Wa ne -Søde holm, Gillian; éCepçenas, Simonas; Minelgai e, Inga; Aks inai çe, Vi a
A icle
Sus ainabili y-o ien ed leade , please!: E ec s o indus y
on ollowe s' p e e ences
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Vi a (2024) : Sus ainabili y-o ien ed leade , please!: E ec s o indus y on ollowe s' p e e ences,
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Sus ainabili y-O ien ed Leade ,
Please! E ec s o Indus y on
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A icle
Sus ainabili y-O ien ed Leade , Please! E ec s o Indus y on
Followe s’ P e e ences
Gillian Wa ne -Søde holm 1,* , Simonas ˇ
Cep˙
enas 2, Inga Minelgai e 3,4 and Vi a Aks inai ˙
e2
1Depa men o Business, S a egy and Poli ical Science, USN School o Business, Uni e si y o Sou h Eas
No way, 3045 D ammen, No way
2ISM Uni e si y o Managemen and Economics, LT-01304 Vilnius, Li huania; [email p o ec ed] (S. ˇ
C.);
[email p o ec ed] (V.A.)
3School o Business, Uni e si y o Iceland, 102 Reykja ík, Iceland; [email p o ec ed]
4School o Public Managemen Go e nance and Public Policy, Uni e si y o Johannesbu g,
Johannesbu g P.O. Box 524, Sou h A ica
*Co espondence: gillian.wa ne -sode [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : Wi h sus ainabili y becoming he new no m, he discussion abou ollowe s’ a i udes
owa ds sus ainabili y-o ien ed leade ship is g owing globally. The e o e, his s udy in es iga es
he ex en o which employees’ indus y and sec o backg ound in luence hei pe cep ion o he
ideal leade in ela ion o p e e ed sus ainabili y o ien a ion. This s udy also examines p e e ed
sus ainabili y leade ship alues and he ole o cul u ally endo sed leade ship in his p ocess. Using
he P e e ed Sus ainabili y Leade ship O ien a ion (PSLO) su ey, we ga he ed and analyzed da a
om 11 coun ies and 11 indus y backg ounds (n= 5530). Ou indings show ha he e is a s a is ical
signi icance in ollowe s’ aluing a leade wi h a high sus ainabili y o ien a ion mos . Mo eo e , ou
esul s indica e ha esponden s wo king in public adminis a ion o ganiza ions alue a leade wi h a
s ong sus ainabili y o ien a ion in addi ion o en i onmen al and equali y goals. While esponden s
associa ed wi h ag icul u e and eal es a e do no seem o place so much alue on an ideal leade
ocusing on gende equali y, in indus ies such as inance, manu ac u ing, and eal es a e, ollowe s
seem o alue a leade wi h a s onge ocus on p o i and less emphasis on p omo ing gende equali y.
This esea ch o e s implica ions o he de elopmen o he PSLO (p e e ed sus ainable leade ship
o ien a ion) as a use ul sus ainabili y leade ship ba ome e ool o measu ing an o ganiza ion’s
sus ainabili y cul u e and sugges s a enues o u u e esea ch.
Keywo ds: p o i s. en i onmen ; p e e ed sus ainable leade ship o ien a ion; equali y; demog aphics
1. In oduc ion
Focusing on sus ainabili y is becoming a new no mal in all aspec s o each o ganiza-
ion’s li ecycle, s a ing wi h in es men all he way o p oduc de elopmen (Ami 2023;
Eu opean Pa liamen 2023). Mo eo e , sus ainabili y is expec ed o encou age s a egies
ha ensu e ha op business pe o mance includes conce n o bo h he en i onmen and
socie y (Ju as 2009), which leads o he in eg a ion o sus ainabili y p ac ices in o ganiza-
ions (Ho man 2018;Singh e al. 2024).
Fu he mo e, esea ch sugges s ha sus ainabili y has become impe a i e and main-
s eam in oday’s business wo ld (Sande s and Wood 2024). O ganiza ions a e expec ed
o balance he social, economic, and en i onmen al aspec s o hei businesses ia he
esponsible use o esou ces, gi ing back o socie y, and long- e m alue c ea ion (B essle
2024;Sande s and Wood 2024). This p essu e o pe o m in a sus ainable manne comes
om di e se s akeholde s, including global, egional, and local policymake s (e.g., see
Eu opean Pa liamen 2023
) all he way o cus ome s wi h hei ising expec a ions ega d-
ing sus ainable p oduc ion (Reichheld e al. 2023).
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/admsci14030046 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/admsci
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 2 o 26
Na u ally, his di e se se o s akeholde s is con inuously app aising sus ainabil-
i y e o s by o ganiza ions, leading o ei he public endo semen o c i icism. Such
app aisal is inc easingly signi ican in he con ex o leade ship, whe e he cong uence
be ween a leade ’s ac ions in sus ainabili y and public expec a ions becomes c i ical.
This public sc u iny o sus ainabili y pe o mance is e lec ed no only in a ious e-
po ing me ics bu also in shaping he pe cei ed alues and e ec i eness o leade ship
(Sande s and Wood 2024).
These pa adigma ic shi s in business equi e a special kind o leade ship, conse-
quen ly making sus ainable leade ship inc easingly mo e in luen ial in business oday
(McCann and Swee 2014). Mo eo e , he public’s inc easing abili y o sc u inize he
sus ainabili y o ien a ion o each o ganiza ion’s op managemen highligh s he impo -
ance o leade – ollowe alue alignmen (K is insson e al. 2022). He e, he concep o
sus ainabili y-o ien ed leade ship in e sec s wi h he expec a ions o a ious s akeholde s,
including employees.
Modeling leade ship beha io acco ding o employee expec a ions is an es ablished
p econdi ion o e ec i e leade ship in he scien i ic li e a u e (Mi chell and Amb ose 2007;
Minelgai e e al. 2018). Indeed, he well-es ablished leade ship heo y on ideal leade
beha io , since i s incep ion, sugges s ha ollowe s ha e speci ic men al models abou
p e e ed leade beha io , and leade s con o ming o hese models a e pe cei ed as mo e
e ec i e, con ibu ing o be e o ganiza ional ou comes (Lo d and Mahe 2002;Li ell
e al. 2018). While a conside able body o esea ch has p o ided aluable insigh s in o
a ious aspec s o p e e ed leade ship, he sus ainabili y o ien a ion o leade s and he
impac o he sec o p esen a gap in he li e a u e.
Fo example, a poo i be ween a leade ’s alues and a ollowe ’s P e e ed Sus ain-
abili y Leade ship O ien a ion migh lead o a weake o ganiza ional cul u e and disengage-
men o s a . Consequen ly, paying a en ion o employees’ p e e ed sus ainabili y- ocused
leade ship s yle assu es ha alignmen be ween well-es ablished leade ship heo y on ideal
leade beha io om i s incep ion, sugges s ha ollowe s ha e ce ain men al models
abou p e e ed leade beha io , and ensu es ha leade s engage in ce ain beha io s o
achie e he company’s long- e m g ow h and success, and so build long e m alue o he
o ganiza ion (Pulusella 2020).
P e e ed Sus ainabili y Leade ship O ien a ion is gene ally de ined as he deg ee o
which a leade is alued and espec ed mos , no only because o he /his excellen lead-
e ship skills in managing people and sha eholde in e es s bu also due o his/he abili y
o pe o m he ollowing: (1) p io i ize he en i onmen and CSR ini ia i es o e p o i
and (2) p io i ize he /his ini ia i es o inc ease gende and ace equali y. The P e e ed
Sus ainabili y Leade ship O ien a ion (PSLO) su ey ins umen (Wa ne -Søde holm e al.
2021) is a i e-i em alida ed cons uc , which may be combined wi h he well-es ablished
LBDQ50 ideal leade beha io 50-i em ins umen (Wa ne -Søde holm e al. 2019) as a
comp ehensi e leade ship measu emen ool ha is eliable and alid ac oss cul u es and
languages. The PSLO measu emen o sus ainabili y has a second-o de le el o mea-
su emen o in es iga e sub-elemen s o sus ainabili y, as ollows: (i) en i onmen al s.
p o i o ien a ion, including measu emen o co po a e social esponsibili y o ien a ion;
(ii) equali y o ien a ion, wi h bo h gende and acial equali y elemen s included.
