Decoupling, Tight Coupling and Barriers to Sustained Culture Change for Environmental Sustainability in North-East Scottish Universities

Conference: Bournemouth University, Bournemouth University Business School

Abstract:

This research focused on the policy-practice and means-ends decoupling of environmental sustainability (ES) within North-East Scottish Universities (NESU). It explores the 'tight coupling,' where ES becomes embedded and sustained in institutional members' daily routines and activities. Additionally, the research identifies context-specific barriers that hinder tight coupling efforts in NESU, providing valuable insights for policymakers and change agents. These insights can empower them to plan effective cultural transformation, thereby contributing to the practical application of the research.

Drawing on institutional theory, transformational culture change, and the Normalisation Process Theory (NPT), this study employs a critical lens to capture explicit and implicit factors contributing to the disconnect between policy and practice regarding ES. This disconnect often leads to a ceremonial treatment of sustainability initiatives. The research also explores how ES can become more tightly coupled, reproduced, and sustained over time.

This research employed case studies and grounded theory (GT) methodologies, demonstrating a thorough data collection and analysis approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 25 participants from two NESUs and analysed using Corbin and Strauss' (2008) coding process (open, axial, and selective) and constant comparative analysis. The findings reveal that NESU universities exhibit a superficial adherence to ES principles. They adopt a symbolic approach, where visible actions are taken to establish legitimacy while underlying practices remain inconsistent. Policy- practice decoupling factors include bounded rationality, internal and external fragmentation, task compartmentalisation, and outsourcing. Means-end decoupling factors include goal ambiguity, organisational culture, underestimation of resources (human and financial), limited technical infrastructure, and accidental decoupling. This thorough research process ensures the validity and reliability of the findings.

The research suggests that tightening ES within institutional culture requires building coherence, fostering cognitive participation, promoting collective action, and implementing reflective monitoring of enacted practices. NESU's pursuit of cultural transformation will encounter challenges, including individual psychological, systemic, and resource constraints, which are surmountable.

While limited to data from two universities, this research significantly contributes to theory and practice in environmental sustainability. It focuses on ES embedding rather than implementation, offering new insights for identifying decoupling manifestations. Additionally, it contributes to institutional culture change by developing a framework that comprehensively captures strategies for achieving tight coupling of ES within university culture.

This research makes an original contribution by merging institutional theory and NPT as a theoretical lens to examine ES in a university context. It confirms existing factors within each theory and sheds light on previously unreported factors. Finally, the proposed conceptual framework provides tailored strategies for NESU to effectively integrate ES into overt and covert aspects of their institutional culture.

By achieving tight coupling of ES, universities can move beyond symbolic gestures and create a culture of sustainability that permeates all aspects of institutional life. This transformation fosters long- term environmental responsibility, not only within the university but also in the broader community. The proposed framework, informed by the context of NESU, offers valuable insights and strategies applicable to universities worldwide seeking to integrate ES more deeply into their core values and operational practices.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/40458/

Source: Manual