University of Twente Student Theses
“This is not an era of change, it’s a change of era”: Exploring motivations for green and inclusive leadership within Dutch SMEs.
Smit, J.J.H. (2021) “This is not an era of change, it’s a change of era”: Exploring motivations for green and inclusive leadership within Dutch SMEs.
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| Abstract: | Growing concerns about the human influence on climate change, resource scarcity and social inequality have stimulated the call for corporate social responsibility to explode over the past 20 years. In these years, the debate has expanded from MNCs to SMEs. For SMEs, the biggest factor influencing CSR adoption is the orientation of the owner/manager, but why do some adopt CSR, while other do not? The aim of this study is to explore what drives owners/managers of SMEs to adopt green and inclusive leadership, and which hurdles they must overcome to adopt such behavior. Implementing the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework following an abductive approach, we answered the research question conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine Dutch SME owner/managers who were selected based on their (pursuit to) B Corp certification. These interviews lasted, on average, 50 minutes and were analyzed using Thematic Analysis and structured using the Gioia method. First, we find that an individual's value orientation towards self-transcendence and openness to change in Schwartz's value theory is the main driver for green and inclusive leadership behavior among Dutch SME leaders. Second, we find that some causal relationships in the Theory of Planned Behavior are reciprocal, meaning that the implementation of green and inclusive behavior itself can influence attitude, subjective norm, and intention to behave. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 85 business administration, organizational science |
| Programme: | Business Administration MSc (60644) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/87961 |
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