We li e in a c oss-cul u ally di e se wo ld, whe e globaliza ion and compe i i eness
combined wi h sus ainabili y issues ha e become a key ocus in o ganiza ional li e (Di k
Van Die endonck e al. 2017). Hence, in his s udy, we ill a gap in con empo a y adminis-
a i e and leade ship esea ch by measu ing indus y di e ences in p e e ed leade ship
alues. Unde s anding hese indus y di e ences in he con ex o sus ainabili y-o ien ed
leade ship is c ucial, gi en ha di e en indus ies ace dis inc en i onmen al challenges,
and he e o e, s akeholde s in hese indus ies migh ha e a ying expec a ions om lead-
e s wi h ega d o sus ainabili y. Fo example, manu ac u ing o o he indus ies wi h
a di ec impac on he en i onmen migh ace g ea e sc u iny and, he e o e, highe
expec a ions o sus ainable p ac ices compa ed o se ice- ocused indus ies (Bansal and
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 3 o 26
Ro h 2000). Mo eo e , egula o y p essu es di e ac oss indus ies, which migh also ha e
an impac on how sus ainabili y is p io i ized (A agón-Co ea e al. 2008). The e o e, o
add ess hese gaps in he li e a u e, he pu pose o his s udy is h ee old. Fi s ly, we
in es iga e o wha deg ee he indus y o employees impac s how hey see he ideal leade
in ela ion o p e e ed sus ainabili y o ien a ion. Secondly, we in es iga e he di e ences in
he p e e ed sus ainabili y leade ship alues in he public s. p i a e sec o s. Thi dly, we
assess he ole o cul u ally endo sed leade ship as a demog aphic con ol a iable o assess
c oss-cul u al in a iance. By in es iga ing he abo e, we o e a ange o heo e ical and
manage ial implica ions, including he de elopmen o he PSLO as a use ul sus ainabili y
leade ship ba ome e ool o measu ing an o ganiza ion’s sus ainabili y cul u e.
This a icle is o ganized as ollows: we i s p esen a summa y o he ex an li e a u e
on sus ainabili y, cul u al in luences, and ele an demog aphics such as indus y back-
g ound; based on his, ou hypo heses a e de eloped. We hen p esen ou samples, he
me hodological p ocedu es we deployed o collec and p ocess da a, and he esul s o
ou analyses. Finally, we discuss he implica ions and limi a ions o ou s udy and ou line
u u e esea ch di ec ions in o de o se he agenda o u u e esea ch on P e e ed Sus-
ainabili y Leade ship O ien a ion, pa icula ly wi h ega d o he sugges ed “sus ainabili y
ba ome e ” ool.
2. Li e a u e Re iew
2.1. Sus ainabili y O ien a ion wi hin Leade ship
The e m sus ainabili y is o en discussed in managemen epo ing and academic
s udies in a ious ways, ye o en as a synonym o a g eene economy, i s impac on socie y,
in luencing oday’s o ganiza ions, and e en esul ing in he eme gence o new ends and
mo emen s, e.g., he Co po a e Social Responsibili y Mo emen (
Minelgai e e al. 2021
).
In u h, o igina ing om he La in e m “sub- ene e”, sus ainabili y e e s o a si ua ion
ha can be upheld and main ained in he long e m wi hou damaging o de ac ing
alue om he p esen s a e o a ai s (Di Fabio and Pei ó2018). Indeed, in echnology,
poli ics, economics, and ecology, he e m sus ainable adi ionally deno es he abili y o
achie e cu en aims wi hou endange ing u u e ones (Di Fabio and Pei ó2018). The
Uni ed Na ions’ 17 sus ainabili y de elopmen goals (Uni ed Na ions 2015,2023) ma k he
p essing u gency o join o ces globally o ensu e ha he wo ld can su i e and p ospe
when aced wi h he dange o u u e ex inc ion (Uni ed Na ions 2015).
The UN SDGs no. 5: Gende Equali y, no. 10: Reduced Inequali ies, and no. 13:
Clima e Ac ion, unde pin his s udy and a e, in u n, key d i e s o SDG no. 8: decen
wo k and economic g ow h. Globally, coun ies ha e de eloped unsus ainable ways o
li e since he las indus ial e olu ion, and his will lead o unsus ainable de elopmen o
echnology, indi idual p ospe i y, economics, and ecology i we do no manage o ganiza-
ions esponsibly (Wa ne -Søde holm e al. 2021). As a esul , companies a e being called
upon by policymake s and o ganiza ions (e.g., en i onmen al) o assume esponsibili y o
hei ope a ions and hei impac on he en i onmen and socie y. Fu he mo e, companies
a e expec ed o apply p inciples o sus ainabili y by making hem p esen in all aspec s o
he company and i s business conduc (Quinn and Dal on 2009). Howe e , he bo om-up
app oach—o how employees iew he sus ainabili y o ien a ion in leade s, p esen s a gap
in he li e a u e.
On a business le el, he ma ke ing li e a u e has al eady es ablished he impo ance o
sus ainabili y o consume s when making pu chase decisions o goods (Shao and Ünal
2019) o e en se ices (Roˇcku
˙
e e al. 2018). Howe e , in leade ship li e a u e, ollowe s’
p e e ences owa ds he sus ainabili y a i udes o he leade a e s ill unde - esea ched.
I we can be e unde s and wha ollowe s expec o socially and en i onmen ally
esponsible leade s, we can add alue o socie y by mapping and aligning such sus ainabil-
i y alues be ween ollowe s and leade s o long- e m esul s. This b ings us back o ou
ocus on he speci ic UN SDGs abo e, which unde pin he need o he s udy o leade ship
wi hin all indus ies.
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 4 o 26
2.2. Sus ainabili y Analy ics
Modeling leade ship beha io acco ding o employee expec a ions is an es ablished
p econdi ion o e ec i e leade ship in he scien i ic li e a u e (Mi chell and Amb ose 2007;
Minelgai e e al. 2018). The e o e, unde s anding ollowe s’ a i udes owa ds a leade
´
s
sus ainabili y o ien a ion would con ibu e o leade ship e ec i eness. The ollowing
ques ion eme ges: how should hese sus ainabili y a i udes be measu ed?
In e ms o speci ic measu es, Choi and Yu (2014) de eloped 18 i ems o measu e
he in luence o pe cei ed co po a e sus ainabili y p ac ices on employees and o ganiza-
ional pe o mance. Simila ly, Abdullah and Aziz (2013) de eloped 29 i ems o measu e
ins i u ionalizing co po a e social esponsibili y, including he e ec s on co po a e ep-
u a ion, cul u e, and legi imacy. (Di Fabio and Pei ó2018) alida ed a 16-i em scale o
measu e Human Capi al Sus ainabili y Leade ship o P omo e Sus ainable De elopmen
and Heal hy O ganiza ions. Endo semen o he New Ecological Pa adigm was measu ed
by
Dunlap e al.
(2000) wi h a 15-i em scale, whils a no el s udy by Eagle e al. (2015)
de eloped a comp ehensi e 36-i em s udy o measu e a i udes o unde g adua e business
s uden s owa ds he sus ainabili y issue.
Mil on and Ducki (2010) alida ed he comp ehensi e en i onmen al a i udes
in en o y o assess he s uc u e o en i onmen al a i udes, wi h 110 i ems measu ing
11 se s o sus ainabili y a i udes. Mo eo e , Ge icke e al. (2019) de eloped a sus ainabili y
consciousness ques ionnai e wi h 27 i ems, measu ing he alues o s akeholde s wo king
wi h sus ainable de elopmen . On a simila inqui y line, (Yol Lee and Rhee 2007) applied
20 i ems o measu e he change in co po a e en i onmen al s a egies, whils a 16-i em
sus ainabili y su ey ins umen was de eloped and alida ed by B ønn and Vida e -
Cohen (2009). The 4-i em Co po a e Ci izenship Scale was de eloped by Go den e al.
