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dc.contributor.advisorFoss, Lene
dc.contributor.authorSolnørdal, Mette Talseth
dc.date.accessioned2021-02-04T10:58:53Z
dc.date.available2021-02-04T10:58:53Z
dc.date.issued2021-02-17
dc.description.abstractThe high energy intensity of the manufacturing sector places it at the centre of all greenhouse gas emission abatement programmes. The thesis is thus motivated by the need to increase the environmental performance of the sector, and aims to explore the internal drivers in stimulating eco-process innovation in manufacturing firms. To this end, I use an explorative research design and explore the phenomenon from different theoretical, epistemological and methodological perspectives in three interdependent empirical studies. These studies are empirically informed by research on energy efficiency (EE). From the thesis results, I suggest a new typology of internal organisational drivers for eco-process innovation: environmental leadership, absorptive capacity, organisational structure and routines, and translation competence. Furthermore, the results point to the micro foundations of each driver and suggest an interrelation between the four drivers. This interrelation is discussed in a conceptual model. The thesis further contributes to the field by providing more knowledge on the impact and role of internal stakeholders at various organisational levels. By considering EE as an empirical phenomenon, the study is also of theoretical relevance to the EE literature. From my observations, the gap in the literature with regard to internal drivers is due to limited academic attention, ‘redundancy’ in theory development, and lack of theoretical framing and clarity in the definition of key concepts. Therefore, I suggest that, further research would benefit from a larger degree of problematisation of existing assumptions when designing research questions, build on alternative theoretical frameworks more actively, and are more explicit when defining key concepts. Thus, the further development of eco-innovation theory can extend our knowledge on the firm internal factors and mechanisms affecting the environmental transition of manufacturing firms. The thesis results also provide valuable insights for managers and policymakers as well as avenues for future research.en_US
dc.description.doctoraltypeph.d.en_US
dc.description.popularabstractThis thesis aims to explore the nature and role of manufacturing firms’ internal drivers in stimulating eco-process innovation. The study is motivated by the need to increase the environmental performance of the manufacturing sector. The high energy intensity of this sector places it at the centre of all greenhouse gas emission abatement programmes. Its transition to a sustainable sector would depend on the willingness and ability of manufacturing firms to pursue eco-process innovation. Despite the growing awareness about internal drivers, most of the knowledge in this research field is related to eco-product innovation and external drivers. Thus, knowledge about the range and role of firms’ internal drivers that might affect their eco-process innovation and environmental performance is limited. Therefore, the overall aim of this thesis is to answer the following question: What is the relationship between manufacturing firms’ internal organisational drivers and eco-process innovation? To answer this research question, I use an explorative research design and explore the phenomenon in three interdependent empirical studies appended as Paper 1–3. These studies are empirically informed by research on energy efficiency (EE) in manufacturing firms, mainly located in Norway. Hence, in this study, I treat EE as an empirical phenomenon and use it to examine the more theoretical conceptualisation of internal drivers for eco-process innovation. Furthermore, the studies draw on different theoretical, epistemological, and methodological approaches. Paper 1 is a systematic literature review (SLR) synthesising the current body of the literature on drivers for EE in manufacturing firms. The SLR provides several valuable insights for the work of the thesis. In short, the study reveals the importance of managerial and organisational drivers for EE in manufacturing firms and points to the limited use of rigorous theoretical frameworks in empirical research. Building on this knowledge, the research design of Papers 2 and 3 was developed with the aim of enhancing the current understanding of firms’ internal drivers for EE innovation. Paper 2 uses the theory of absorptive capacity to quantitatively analyse the effect of knowledge and competencies at various organisational levels for EE investment in manufacturing firms. This paper suggests that knowledge and competencies at both the individual and organisational levels affect such investments, and indicates a positive interaction effect between them. Accordingly the study indicates that internal knowledge and competencies are essential for the effective assimilation of