Configurational paths to the green transformation of Chinese manufacturing enterprises: a TOE framework based on the fsQCA and NCA approaches

Abstract

In the current complex and ever-changing environment, the high-quality development of manufacturing enterprises has a long way to go. The theoretical framework based on technology, the organization and the environment (TOE) from a configuration perspective provides a new integrated theoretical perspective for studying the green transformation path of Chinese manufacturing enterprises. The research purpose of this article is to use fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and necessary condition analysis (NCA) to explore the configuration effects of various antecedents in the TOE theoretical framework of Chinese manufacturing enterprises, “technology (green technological innovation, digital transformation)-the organization (redundant resources, supply chain concentration, information transparency)-the environment (environmental governance pressure)”, to achieve a green transformation. The research findings show that no single factor is a necessary condition for achieving a high level of green transformation. There are six ways to achieve high green transformation levels for manufacturing enterprises, namely, technology-information collaborative green transformation, technology-supply chain collaborative-driven green transformation, digital-organization collaborative-driven green transformation, innovation-organization collaborative-driven green transformation, organization-environment collaborative-driven green transformation, and full-level multifactor collaborative-driven green transformation. The research conclusion will further expand research on the green transformation of enterprises and provide useful and practical references for green transformation paths of enterprises.