(1992) o map and measu e employees’ posi i e pe cep ion o he ex en o which he
employe in a company is commi ed o social esponsibili y.
All in all, a e he igo ous Q-so ing o he abo e i ems by he in e na ional conso -
ium eam in ou p ojec , he inal lis o sus ainabili y leade ship o ien a ion ques ions led
o he selec ion o he alida ed PSLO 5 i ems applied in he p esen s udy as ollows:
•
My ideal leade p io i izes gende equali y in he wo kplace (de eloped by Abdullah
and Aziz 2013)
•
My ideal leade conduc s many en i onmen al CSR p ac ices (adap ed om Choi and
Yu 2014)
•
My ideal leade conduc s many e hical CSR p ac ices (adap ed om Choi and Yu 2014)
•
My ideal leade has a policy on equal oppo uni ies among he employees (Abdullah
and Aziz 2013)
•
My ideal leade has he s onges ocus on P o i —En i onmen al issues (adap ed
om Eagle e al. 2015)
This measu emen ins umen cap u es sus ainabili y beha io in an ideal leade o
ollowe s ac oss cul u es and was de eloped and alida ed in 2021 as pa o p ojec FEELS
(Followe Endo sed E ec i e Leade ship and Sus ainabili y p ojec (Wa ne -Søde holm
e al. 2021). Resea che s may apply he abo e-men ioned 5-i em sus ainabili y scale o
map key elemen s o sus ainabili y and he expec ed ollowe alues o an ideal leade .
Speci ically, his can measu e he ollowing: (1) how much ollowe s alue e hical p ac ices
such as CSR and en i onmen al e hics, and (2) o wha deg ee ollowe s p io i ize p o i
s. en i onmen al conce n. These a e key elemen s o measu e and unde s and in his
5-i em PSLO (P e e ed Sus ainable Leade ship O ien a ion). Mo eo e , esea che s can
also apply he PSLO cons uc wi h he LBDQ50 ield su ey, as we do in his s udy, o a
mo e comp ehensi e mapping o all 13 cons uc s, which is e med p ojec FEELS.
2.3. Cul u ally Endo sed Leade ship
Cul u ally endo sed leade ship is a concep ha is s ongly ela ed o he heme
o cul u al alues d i ing o ganiza ional success in di e en se ings (House e al. 2004;
Li ell e al. 2018
;Ge lich 2023). The li e a u e shows ha by unde s anding such ideal
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 5 o 26
leade alues endo sed by ollowe s ac oss cul u es and empi ical se ings (House e al.
2004;No house 2021;Li ell e al. 2018), he p io i iza ion o speci ic d i e s o sus ain-
abili y leade ship can be be e unde s ood and aligned. A e iew o he c oss-cul u al
managemen li e a u e on leade ship is ascina ing, ye we see a gap in be e unde s and-
ing ollowe -endo sed leade ship and sus ainabili y alues ac oss cul u es. Indeed, S ogdill
(1974) e iewed leade ship heo ies and esea ch and poin ed ou he ollowing:
“The e a e almos as many di e en de ini ions o leade ship as he e a e pe sons who ha e
a emp ed o de ine he concep ”.
Twen y- i e yea s la e , in 1999, Russ-E concludes he ollowing om he e iew:
“The e was no consensus on wha makes a good leade . Lis s o skills and a ibu es
di e ed om s udy o s udy. I seemed ha e e y p o esso , managemen gu u, and
s a egis had his o he iew, and o e lapping indings we e ela i ely a e.”
Clea ly, compa isons o sus ainabili y managemen o leade ship s yles ac oss cul u es
and indus ies should be made wi h cau ion in a huge ange o public sec o occupa ions;
mos wo ke s a e clus e ed in o a ela i ely small numbe o a eas (i.e., heal h, educa ion,
social wo k, go e nmen , and he police) and Y leade ship o ien a ions whe e cul u e is a
aluable con ol a iable o measu ing c oss-cul u e in a iance. As p esen ed ea lie in
his a icle, his s udy applies he LBDQ50 ins umen and da a o measu e a ollowe ’s
p e e ed cul u ally endo sed e ec i e leade ship alues as he con ol a iable and cul u -
ally p e e ed leade ship alues. The con ol a iable da a a e agg ega ed o he coun y
clus e a iable, applying coun y clus e s in line wi h ecommenda ions by p ojec GLOBE
(House e al. 2004).
2.4. Indus y-Endo sed A i udes
Resea ch s udies show ha demog aphics play an essen ial ole in unde s anding
hei p edic o alue and impac on he empi ical da a ga he ed (Fe nandez e al. 2016).
A comp ehensi e se o demog aphic ques ions includes cha ac e is ics such as age, gen-
de , indus y backg ound, occupa ion, educa ion, employmen s a us, ma i al s a us, and
household income and composi ion. Such demog aphics a e in aluable when in es iga -
ing which demog aphic popula ions ac as p edic o a iables, mode a ing a iables, o
con ol a iables.
The li e a u e sugges s ha indus ies can be cha ac e ized by dis inc i e cul u es
(Phillips 1994). The e o e, ollowe s’ p e e ences owa ds leade beha io can be a ec ed
by he indus y o employmen o a ollowe (Minelgai e 2016). Acco ding o
Pizam e al.
(1997), indus y cul u e anscends he cul u e o one company bu is na owe han
socie al cul u e.
Hence, in his a icle, we s udy he ole o he indus ial backg ound o employees as
a p edic o o p e e ed sus ainabili y alues, such as eache s, doc o s, nu ses, and clus e
da a as con ol a iables. The adi ional indus y ca ego ies applied in his s udy a e as
ollows: Ag icul u e, Finance, In o ma ion, Manu ac u ing, P o essional se ices, Public
adminis a ion, Real es a e, T anspo , Wholesale, Hospi ali y sec o , and “o he ” as a inal
ca ego y. We ou line he sec o s b ie ly below.
2.4.1. Public Adminis a ion Sec o
Mo e han 300 di e en occupa ions a e epo ed o be in he public sec o (O ice o
Na ional S a is ics 2024). These include di e se business and adminis a ion oles, such as
economis s, accoun an s, human esou ces and o ice manage s, eache s, nu ses, social
wo ke s, and o he s. While he e is a huge ange o public sec o occupa ions, mos wo ke s
a e clus e ed in o a ela i ely small numbe o a eas (i.e., heal h, educa ion, social wo k,
go e nmen , he police, and domes ic se ices). Mo eo e , o all public sec o wo ke s
in he UK, one- en h a e school eache s, and a qua e wo k in he heal h and social ca e
sec o s. The public sec o has a much highe p opo ion o high-skilled jobs han he
p i a e sec o . Almos wice as many public sec o employees wo k in a highly skilled ole
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 6 o 26
compa ed wi h p i a e sec o employees (46% compa ed wi h 24%, espec i ely) (O ice
o Na ional S a is ics 2024). This is likely because la ge occupa ions in he public sec o ,
such as eache s, doc o s, and nu ses, now equi e a leas a deg ee.
2.4.2. P i a e Sec o
T adi ional demog aphics- ela ed o company o indus y backg ound consis o i ems
o help unde s and which indus ies he esponden s’ p ima ily middle manage s wo k in.
In mos managemen esea ch (see House e al. 2004;Li ell e al. 2018;S ogdill 1974), he
ollowing esponse op ions a e a ailable:
•
Ag icul u e (including o es y and ishing indus ies—may be s a e-suppo ed in
some coun ies)
•Finance (including banking and in es men )
•In o ma ion (including communica ion)
•Manu ac u ing (including indus ial manu ac u ing)
•P o essional se ices (consul ancy se ices)
•Real es a e
•T anspo (including logis ics)
•Wholesale (including he cul u e o one company)
•O he
Based on he mapping o he ex an li e a u e, we de eloped a concep ual model (see
Figu e 1below) and aised he ollowing hypo heses:
H1: Indus y backg ound impac s a ollowe ’s P e e ed Sus ainabili y Leade ship O ien a ion.
