This study aims to apply the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) to explain energy-saving behaviour among employees of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in which attitudes and subjective norms shape behaviour. The author builds on this perspective by adding organisational culture as a driver of these factors.
The data were gathered from 125 SME employees across four states in Malaysia using a structured questionnaire and were analysed using SPSS and SmartPLS.
Results indicate that organisational factors and subjective norms are key to energy-saving behaviour. Organisational culture positively influences attitudes and subjective norms, especially the latter, which has a significant positive relationship with energy-saving habits and with attitudes towards energy saving, thereby directly shaping energy-saving habits. Attitude is a positive motivator regarding energy-saving behaviour but has less behavioural influence than subjective norms.
However, the study’s focus on SME employees in a particular context may raise doubts about the generalisability of the results. Further, analysis of other organisational contexts or cross-cultural analyses could be examined in future research.
The study contributes to the TRA by adding organisational culture as a motivator and indicating that improving organisational support and positive social norms is more effective than targeting individual attitudes.
This serves national energy-efficiency goals while encouraging pro-environmental norms outside the workplace.
The study extends the TRA by incorporating organisational culture as an antecedent of attitudes and subjective norms to explain employees’ energy-saving behaviour in SMEs.
