The Nuanced Effects of Sustainability Initiatives: Understanding Employees' Attitudes and Behaviors with Causal Loop Diagrams

C B Vasconcelos¹Ane Sanchez-Zeziaga²Klaus Henning³Yvonne Van der Meer^1*

• ¹Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
• ²Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Arrasate, Spain
• ³Henning 4 Future, Aachen, Germany

This study explored the complex and dynamic interactions between sustainability initiatives, employees' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors using a systems thinking perspective. By integrating insights from neo-institutional, sensemaking and attribution theories with findings of 46 previous studies and 50 empirical qualitative data points into causal loop diagrams (CLDs), this study addresses limitations of existing literature, which often relies on methodological approaches that fail to capture nuances, interconnections and potential shifts in employees' perceptions. The findings suggest that more symbolic sustainability initiatives can foster initial employee engagement and support for future sustainability implementation in the early stages of an organization's sustainability journey. However, the findings also reveal that this initial positive momentum can be fragile and transition into a "vulnerability period": as employees increase their knowledge and experience in sustainability topics, they become more critical regarding the impacts of sustainability initiatives, which potentially decreases their engagement over time. Overall, these findings contribute to the literature by challenging the traditional dichotomy between positive and negative effects of sustainability initiatives on employees. Instead, this study suggests a more nuanced interplay between individual differences and organizational factors in shaping progressive (dis)engagement in sustainability. Ultimately, this study emphasizes that to maintain employee support and engagement in sustainability initiatives over the long term, it is necessary to implement consistent, impactful, and authentic sustainability efforts, whose perceived impact can withstand increasing employee scrutiny. Practical implications include recognizing and communicating the dual nature of short-term wins, understanding the dynamic nature of employee perceptions, and leveraging employee vigilance as a valuable resource for continuous improvement in sustainability implementation.