H2: The e a e signi ican di e ences in p e e ed sus ainabili y o ien a ion be ween demog aphic
backg ounds in public and p i a e sec o employees.
H3: The p io i iza ion o sus ainabili y leade ship will exhibi dis inc p e e ences o equali y o e
en i onmen al alues.
Adm. Sci. 2024, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 6 o 26
2.4.1. Public Adminis a ion Sec o
Mo e han 300 diffe en occupa ions a e epo ed o be in he public sec o (Office o
Na ional S a is ics 2024). These include di e se business and adminis a ion oles, such as
economis s, accoun an s, human esou ces and office manage s, eache s, nu ses, social
wo ke s, and o he s. While he e is a huge ange o public sec o occupa ions, mos wo k-
e s a e clus e ed in o a ela i ely small numbe o a eas (i.e., heal h, educa ion, social
wo k, go e nmen , he police, and domes ic se ices). Mo eo e , o all public sec o wo k-
e s in he UK, one- en h a e school eache s, and a qua e wo k in he heal h and social
ca e sec o s. The public sec o has a much highe p opo ion o high-skilled jobs han he
p i a e sec o . Almos wice as many public sec o employees wo k in a highly skilled ole
compa ed wi h p i a e sec o employees (46% compa ed wi h 24%, espec i ely) (Office
o Na ional S a is ics 2024). This is likely because la ge occupa ions in he public sec o ,
such as eache s, doc o s, and nu ses, now equi e a leas a deg ee.
2.4.2. P i a e Sec o
T adi ional demog aphics- ela ed o company o indus y backg ound consis o
i ems o help unde s and which indus ies he esponden s’ p ima ily middle manage s
wo k in. In mos managemen esea ch (see House e al. 2004; Li ell e al. 2018; S ogdill
1974), he ollowing esponse op ions a e a ailable:
• Ag icul u e (including o es y and ishing indus ies—may be s a e-suppo ed in
some coun ies)
• Finance (including banking and in es men )
• In o ma ion (including communica ion)
• Manu ac u ing (including indus ial manu ac u ing)
• P o essional se ices (consul ancy se ices)
• Real es a e
• T anspo (including logis ics)
• Wholesale (including he cul u e o one company)
• O he
Based on he mapping o he ex an li e a u e, we de eloped a concep ual model (see
Figu e 1 below) and aised he ollowing hypo heses:
H1: Indus y backg ound impac s a ollowe ’s P e e ed Sus ainabili y Leade ship O ien a ion.
H2: The e a e signi ican diffe ences in p e e ed sus ainabili y o ien a ion be ween demog aphic
backg ounds in public and p i a e sec o employees.
H3: The p io i iza ion o sus ainabili y leade ship will exhibi dis inc p e e ences o equali y o e
en i onmen al alues.
Figu e 1. Concep ual model.
Figu e 1. Concep ual model.
To sum up, he li e a u e sugges s ha he sus ainable way is he new eali y o
managing o ganiza ions. While he expec a ions o some s akeholde s (e.g., policymake s)
owa ds he sus ainabili y and leade ship o o ganiza ions a e ela i ely well-exp essed,
he a i udes o employees owa ds sus ainabili y-o ien ed leade ship emains a domain o
li le knowledge. Howe e , his knowledge is impo an , as ollowe s’ a i udes owa ds
leade beha io p o ide aluable insigh s o leade ship e ec i eness. Fu he mo e, he
ollowe s’ a i udes need o be in es iga ed in a way ha un eils he speci ici y o pa icula
ollowe g oups, as he li e a u e sugges s ha di e ences in ollowe a i udes exis due o
socie al cul u e and he indus y o employmen .
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 7 o 26
3. Me hod, Sample and P ocedu e
Da a we e collec ed in all 11 geog aphically and cul u ally di e se coun ies and
indus y backg ounds. Su eys we e dis ibu ed o indi iduals ia online su ey ools;
Qual ics and Google Fo ms. Rigo ous da a collec ion p ocedu es we e applied wi hin
leade ship esea ch de eloped by P ojec GLOBE (House e al. 2004). Con iden iali y and
anonymi y we e ensu ed as pe GDPR egula ions. Mo e de ails on da a s o age and
p ocessing a e a ailable om he co esponding au ho upon eques . In his esea ch,
we included he coun ies ha had a minimum o 250 esponden s who illed ou he ull
su ey (n= 5530). We applied andom quo a sampling, selec ing om ini e popula ions;
in his case, employed businesspeople be ween he ages o 18 and 65 om he ollowing
coun ies: Denma k (n= 415), China (n= 549), Finland (n= 628), Ge many (n= 554), Iceland
(n= 297), India (n= 548), Li huania (n= 306), No way (n= 415), Sweden (n= 630), he UK
(n= 638), and he USA (n= 550). All esponden s con i med in he ini ial con ol ques ion
in he online su ey ha hey we e ci izens and esiden s o each speci ic coun y wi h a
pe manen ull- ime posi ion in hei gi en indus y. A e da a collec ion, only pa icipan s
who p o ided comple e esponses o all su ey i ems we e e ained. These samples mee
obus sample size equi emen s in leade ship esea ch and a e su icien ly di e se o us
o assume ha hey p o ide a b oad enough sample o opinions, a i udes, and belie s in
he socie ies and indus ies co e ed in his s udy. This allows us o d aw conclusions abou
he e ec s o indus y on ollowe s’ sus ainabili y-o ien ed leade ship p e e ences. When
ini ia ing his esea ch p ojec , we solici ed coun y esea ch collabo a o s in line wi h
P ojec GLOBE esea ch p ac ices and e hics. Hence, we ensu ed he inclusion o esea ch
collabo a o s who we e in coun ies yielding a c oss-sec ion o empi ical, ins i u ional, and
indus y se ings.
Consequen ly, in his s udy, we adop a posi i is and quan i a i e me hodological
app oach. Gi en ha we employ p e iously de eloped eliable and alid ield su ey
ins umen s, he P e e ed Sus ainabili y Leade ship O ien a ion (PSLO) su ey ins umen
(Wa ne -Søde holm e al. 2021) was employed in his s udy; his is a 5-i em alida ed
cons uc , combining he well-es ablished LBDQ50 ideal leade beha io 50-i em ins umen
plus sus ainabili y i ems (Wa ne -Søde holm e al. 2019). A mapping o he li e a u e on
sus ainabili y measu emen i ems wi hin managemen esea ch e ealed a da abase o
o e 300 possible su ey i ems. A s epwise p ocess was ca ied ou o selec su ey
i ems ha measu ed speci ically b oad a eas o sus ainabili y, namely social esponsibili y,
en i onmen al alues, equali y, gende equi y, and CSR e hical alues p e e ed in a
leade . Q-so ing echniques we e applied o selec and e ine a se o alid and eliable
sus ainabili y measu es in he con ex o he alues an ideal leade should mani es .
The PSLO measu emen o sus ainabili y has a second-o de le el o measu emen o
in es iga e sub-elemen s o sus ainabili y as ollows: (i) en i onmen al s. p o i o ien a ion,
including measu emen o co po a e social esponsibili y o ien a ion; (ii) equali y o ien a ion,
wi h bo h gende and acial equali y elemen s included; (see Appendix I o he ull se o
i ems). Fo he ins umen ansla ion, we employed he B islin model, using a leas wo
independen bilingual ansla o s o each ansla ion (B islin 1970). A e his ini ial ansla-
ion, local collabo a ing esea che s adminis e ed pilo s udies, dis ibu ing he ansla ed
su ey o a smalle numbe o 20–50 pa icipan s o discussion abou he ace alidi y o he
i ems and dimensions. Collec ed da a we e subjec ed o s anda d desc ip i e and in e en ial
pa ame ic s a is ical es s o acili a e making in e ences om he analyses (see Li ell e al.