external knowledge. From the results, the absorptive capacity of manufacturing firms is positively related to their investment in EE. Paper 3 uses translation theory to explore the emergence of new energy management practices. This qualitative case study provides insights on how firms can implement an environmental programme into local practices. With focus on the translation processes at the micro level, the study also provides information on the internal key stakeholders at various organisational levels, management competencies, and reasons for the translation itself. The study results indicate the relevance of translation competence as a driver for eco-process innovation, in that it increases the probability of success in environmental programme implementation and firms’ environmental performance. In addition, they point to the implementation process dynamics over time and relevance of managerial endurance. The thesis builds on the integrated findings of the three empirical studies. The abductive research approach, the mixed method and the triangulation of the empirical data across the three studies contribute to extending our knowledge on internal drivers and increase the reliability of the results. In particular, the thesis proposes a new typology of internal organisational drivers for eco-process innovation: environmental leadership, absorptive capacity, organisational structure and routines, and translation competence. Furthermore, the results point to the micro foundations of each driver and suggest an interrelation between the four drivers. This interrelation is discussed in a conceptual model. The thesis further contributes to the field by providing more knowledge on the impact and role of internal stakeholders at various organisational levels. By considering EE as an empirical phenomenon, the study is also of theoretical relevance to the EE literature. Finally, I discuss the relationship between the origin of the eco-innovation literature, underlying assumptions in the field, and the value of alternating between theoretical and empirical approaches in the further development of eco-innovation theory. From my observations, the gap in the literature with regard to internal drivers is due to limited academic attention, ‘redundancy’ in theory development, and lack of theoretical framing and clarity in the definition of key concepts. Therefore, I suggest that, further research would benefit from a larger degree of problematisation of existing assumptions when designing research questions and that researcher build on alternative theoretical frameworks more actively, and are more explicit when defining key concepts. Thus, the further development of eco-innovation theory can extend our knowledge on the firm internal factors and mechanisms affecting the environmental transition of manufacturing firms. The thesis results also provide valuable insights for managers and policymakers as well as avenues for future research.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipUiT The Arctic University of Norway 'The open access publication charges for the appended papers have been funded by grants from the publication fund of UiT The Arctic University of Norway'en_US
dc.identifier.isbn978-82-8266-190-4
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/20515
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherUiT The Arctic University of Norwayen_US
dc.publisherUiT Norges arktiske universiteten_US
dc.relation.haspart<p>Paper I: Solnørdal, M.T. & Foss, L. (2018). Closing the energy efficiency gap—a systematic review of empirical articles on drivers to energy efficiency in manufacturing firms. <i>Energies, 11</i>(3), 518. Also available in Munin at <a href=https://hdl.handle.net/10037/12679>https://hdl.handle.net/10037/12679</a>. <p>II: Solnørdal, M.T. & Thyholdt, S.B. (2019). Absorptive capacity and energy efficiency in manufacturing firms – An empirical analysis in Norway. <i>Energy Policy, 132</i>, 978-990. Also available in Munin at <a href=https://hdl.handle.net/10037/17127>https://hdl.handle.net/10037/17127</a>. <p>Paper III: Solnørdal, M.T. (2020). Translating a corporate environmental idea into energy management practices: A case study the implementation of energy management in a pharmaceutical company. (Manuscript). Now published as Solnørdal, M.T. & Nilsen, E.A. (2020). From Program to Practice: Translating Energy Management in a Manufacturing Firm. <i>Sustainability, 12</i>(23), 10084. Available in Munin at <a href= https://hdl.handle.net/10037/19982> https://hdl.handle.net/10037/19982</a>.en_US
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2021 The Author(s)
dc.subject.courseIDDOKTOR-002
dc.subjectInnovation, Eco-innovaionen_US
dc.subjectBusiness and managmenten_US
dc.titleFirm internal drivers for eco-process innovation - A multi-method analysis of energy efficiency in Norwegian manufacturing firmsen_US
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen_US
dc.typeDoktorgradsavhandlingen_US


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