The institutionalisation of environmental management at Hewlett-Packard Ltd.

Abstract

This portfolio presents the results of a project that examined the development of environmental management in a large multi-national corporation over a four year period. The aim of the project was to "institutionalise" environmental management, in other words to ensure that environmental management was considered part of normal business practice and not a well intentioned afterthought. This was achieved through an in-depth case study using action research methods to facilitate and record organisational change simultaneously. The research demonstrated that previous accounts of environmental management in industry have failed to provide an adequate analysis of the changes required to institutionalise environmental management. This is shown to be partly attributable to the dominance of the quantitative, outsider-based research methods. The research makes three principal contributions to knowledge: Identifying and describing four different levels of change required for the institutionalisation of environmental management in a comprehensive study Identifying factors affecting the institutionalisation of environmental management in an industrial setting Demonstrating the usefulness and validity of insider-based methodologies for environmental management research. In this Portfolio it is argued that the institutionalisation of environmental management requires change at multiple levels and that the observation and further clarification of these levels can be achieved through insider-based research methods. At a practictioner level, it is recommended that industrial managers reconsider their strategies for achieving the institutionalisation of environmental management. In particular, company-wide employee awareness programmes and/or policy driven management systems only go part way towards achieving an institutionalised approach. An approach,in line with existing organisational roles, culture and objectives is recommended. Further, as environmental management becomes considered as part of normal business practice, it is recommended that researchers identify the boundaries between environmental and other management research to reflect industrial practice.