2018 o u he de ails o he su ey alida ion). Mo e de ails ega ding u he su ey
ins umen s and analysis syn ax a e a ailable om he co esponding au ho upon eques .
4. Resul s
4.1. The Empi ics: The E ec o Indus ies on Sus ainabili y I ems
In his sec ion, we selec and employ a ious s a is ical es s on su ey da a o explo e
he ela ionship be ween he esponden ’s wo k ac i i y and sus ainabili y ba ome e i ems.
The basic desc ip i e explo a ion o he da a is ollowed by in e en ial s a is ical analysis.
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 8 o 26
4.2. Desc ip i e Analysis
Wi hin he scope o quan i a i e analysis, we ea each i em om he sus ainabili y
ba ome e as an indi idual dependen a iable. Howe e , wi hin he desc ip i e po ion o
ou s udy, we also in eg a e hese i ems in o a singula sus ainabili y index. This index is
o mula ed by a e aging he alues om he i e sus ainabili y i ems. This consolida ed
me ic gi es a be e i s look a he dis ibu ion o he da a and ini ial in ui ion abou he
di e ences ac oss di e en pa ame e s.
The e is a isible a ia ion ac oss di e en sus ainabili y i ems. Responden s p io i ize
gende equali y, e hics, and equal oppo uni ies in he wo kplace mo e equen ly han o he
sus ainabili y i ems. Su p isingly, he dis ibu ion o esponses o en i onmen - ela ed
i ems is dense in he middle. Tha is, esponden s seem o pu less emphasis on he
en i onmen han on gende . Below is a de ailed g aph wi h ba plo s o ca ego ies wi hin
each sus ainabili y i em as well as he agg ega e sus ainabili y ba ome e sco e (see Figu e 2).
Adm. Sci. 2024, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 o 26
ace alidi y o he i ems and dimensions. Collec ed da a we e subjec ed o s anda d de-
sc ip i e and in e en ial pa ame ic s a is ical es s o acili a e making in e ences om he
analyses (see Li ell e al. 2018 o u he de ails o he su ey alida ion). Mo e de ails
ega ding u he su ey ins umen s and analysis syn ax a e a ailable om he co e-
sponding au ho upon eques .
4. Resul s
4.1. The Empi ics: The Effec o Indus ies on Sus ainabili y I ems
In his sec ion, we selec and employ a ious s a is ical es s on su ey da a o explo e
he ela ionship be ween he esponden ’s wo k ac i i y and sus ainabili y ba ome e
i ems. The basic desc ip i e explo a ion o he da a is ollowed by in e en ial s a is ical
analysis.
4.2. Desc ip i e Analysis
Wi hin he scope o quan i a i e analysis, we ea each i em om he sus ainabili y
ba ome e as an indi idual dependen a iable. Howe e , wi hin he desc ip i e po ion
o ou s udy, we also in eg a e hese i ems in o a singula sus ainabili y index. This index
is o mula ed by a e aging he alues om he i e sus ainabili y i ems. This consolida ed
me ic gi es a be e i s look a he dis ibu ion o he da a and ini ial in ui ion abou he
diffe ences ac oss diffe en pa ame e s.
The e is a isible a ia ion ac oss diffe en sus ainabili y i ems. Responden s p io i-
ize gende equali y, e hics, and equal oppo uni ies in he wo kplace mo e equen ly
han o he sus ainabili y i ems. Su p isingly, he dis ibu ion o esponses o en i on-
men - ela ed i ems is dense in he middle. Tha is, esponden s seem o pu less emphasis
on he en i onmen han on gende . Below is a de ailed g aph wi h ba plo s o ca ego ies
wi hin each sus ainabili y i em as well as he agg ega e sus ainabili y ba ome e sco e (see
Figu e 2).
Adm. Sci. 2024, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 9 o 26
Figu e 2. P e e ed Sus ainabili y Leade ship I ems and he agg ega e ba ome e sco e.
While he i s look a he dis inc ion be ween public-p i a e sec o s (1227 and 4184
obse a ions acco dingly) does no e eal appa en diffe ences in he mos common
choice, we obse e ha he esponses in he p i a e sec o a e much mo e a ied. We will
analyze his u he in he empi ical sec ion (see Figu e 3).
Figu e 3. P e e ed Sus ainabili y O ien a ion Index by Sec o . The plo ea u es iolin plo s ha
illus a e he ke nel densi y o esponses ac oss public-p i a e sec o s and sus ainabili y sco es. Box-
plo s depic key s a is ics o each sec o , such as he minimum, median, and maximum alues and
he 25 h and 75 h qua iles.
I we b eak down he indus ies u he in o 11 indi idual ca ego ies, he diffe ences
in esponden choices a e mo e isible. P o essional Se ices sco ed highes ac oss diffe en
sus ainabili y i ems, whe eas esponden s associa ed wi h Ag icul u e chose he lowes
alues. The esponden s om diffe en indus ies seem o sha e diffe en conce ns ega d-
ing sus ainabili y i ems (see Figu e 4). The equency ables and g aphs o each sus aina-
bili y i em ac oss indus ies a e a ailable in he Appendices (see Appendices A–F).
Figu e 2. P e e ed Sus ainabili y Leade ship I ems and he agg ega e ba ome e sco e.
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 15 o 26
Adm. Sci. 2024, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 15 o 26
Figu e 8. G aphical ep esen a ion o odds a ios o indus ies om o dinal logis ic eg essions on
all i e sus ainabili y i ems.
Figu e 8. G aphical ep esen a ion o odds a ios o indus ies om o dinal logis ic eg essions on
all i e sus ainabili y i ems.
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 16 o 26
Table 2. Odds Ra ios: O dinal Reg essions o Sus ainabili y I ems.
Dependen Va iable:
Has he S onges
Focus on
P o i -En i onmen
P io i izes Gende
Equali y in he
Wo kplace
Conduc s Many
En i onmen al
CSR P ac ices
Conduc s Many
E hical CSR
P ac ices
Has a Policy on
Equal Oppo uni ies
among he
Employees
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)
Ag icul u e 1.538 1.508 0.555 ** 0.580 ** 1.050 0.991 0.789 0.795 0.872 0.901
(0.278) (0.281) (0.246) (0.248) (0.244) (0.247) (0.248) (0.250) (0.259) (0.263)
Finance 1.300 * 1.190 1.143 1.165 1.031 0.900 1.042 1.010 1.092 1.093
(0.150) (0.153) (0.143) (0.145) (0.139) (0.141) (0.140) (0.143) (0.146) (0.149)
In o ma ion 1.329 * 1.215 0.856 0.912 1.038 0.885 0.931 0.909 0.838 0.846
(0.146) (0.151) (0.137) (0.141) (0.135) (0.139) (0.136) (0.141) (0.141) (0.145)
Manu ac u ing
1.302 * 1.172 0.995 1.056 0.985 0.903 0.987 1.006 0.990 1.019
(0.147) (0.151) (0.139) (0.143) (0.136) (0.140) (0.138) (0.142) (0.143) (0.147)
O he 1.401 ** 1.261 * 1.049 0.987 1.066 0.969 0.963 0.900 1.047 0.963
(0.135) (0.137) (0.129) (0.130) (0.126) (0.127) (0.128) (0.129) (0.133) (0.135)
P o essional
se ices 1.605 *** 1.409 ** 1.321 * 1.312 * 1.357 ** 1.149 1.334 ** 1.261 1.426 ** 1.397 **
(0.156) (0.159) (0.150) (0.153) (0.145) (0.148) (0.145) (0.149) (0.154) (0.158)
Public admin-
is a ion 2.164 *** 1.853 *** 1.195 1.061 1.124 0.948 1.147 0.992 1.276 * 1.132
(0.128) (0.131) (0.122) (0.124) (0.119) (0.122) (0.121) (0.123) (0.126) (0.129)
Real es a e 1.012 1.023 0.887 0.950 0.903 0.903 0.837 0.899 0.742 ** 0.777 *
(0.153) (0.155) (0.145) (0.147) (0.143) (0.144) (0.143) (0.145) (0.148) (0.150)
T anspo 1.649 *** 1.591 *** 1.035 1.051 1.032 0.980 0.953 0.975 0.997 1.015
(0.161) (0.162) (0.150) (0.152) (0.147) (0.149) (0.148) (0.150) (0.155) (0.158)
Wholesale 1.000 1.004 0.856 0.884 0.908 0.905 0.823 0.889 0.883 0.948
(0.141) (0.142) (0.133) (0.135) (0.132) (0.133) (0.133) (0.135) (0.138) (0.140)
Demog aphic
and Cul u al
Con ols
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Obse a ions 5349 5339 5360 5350 5355 5345 5360 5350 5359 5349
No e: Exponen ia ed coe icien s. S anda d e o s in he pa en heses. * p< 0.10, ** p< 0.05, *** p< 0.01. Tick icon
deno es speci ic obse a ions.
