Emotional Subtexts in Corporate Greening

Explores the view that pro-environmental organizational changes depend on the emotional meanings that managers attribute to greening, and discusses the strategic role of emotions in green organizational transformation. A comparative, qualitative study of senior managers in 6 UK supermarkets, of differing degrees of greenness, is reported. Results show little evidence to support the emotional basis of "true" ethically green organizational cultures, although managerially engineered commitment of belonging to a socially responsible culture can serve some aspects of greening in a relatively stable manner. It is argued that pro-environmental organizational changes depend crucially on the emotional meanings that key actors attribute to environmental protection. These emotional meanings will in part account for the degree of greening in different organizations. Pressure from external green activists and regulators offer more coercive routes, based on creating fear, shame, or embarrassment.