Environmental orientation on the frontline: A boundary-spanning perspective for supply chain management

Abstract

Frontline employees (FLEs) are the face of every organization in the supply chain, and therefore, supply chain partners understand each other's environmental values through these interactions. An environmental orientation conveys a firm's commitment to the natural environment to both internal and external stakeholders along the supply chain. Building upon social identity theory within a boundary-spanning perspective, we estimate a model which examines how this firm-level orientation leads to FLE's environmental identification. These FLEs work harder and are more satisfied at higher levels of identification, which ultimately translates to perceptions of higher-quality products and prosocial impact. FLE's perceptions of ethical leadership and trust in their organization moderate this serial mediation model. Together, we provide insights into the benefits of frontline employees who identify with an environmental organization.