O e all, he esul s e eal in e es ing pa e ns ac oss public and p i a e sec o s as well
as di e en a eas o employmen ac i i y and show s ong suppo o hypo heses 1–3.
5. Discussion
This pape se ou o in es iga e indus y di e ences in p e e ed sus ainabili y alues
in a leade and also in es iga ed di e ences in second-o de cons uc s o en i onmen -CSR
and equali y o ien a ion. Wi h a composi e sample o 5530 indi iduals, we we e able o
alida e ou concep ual model and p o ide indings wi h obus p edic i e alues.
Al hough Reiche (2017) sugges s ha sus ainabili y is e e ywhe e, ou esea ch shows
ha i is no equally dis ibu ed in he sus ainabili y p e e ences o ollowe s ega ding
leade ship. Ou indings highligh he p io i iza ion o gende equali y and equal oppo -
uni ies among esponden s o e o he sus ainabili y i ems, which may s em om he
longs anding global ecogni ion o he impo ance o add essing hese issues (Hailema iam
and E diaw-Kwasie 2023). The heigh ened ocus on hese issues could be a esponse o he
g owing awa eness and ad ocacy a ound gende issues d i en by mo emen s like #MeToo
and a ious in e na ional campaigns p omo ing women’s igh s (Pelleg ini 2018).
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 17 o 26
Mo eo e , ou indings show ha public sec o employees assign a highe alue o each
sus ainabili y i em (en i onmen ocus, gende equali y, e hical CSR, equal oppo uni ies)
han p i a e sec o employees. Such esul s align wi h esea ch by Ri z e al. (2016),
which sugges s ha employees om public se ice o ganiza ions ha e a “public se ice
mo i a ion” (PSM), which allows hem o de i e sa is ac ion om se ing he public
in e es . Mo eo e , p e ious esea ch e idenced ha indi iduals wi h high PSM a e mo e
likely o seek employmen in he public sec o and p io i ize social and communal goals
o e pe sonal gain (Hous on 2000;Ri z e al. 2016).
Ou s udy also disco e ed he exis ence o indus y p e e ences owa ds speci ic
sus ainabili y i ems. Fo example, employees om he T anspo indus y pu a s ong
emphasis on he en i onmen o e p o i s; howe e , Ag icul u e and Real es a e do no
seem o place much impo ance on sus ainabili y i ems. Al hough such indings, especially
wi h ega d o Ag icul u e, migh seem coun e in ui i e, hey a e in line wi h he li e a u e
ega ding he exis ence o sec o cul u es. Tha is, he e a e conside able di e ences in how
much impo ance ollowe s a ach o he need o leade s o be o ien ed owa ds a ious
beha io s o sus ainabili y (Phillips 1994;Minelgai e 2016;Pizam e al. 1997).
Such indings could also po en ially be explained h ough he “p oximi y pa adox”
whe e hose closes o an issue (i.e., en i onmen al impac in Ag icul u e) may become
desensi ized, leading o a lowe p io i iza ion o sus ainabili y in daily ope a ions. Addi-
ionally, employees o he Ag icul u al o Real es a e sec o migh pe cei e sus ainabili y
as a cons ain o p o i abili y, especially in egions whe e sus ainable p ac ices a e no
economically incen i ized. Hence, while seemingly pa adoxical, he lowe emphasis on
sus ainabili y i ems among ce ain indus ies such as Real es a e o Ag icul u e migh be
a ibu ed o a mix o psychological, economic, and con ex ual ac o s.
The indus y-speci ic p e e ences owa ds ce ain sus ainabili y i ems can be explained
h ough a combina ion o easons, including di ec indus y impac , egula o y p essu es,
public pe cep ion, and o he s. Fo example, employees in he T anspo indus y, which is
a signi ican con ibu o o ca bon emissions, may emphasize en i onmen al sus ainabili y
due o di ec egula o y p essu es o educe emissions and public sc u iny o hei en i-
onmen al impac (Lynes and D edge 2006). In con as , indus ies ha a e less di ec ly
impac ed by en i onmen al egula ions o public p essu e (i.e., Ag icul u e, Real es a e)
may no p io i ize en i onmen - ela ed sus ainabili y i ems o he same ex en . Mo eo e ,
he na u e o indus ies wi h immedia e economic p essu e can lead o a lesse ocus on
b oade sus ainabili y issues, while indus ies wi h di ec clien demands (i.e., P o essional
se ices) migh na u ally a o sus ainable and e hical business p ac ices due o he inc eas-
ing global p essu e o sus ainabili y o become a compe i i e ad an age and a key elemen
o co po a e epu a ion (Eps ein 2018;Babiak and T enda ilo a 2011).
Fu he mo e, ou indings on high p e e ence o sus ainabili y-o ien ed leade be-
ha io by p o essional se ice employees could also be a ibu ed o he educa ion le el o
he esponden s. P e ious esea ch suppo s such a hypo hesis (Vecchio and Boa w igh
2002), wi h some a ibu ing i o a ia ions in scien i ic disciplines on e lec ing upon
a i udes, alues, and beha io s o people (Li ell and Snaebjo nsson 2016), which could
also co espond o sus ainabili y as a alue.
Besides heo e ical con ibu ions, as discussed abo e, ou esea ch also o e s impo -
an p ac ical implica ions. Ou esea ch has iden i ied and measu ed p e e ed sus ainable
leade beha io dimensions ha a e simila o di e en ac oss indus ies. Such in o ma ion
can be used o he de elopmen o global leade s wi h ega d o a ious sus ainabili y
i ems and e hical conduc and also o he educa ion and aining o leade s o success in
mul iple coun ies and ac oss a ange o indus ies (Aks inai ˙
e 2023).
In addi ion, ou esea ch add esses p e ious calls o a ool o a “mo al compass” o
sending leade s in he igh di ec ion in e ms o sus ainabili y and e hics- ela ed beha io s
and alues (Sadle -Smi h and Aks inai
˙
e 2022). Hence, an impo an manage ial implica ion
s emming om ou indings is ha he PSLO can be applied as a alida ed online ool o
an applica ion o o ganiza ions o map di e en sus ainabili y s. p o i o ien a ions as
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 18 o 26
well as di e en equali y expec a ions o employees a all le els in he o ganiza ion as a
“sus ainabili y ba ome e ”. Such a ba ome e can be u ilized in managemen aining o
enhance sel -awa eness a all managemen le els, o p epa e, educa e, and de elop new
eams, and o s eng hen he o ganiza ion’s cul u e and sus ainabili y epu a ion.
In summa y, ou esul s and he con i ma ion o ou hypo heses o e aluable insigh s
in o he in e play be ween indus y backg ound, public e sus p i a e sec o employees,
and he p io i iza ion o di e en aspec s o sus ainabili y leade ship.
6. Conclusions, Limi a ions, and Fu u e Resea ch
The indings o his s udy ha e con i med ha al hough he sus ainabili y ocus is
g owing globally, he indus y backg ound impac s a ollowe ’s P e e ed Sus ainabili y
Leade ship O ien a ion. Ou esea ch builds on he ea lie pape by
Wa ne -Søde holm e al.
