Tipos Dolor

Outside of the research questions, other views expressed by the interviewees include: (1) how for some they might expand their organisations by creating “regional units” (Company D, Paul Ellis, CEO) or “factories in a box” (seventh GENERATION, Gregor Barnum, Director of Corporate Consciousness), (2) the love and affinity the interviewees had for their organisations and how they believed others in their organisation also had this and (3) how they thought their products in customers hands would create greater environmental awareness in customers and thus change customers purchasing habits towards ‘greener’ products and services. Taking each of these areas in turn, the concept of the organisations growing by creating regional/autonomous units in new areas is perhaps a typical form of

expansion for any business, particularly if considering a multinational organisational structure. However, the interviewees’ views are more subtle than this, in that they did not wish to create multinationals with perhaps some centralised oversight. Rather, the interviewees are alluding to more autonomous units of self-organisation which allows a continuation of the culture and their “way of working” (Company D, Paul Ellis, CEO) while still being local to the area the business services. This model of expansion appears to be similar to Morgan’s (2006) discussion of holographic organisation where “it is possible to grow while staying small” (Morgan, 2006:102). Further, the resulting whole in parts organisation does not have to be a collection of clones, rather the organisation can be “holographic yet differentiated” (Morgan,

2006:106), ie similar sizes, similar operating principles but also local and differentiated.

The second area, the love interviewees had for their organisations and how they believed others in their organisations also shared this love for the organisations. That the interviewees had this love or thought others had it is not particularly surprising given individuals are likely to self-select, to a certain degree, the organisations they wish to join. Moreover, if it is accepted organisations are held together psychologically (Katz & Kahn, 1966) and they are “cognitively biased” (Whittington, 1993:112 citing Cyert and March, 1963). Then the expression by senior individuals (as per the interview sample) of love for the organisation and their assumption that others have it, is again not particularly surprising, as those that don’t love the organisation may suffer some form of bias. Nevertheless that the interviewees mentioned the term love, reinforces a blurring of boundaries and a degree of embeddedness. Outside of these aspects, it has been noted elsewhere that environmentally orientated organisations have relied upon people’s love for the organisations’ missions. For example, John Sawhill, the president and CEO of the Nature Conservancy has highlighted that environmentally organisations have relied upon “people’s love for the organisation’s mission rather than on their career ambitions or financial incentives” (Egri & Herman, 2000:579 citing Howard and Margretta, 1995:111). Further, “Sawhill noted that clarity about and commitment to core values permitted high levels of individual autonomy” (Egri & Herman,

2000:580). Consequently some of the other aspects that arose from the interviews, such as informality, low levels of hierarchy and the ability to attract individuals that might command a higher salary elsewhere are, to a degree, caught up in this aspect of having a strong affinity/love for the organisation and its mission. Moreover, by extension, these results point towards a lesson for other organisations in that engendering affinity to an organisational mission can avoid hierarchy and reduce labour costs.

The third and final area concerns the interviewees’ assumptions that their products and services, when bought by or used by customers, will change customers’

perceptions of the environment and in effect make their customers more

environmentally aware and thus (maybe eventually) change society. For example:137 137_{For similar quotes, see chapter 5, section 5.1.2}

[talking about what a customer might do after having bought their product] “[they] might start getting interested in the background, why do these bloody guys do this? And one by one she’s becoming light green and after a while she’s expanding her attention to other things. She might think about, well what’s this stuff I have in the food? Especially in the UK you have these brightly coloured jellies everywhere, she might think well this doesn’t seem to be cut from a tree so what’s in it?” (Ecover, Peter Malaise, Concept Manager)

The interviewees of this study are not alone in believing they are creating change in this manner, as another study on hybrid organisations that pursue environmental missions by Boyd, et al., (2009) highlights a similar claim by its research subjects. This type of change has been termed “positive spillover” (Crompton & Thorgersen, 2009:6), where because of one purchase of an environmental good, the assumption is that the customer will then move towards examining all that they do and

ultimately make “more ambitious behavioural change” (Crompton & Thorgersen, 2009:6). However, Crompton (2008) and Crompton and Thorgersen (2009)

highlight a positive spillover effect is only realised if a customer is buying a product for intrinsic as opposed to extrinsic values (such as being seen to have the latest fashionable ‘green’ product). Similarly, it is argued that spillover is dependent upon whether the product or service is advertised using environmental credentials or other aspects such as being fashionable or saving money. Positive spillover is more likely to occur if the product is advertised using environmental credentials (Crompton, 2008; Crompton & Thorgersen, 2009). Consequently, while the interviewees’ claims may have some validity, their claims cannot be accepted fully. As spillover depends on both the motivations of the individuals buying the products and services and also the messages used to advertise those same products and services.

6.5 Conceptual Model regarding the Zone of Operation