An Examination of How Supervisors Influence Their Subordinates to Engage in Environmental Behaviors

Employee engagement in environmental behaviors is an important topic in operations management. Drawing upon stakeholder, commitment, and organizational support theories, this study creates and tests an empirical model of how store managers (i.e., supervisors) influence their direct reports (i.e., subordinates) to become engaged in environmental behaviors. Based on a dataset derived from supervisors and their subordinates who are employed at the same grocery store location across a large retail grocery chain, we test our study’s nomological model and find support for the linkages proposed. Key research and managerial implications are discussed. [Submitted: March 4, 2013. Revised: March 4, 2014. Accepted: March 10, 2014.] Subject Areas: Environmental Management, Environmental Behavior, Stakeholder Theory, Commitment Theory, Organizational Support Theory, and Supervisory Support.