Collective Efficacy and Workplace Pro-Environmental Behaviors: A Moderated Mediation Model of Personal and Injunctive Norms

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Authors: Alice Garofalo, Alessandro Lorenzo Mura, Fabrizio Scrima
Cited by: 1
References: 89

Abstract

Organizations are increasingly required to promote a culture of sustainability among their employees. Accordingly, a growing number of organizations have implemented work practices centered on pro-environmental behaviors. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying these behaviors in the workplace remain insufficiently explored. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and normative frameworks, the present study proposes a moderated mediation model examining the relationship between collective efficacy and employees’ pro-environmental behaviors, the mediating role of personal norm, and the moderating role of injunctive norm. Data were collected from 906 Italian employees who completed an online questionnaire, and the hypothesized model was tested using moderated mediation analyses. The results showed that collective efficacy was positively associated with personal norm, which in turn was positively related to pro-environmental behaviors, indicating an indirect association pattern consistent with the hypothesized mediating role of personal norm. Moreover, injunctive norm strengthened the relationship between collective efficacy and pro-environmental behaviors. These findings highlight the central role of moral obligation in translating collective beliefs into sustainable action and underscore the importance of normative organizational climates. This study contributes to the organizational sustainability literature by integrating collective efficacy and normative processes as key drivers of everyday pro-environmental behavior at work.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Environmental Education and Sustainability Environmental Sustainability in Business Sustainability in Higher Education

Publication details

Journal / source
Sustainability
Publisher
MDPI AG
Volume
18
Issue
8
Pages
3951–3951
Publication date
16 April 2026
Language
EN