(2021), con i ming he signi icance o P e e ed Sus ainabili y Leade ship O ien a ion and
ex ends he esea ch by p o iding empi ical indings om 11 coun ies o es and con i m
he o iginal concep ual model.
All s udies ha e limi a ions, as is he case wi h his p esen s udy. We ha e a limi ed
da ase om 11 coun ies, and we only ocus on one demog aphic ou come a iable: in-
dus y backg ound. Fu u e esea ch could also include demog aphic i ems o in es iga e
senio i y and yea s wo ked in each indus y o ease ou possible nuances on indus y im-
pac . Ano he limi a ion is ha he demog aphic aspec s o cul u ally endo sed leade ship
da a a e only applied as con ol a iables. Fu u e esea ch should s udy hese mo e in dep h
and de elop he p ojec in o a la ge global s udy and in es iga e he p edic i e alues
o all demog aphics, including gende , age, educa ional le el, and na ionali y. Ano he
limi a ion migh a ise due o he po en ial impac o possible posi i e ques ion ph asing on
he pa icipan esponses as we apply adi ional su ey ques ion amewo ks used in he
li e a u e o e he las 60 yea s. Fu u e esea ch could in es iga e i mo e neu al ques ion
ph asing has an impac on he esponses, bo h in his s udy and in o he in e na ional
leade ship s udies.
Despi e he abo e-men ioned limi a ions, his esea ch has success ully disco e ed an
answe o he p obing ques ion, “do ollowe s p e e a leade wi h sus ainabili y o ien a-
ion”? Empi ically p o en esul s o his s udy poin o a clea answe : yes, hey do. Such
p e e ence is an indica ion o a signi ican shi in leade ship expec a ions, whe e leade s
a e now expec ed o in eg a e sus ainabili y in o hei s a egic o ganiza ional ision. In
line, he a ying sus ainabili y i em p e e ences ac oss di e en sec o s and indus ies poin
o he nuanced unde s anding o sus ainabili y by he ollowe s in a ious domains. All
in all, he sus ainabili y-o ien ed leade ship end is likely o con inue o g ow. Hence,
o ganiza ions and leade s ac oss all sec o s mus adap o he e ol ing expec a ions o
hei ollowe s, ecognizing ha e ec i e leade ship oday en ails a s ong commi men o
sus ainable p ac ices.
Au ho Con ibu ions: Concep ualiza ion: I.M., S. ˇ
C., V.A. and G.W.-S., Me hodology; G.W.-S., I.M.
and S. ˇ
C., o mal analysis: I.M., G.W.-S. and S. ˇ
C.; w i ing o o iginal d a ; G.W.-S., I.M., S. ˇ
C. and V.A.,
Re iew and edi ing; I.M., V.A., S. ˇ
C. and G.W.-S., Visualiza ion: S. ˇ
C. All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed
o he published e sion o he manusc ip .
Funding: This esea ch ecei ed no ex e nal unding.
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d S a emen : No speci ic e hics boa d applica ion o s a he s udy was
equi ed as we mee he e hical s anda ds wi hin he EU GDPR da a p o ec ion equi emen s se by
Eu opean Commission (eu opa.eu), and we a e no including medical ails on humans o animals
in ou esea ch. In addi ion, we de ail and con i m in ou manusc ip oo no e, which co-au ho
con ibu ed o he de elopmen o each sec ion, o secu e ha we mee he San F ansisco p o ocol o
e hical co-au ho ship. (s do a.o g).
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 19 o 26
In o med Consen S a emen : In o med consen was ob ained om all subjec s in ol ed in he s udy.
Da a A ailabili y S a emen : Please con ac co esponding au ho o da ase .
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic s o in e es .
Appendix A. My Ideal Leade Has he S onges Focus on
Which Indus y Mos
Closely Desc ibes You
O ganiza ion?
P o i
Mo e on P o i , Li le
on he En i onmen al
Issues
Bo h P o i and
En i onmen al
Issues
Mo e on he
En i onmen , Li le
on P o i Issues
En i onmen al
Issues
Accommoda ion 46 44 182 18 11
Ag icul u e 7 16 30 10 7
Finance 55 48 265 35 17
In o ma ion 66 56 299 46 21
Manu ac u ing 64 50 294 43 16
O he 73 89 504 48 33
P o essional se ices 33 45 225 46 10
Public adminis a ion 80 106 810 148 67
Real es a e 66 46 226 32 9
T anspo 37 41 191 51 11
Wholesale 99 66 358 37 16
Appendix B. My Ideal Leade Has a Policy on Equal Oppo uni ies among
he Employees
Which Indus y Mos Closely Desc ibes You
O ganiza ion?—Selec ed Choice Ne e Seldom Occasionally O en Always
Accommoda ion 8 17 39 73 165
Ag icul u e 4 2 10 18 36
Finance 4 12 46 135 224
In o ma ion 3 19 67 174 225
Manu ac u ing 6 10 60 155 237
O he 12 19 103 218 404
P o essional se ices 3 6 32 103 214
Public adminis a ion 10 31 119 359 697
Real es a e 5 14 63 130 166
T anspo 0 12 52 92 173
Wholesale 12 15 85 181 280
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 20 o 26
Appendix C. My Ideal Leade Conduc s Many E hical CSR P ac ices
Which Indus y Mos Closely Desc ibes You
O ganiza ion?—Selec ed Choice Ne e Seldom Occasionally O en Always
Accommoda ion 8 23 62 90 119
Ag icul u e 3 8 10 27 22
Finance 6 16 90 158 151
In o ma ion 8 30 100 187 163
Manu ac u ing 7 23 103 169 166
O he 18 31 174 265 268
P o essional se ices 4 10 60 137 147
Public adminis a ion 20 57 222 447 470
Real es a e 6 23 90 140 119
T anspo 6 15 75 120 114
Wholesale 13 37 136 203 184
Appendix D. My Ideal Leade Conduc s Many En i onmen al CSR P ac ices
Which Indus y Mos Closely Desc ibes You O ganiza ion? Ne e Seldom Occasionally O en Always
Accommoda ion 9 16 73 104 100
Ag icul u e 2 3 14 29 21
Finance 4 24 96 166 130
In o ma ion 5 22 112 203 146
Manu ac u ing 11 23 107 187 140
O he 16 34 168 295 241
P o essional se ices 7 17 62 137 135
Public adminis a ion 25 54 253 485 398
Real es a e 8 20 98 142 110
T anspo 7 15 78 125 105
Wholesale 13 33 141 220 166
Appendix E. My Ideal Leade P io i izes Gende Equali y in he Wo kplace
Which Indus y Mos Closely Desc ibes You O ganiza ion? Ne e Seldom Occasionally O en Always
Accommoda ion 9 12 57 75 149
Ag icul u e 5 8 9 24 24
Finance 12 16 59 119 215
In o ma ion 12 26 74 172 204
Manu ac u ing 9 25 70 144 220
O he 21 29 112 228 366
P o essional se ices 8 13 52 86 199
Public adminis a ion 29 44 160 355 628
Real es a e 11 17 71 108 171
T anspo 5 16 54 95 160
Wholesale 17 22 106 181 247
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 21 o 26
Appendix F. Ba Cha s o Sus ainabili y Leade ship O ien a ion I ems by Indus y
Adm. Sci. 2024, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 21 o 26
Appendix F. Ba Cha s o Sus ainabili y Leade ship O ien a ion I ems by Indus y
Appendix G. O dinal Logis ic Reg essions wi h O iginal Coefficien s: Sus ainabili y
I ems and P i a e-Public Sec o s
Dependen Va iable:
Has he S onges
Focus on P o i -
En i onmen
P io i izes Gende
Equali y in he
