TY - JOUR
T1 - Innovation vs. standardization
T2 - The conjoint effects of eco-innovation and environmental management systems on environmental performance
AU - Valero-Gil, Jesus
AU - Surroca, Jordi A.
AU - Tribo, Josep A.
AU - Gutierrez, Leopoldo
AU - Montiel, Ivan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - In this study, we first analyze whether firms' eco-innovation, manifested through green patents, improves environmental performance. Then, we assess whether adopting environmental management systems (EMS) that follow standardized guidelines enhances the potential of eco-innovation to improve environmental performance. To test our predictions, we build a unique firm-level dataset that combines global data on green patents, EMS adoption, and performance from five different data sources. The data support the positive effect of eco-innovation on environmental performance. However, our results show that adopting EMS, rather than strengthening the positive impact of eco-innovation on environmental performance, generates organizational rigidities that weaken the eco-innovation–environmental performance link. After conducting a set of qualitative post hoc interviews with elite informants, our surprising findings became more meaningful. Furthermore, we conducted a set of additional tests to validate our results in different scenarios where organizational rigidities could be a pivotal factor in explaining environmental performance differences connected to eco-innovation. This study has relevant theoretical and practical implications for the design and adoption of EMS and the conjoint dynamics between innovation and standardization practices to improve performance.
AB - In this study, we first analyze whether firms' eco-innovation, manifested through green patents, improves environmental performance. Then, we assess whether adopting environmental management systems (EMS) that follow standardized guidelines enhances the potential of eco-innovation to improve environmental performance. To test our predictions, we build a unique firm-level dataset that combines global data on green patents, EMS adoption, and performance from five different data sources. The data support the positive effect of eco-innovation on environmental performance. However, our results show that adopting EMS, rather than strengthening the positive impact of eco-innovation on environmental performance, generates organizational rigidities that weaken the eco-innovation–environmental performance link. After conducting a set of qualitative post hoc interviews with elite informants, our surprising findings became more meaningful. Furthermore, we conducted a set of additional tests to validate our results in different scenarios where organizational rigidities could be a pivotal factor in explaining environmental performance differences connected to eco-innovation. This study has relevant theoretical and practical implications for the design and adoption of EMS and the conjoint dynamics between innovation and standardization practices to improve performance.
KW - Eco-innovation
KW - Environmental management systems
KW - Environmental performance
KW - Green patents
KW - Organizational rigidities
KW - Resource-based view
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U2 - 10.1016/j.respol.2023.104737
DO - 10.1016/j.respol.2023.104737
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85147091025
SN - 0048-7333
VL - 52
JO - Research Policy
JF - Research Policy
IS - 4
M1 - 104737
ER -