Green competencies: insights and recommendations from a systematic literature review

Abstract

PurposeThis study conceptualises the construct – green competencies. The concept is in the niche stage and needs further elaboration. Hence, to address the research gap, this study follows the steps proposed by Tranfield et al. (2003). The major part of the study comprises descriptive analysis and thematic analysis. Descriptive analysis of the selected 66 articles was examined with the classification framework, which contains year-wise distribution, journal-wise distribution, the focus of the concept, the economic sector, and dimensions of sustainable development. The paper conducts a thematic analysis of the following research questions. What are the green competencies and their conceptual definition? What are their dimensions?Design/methodology/approachThis paper applies a systematic literature review of green competencies literature, extends the state-of-the-art using the natural resource-based view, and discusses future research directions for academicians and practitioners.FindingsIn recent years, there was considerable interest in green competencies (GC), as reflected in the surge of articles published in this genre. This paper asserts that green competencies are a multidimensional construct comprised of green knowledge, green skills, green abilities, green attitudes, green behaviours, and green awareness.Originality/valueDespite the significance of green competencies, there has been a dearth of study to define the constructs and identify the dimensions. Hence, this study addresses the literature gap by conceptualisation and discusses dimensions of the construct.

Green training and organizational efficiency: mediating role of green competencies

“…This result refers to an imperative finding of the study that green training is an inevitable business strategy to instil the required level of awareness, abilities, skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours among the employees. The results are consistent with the previous studies (Bozionelos et al, 2019;Cabral and Dhar, 2020;Joshi and Dhar, 2020) which emphasize the significance of green training in developing pro-environment competencies among employees. It can, finally, be inferred that green training facilitates the provision of green competencies to equip the employees for achieving an organization's environmental goals.…”

“…The term green competencies is known as an individual's capacity to interact with the natural environment in a constructive and efficient manner (Steele, 1980). According to Cabral and Dhar (2020), green competencies is a multidimensional construct which has six main dimensions including awareness, knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes and behaviours. Green awareness enables the employees to get conscious about the adverse impact of their activities on natural environment (Gadenne et al, 2009).…”

Impact of Green Training on Environmental Performance through Mediating Role of Competencies and Motivation

“…The finding of this hypothesis is also consistent with other studies that have also found this relationship under various conditions [56,71]. As a result, universities need to foster green competencies through adequate green training, which emphasizes employee sensitivity towards environmental protection and sustainable development, as well as plays a major role in building an organizational citizenship behavior towards the environment in the workplace [71]. Similarly, the results of the third hypothesis revealed the positive and significant influence of green competencies with green environmental performance which is also congruent to earlier studies [28].…”

“…Likewise, the results for the second hypothesis showed the positive and significant impact of green training with green competencies. The finding of this hypothesis is also consistent with other studies that have also found this relationship under various conditions [56,71]. As a result, universities need to foster green competencies through adequate green training, which emphasizes employee sensitivity towards environmental protection and sustainable development, as well as plays a major role in building an organizational citizenship behavior towards the environment in the workplace [71].…”

Internal environmental management and green human resource management: significant catalysts for improved corporate reputation and performance

“…It is important to appreciate that GHRM does not only focus on creating environmental awareness among employees but holistically considers the overall improvement in the socio-economic well-being of employees and the organization (Obaid and Alias, 2015). Thus, GHRM has mammoth potential to solve environmental challenges and help to execute green strategies (Cabral and Dhar, 2020). Firms that deploy GHRM policies can put their resources into effective and efficient use (Galleli et al, 2019) and achieve a competitive advantage (Paill e et al, 2020).…”