Wo kplace
Conduc s Many
En i onmen al
CSR P ac ices
Conduc s Many
E hical CSR
P ac ices
Has a Policy on Equal
Oppo uni ies among
he Employees
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)
Public Sec o
compa ed o
P i a e Sec o
0.530 *** 0.438 *** 0.193 *** 0.056 0.093 −0.001 0.175 *** 0.034 0.267 *** 0.141 **
(0.067) (0.069) (0.062) (0.064) (0.060) (0.062) (0.060) (0.062
) (0.063) (0.066)
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 22 o 26
Appendix G. O dinal Logis ic Reg essions wi h O iginal Coe icien s: Sus ainabili y
I ems and P i a e-Public Sec o s
Dependen Va iable:
Has he S onges
Focus on
P o i -En i onmen
P io i izes Gende
Equali y in he
Wo kplace
Conduc s Many
En i onmen al
CSR P ac ices
Conduc s Many
E hical CSR
P ac ices
Has a Policy on Equal
Oppo uni ies among
he Employees
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)
Public Sec o
compa ed o
P i a e Sec o
0.530 *** 0.438 *** 0.193 *** 0.056 0.093 −0.001 0.175 *** 0.034 0.267 *** 0.141 **
(0.067) (0.069) (0.062) (0.064) (0.060) (0.062) (0.060) (0.062) (0.063) (0.066)
Demog aphic
and Cul u al
Con ols
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Obse a ions 5349 5339 5360 5350 5355 5345 5360 5350 5359 5349
No e: S anda d e o s in he pa en heses. ** p< 0.05, *** p< 0.01. Tick icons con i m speci ic obse a ions
Appendix H. O dinal Logis ic Reg essions: Sus ainabili y and Indus ies wi h
O iginal Coe icien s
Dependen Va iable:
Has he S onges
Focus on
P o i -En i onmen
P io i izes Gende
Equali y in he
Wo kplace
Conduc s Many
En i onmen al CSR
P ac ices
Conduc s Many
E hical CSR
P ac ices
Has a Policy on Equal
Oppo uni ies among
he Employees
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)
Ag icul u e 0.430 0.411 −0.589 ** −0.544 ** 0.049 −0.010 −0.237 −0.229 −0.137 −0.105
(0.278) (0.281) (0.246) (0.248) (0.244) (0.247) (0.248) (0.250) (0.259) (0.263)
Finance 0.262 * 0.174 0.134 0.153 0.030 −0.105 0.041 0.010 0.088 0.089
(0.150) (0.153) (0.143) (0.145) (0.139) (0.141) (0.140) (0.143) (0.146) (0.149)
In o ma ion 0.284 * 0.195 −0.155 −0.092 0.038 −0.122 −0.072 −0.095 −0.177 −0.167
(0.146) (0.151) (0.137) (0.141) (0.135) (0.139) (0.136) (0.141) (0.141) (0.145)
Manu ac u ing 0.264 * 0.158 −0.005 0.055 −0.015 −0.102 −0.013 0.006 −0.010 0.019
(0.147) (0.151) (0.139) (0.143) (0.136) (0.140) (0.138) (0.142) (0.143) (0.147)
O he 0.337 ** 0.232 * 0.048 −0.013 0.064 −0.032 −0.037 −0.106 0.046 −0.038
(0.135) (0.137) (0.129) (0.130) (0.126) (0.127) (0.128) (0.129) (0.133) (0.135)
P o essional
se ices 0.473 *** 0.343 ** 0.278 * 0.271 * 0.305 ** 0.139 0.288 ** 0.232 0.355 ** 0.335 **
(0.156) (0.159) (0.150) (0.153) (0.145) (0.148) (0.145) (0.149) (0.154) (0.158)
Public
adminis a ion 0.772 *** 0.617 *** 0.178 0.059 0.117 −0.053 0.138 −0.008 0.244 * 0.124
(0.128) (0.131) (0.122) (0.124) (0.119) (0.122) (0.121) (0.123) (0.126) (0.129)
Real es a e 0.012 0.022 −0.119 −0.052 −0.102 −0.102 −0.177 −0.106 −0.299 ** −0.252 *
(0.153) (0.155) (0.145) (0.147) (0.143) (0.144) (0.143) (0.145) (0.148) (0.150)
T anspo 0.500 *** 0.465 *** 0.034 0.050 0.032 −0.020 −0.048 −0.025 −0.003 0.015
(0.161) (0.162) (0.150) (0.152) (0.147) (0.149) (0.148) (0.150) (0.155) (0.158)
Wholesale −0.0003 0.004 −0.155 −0.124 −0.097 −0.100 −0.195 −0.117 −0.124 −0.053
(0.141) (0.142) (0.133) (0.135) (0.132) (0.133) (0.133) (0.135) (0.138) (0.140)
Demog aphic
and Cul u al
Con ols
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Obse a ions 5349 5339 5360 5350 5355 5345 5360 5350 5359 5349
No e: S anda d e o s in he pa en heses. * p< 0.10, ** p< 0.05, *** p< 0.01. Tick icon deno es speci ic obse a ions
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 23 o 26
Appendix I. Followe Endo sed E ec i e Leade ship and Sus ainabili y Su ey I ems
1. Ac s as he spokesman o he g oup
2. Wai s pa ien ly o he esul s o a decision
3. Ge s along well wi h he people abo e him/he
4. Publicises he ac i i ies o he g oup
5. His/he a gumen s a e con incing
6. Fails o ake necessa y ac ion
7. Keeps he g oup wo king oge he as a eam
8. Speaks as he ep esen a i e o he g oup
9. A gues pe suasi ely o his/he poin o iew
10. Encou ages ini ia i e in he g oup membe s
11. Pu s sugges ions made by he g oup in o ope a ion
12. Seems able o p edic wha is coming nex
13. Accep s delays wi hou becoming upse
14. Is a e y pe suasi e alke
15. Le s he membe s do hei wo k he way hey hink bes
16. Le s some membe s ake ad an age o him/he
17. T ea s all g oup membe s as his/he equals
18. Keeps he wo k mo ing a a apid pace
19. His/he supe io s ac a ou ably on mos o his/he sugges ions
20. Rep esen s he g oup a ou side mee ings
21. Is e y skill ul in an a gumen
22. Is he leade o he g oup in name only
23. Gi es ad ance no ice o changes
24. Pushes o inc eased p oduc ion
25. Things usually u n ou as he/she p edic s
26. Assigns g oup membe s o pa icula asks
27. Backs down when he/she ough o s and i m
28. Is accu a e in p edic ing he end o e en s
29. Ge s his/he supe io s o ac o he wel a e o he g oup membe s
30. Is o e whelmed by si ua ions equi ing a en ion o many de ails
31. Faced wi h p oblems, can wai pa ien ly o a ime, bu hen eac s wi h ange o annoyance
32. Sees o i ha he wo k o he g oup is coo dina ed
33. His/he wo d ca ies weigh wi h supe io s
34. His/he beha io ends o make complex and con used si ua ions wo se.
35. Remains calm when unce ain abou coming e en s
36. Schedules he wo k o be done
37. Allows he g oup a high deg ee o ini ia i e
38. Is willing o make changes
39. D i es ha d when he e is a job o be done
40. Helps g oup membe s se le hei di e ences
41. Ge s wha he/she asks o om his/he supe io s
42. Is able o delay ac ion un il he p ope ime occu s
43. Main ains de ini e s anda ds o pe o mance
44. T us s membe s o exe cise good judgemen
45. U ges he g oup o bea i s p e ious eco d
46. An icipa es p oblems and plans o hem
47. Ge s con used when oo many demands a e made o him/he
48. Wo ies abou he ou come o any new p ocedu e
49. Asks ha g oup membe s ollow s anda d ules and egula ions
50. Keeps he g oup wo king up o capaci y
51. My ideal leade p io i izes gende equali y in he wo kplace
52. My ideal leade conduc s many en i onmen al CSR p ac ices
53. Conduc s many e hical CSR p ac ices
54. Has a policy on equal oppo uni ies among he employees
55. My ideal leade has he s onges ocus on:
P o i bo h p o i and en i onmen al issues en i onmen al issues
1 2 3 4 5
Adm. Sci. 2024,14, 46 24 o 26
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