Determinants of employee eco-initiatives in Indian hotel industry. International Journal of Environment, Workplace and Employment, 5(1), 51-69. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJEWE.2019.097150.

  • Wang, S., Wang, J., Ru, X., Li, J., & Zhao, D. (2019). Understanding employee’s electricity conservation behavior in the workplace: Do normative, emotional, and habitual factors matter? Journal of Cleaner Production, 215, 1070-1077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.173

  • Wang, Z., Zhang, B., Yin, J., & Zhang, Y. (2011). Determinants and policy implications for household electricity-saving behavior: Evidence from Beijing, China. Energy Policy, 39(6), 3550-3557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.03.055

  • Wells, V. K., Taheri, B., Gregory-Smith, D., & Manika, D. (2016). The role of generativity and attitudes on employees’ home and workplace water and energy-saving behaviors. Tourism Management, 56, 63-74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.03.027

  • Wiernik, B. M., Ones, D. S., Dilchert, S., & Klein, R. M. (2018). Individual antecedents of pro-environmental behaviors: Implications for employee green behaviors. In Research handbook on employee pro-environmental behavior. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/9781786432827/9781786432827.00010.xml

  • Wijayaningtyas, M., Handoko, F., & Hidayat, S. (2019). The millennials’ perceived behavioral control on an eco-friendly house purchase intention. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1375(1), 012060. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1375/1/012060

  • Wijekoon, R., & Sabri, M. F. (2021). Determinants that influence green product purchase intention and behavior: A literature review and guiding framework. Sustainability, 13(11), 6219, 1-40. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13116219

  • Wikipedia. (2021a). Colleague. Retrieved November 3, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Coworker_(company)

  • Wikipedia. (2021b). Knowledge. Retrieved November 3, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Knowledge.

  • Wikipedia. (2021c). Supervisor. Retrieved November 3, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Supervisor.

ISSN 0128-7702

e-ISSN 2231-8534

Article ID

JSSH-8410-2021

Download Full Article PDF

Share this article

Recent Articles