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RESEARCH PRODUCT

USING THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS) TO CONTROL THE IMPLEMENTATION AND EMERGENCE OF GREEN STRATEGIES.

subject

description

To respond to the ecological challenges of the new century and their Environmental and Social Responsability, more and more companies adopt the Environmental Management System (EMS). The objective of this thesis is to analyze how this management system is used in French companies for implement their ''intended" green strategies and to explore the new green strategies. To answer this problematic, we mobilized two theoretical frameworks during this research: the New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983, 1991 and Hasselbladh Kallinikos, 2000) and Levers of control model (Simons, 1995). Then, our research methodology is composed of three phases succeeding: an exploratory study, a multi-sites case study and a longitudinal study. Using the results of multi-sites study, based on 10 French companies proactive in ecological matters, we propose a theoretical model that shows the role of EMS control system in the implementation of green strategies, since the integration of green ideals of society to the dissemination of environmental performance at stakeholders. This model underlines two essential mechanisms for the success of process: the concepts of internal and external interaction. The results of longitudinal study highlight a typology of relationships between "interactive control systems" and "diagnostic control systems" (Simons, 1995) and "levels of organizational learning" (Argyris et Schön, 1978, 2002). This typology shows that, contrary to the literature, some "diagnostic control systems" can lead to "generative organizational learning" (or double loop learning) and emergent strategies. Similarly, the "interactive control systems" do not systematically lead to "generative learning" but may be limited to "adaptive learning" (or single loop learning). Ultimately, the results of these case studies contribute to improve the theoretical field of the links between strategy, control systems and organizational learning, which remains largely unexplored.