SAMINT- HDU 21 002
Degree project 15 credits
June 2021
How nudging can be used as a
tool in order to include the
employees in a company’s
sustainability efforts
A case study of SkiStar AB, Åre
Maja UlanderAbstract
Background: This thesis is a collaboration between the researcher and the company of
SkiStar AB, located on the destination of Åre, Sweden. The study builds upon previous internal quantitative research conducted by the company, where the areas of waste management, recycling, and coworker inclusion showed potential for improvement. The behavioral economic concept of nudging is used as the theoretical standpoint, to discover if changes in the staff accommodation can facilitate sustainable decisions and behaviors. Five interviews are conducted, in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the employee's behavior regarding source sorting and waste management as well as a more detailed and personal view of the current situation.
Purpose: By exploring the current situation of the employees and their behavior around
waste management and combining this information with the theoretical foundation of nudging, this study aims to investigate and examine how nudging can be used as a tool in order to include the employees in a company's sustainability efforts.
Methodology: The research is a qualitative study with an exploratory nature, where five
in-depth interviews builds knowledge and creates understanding for the current situation. Thematic analysis is used to find patterns and relationships to analyze and validate the raw data, which later is developed into a first-order analysis, close to the raw material. Later a final analysis and application to the theoretical framework are conducted to fully explore the research questions and create suggestions for the company.
Conclusion: The research presents suggestions and appropriate nudging techniques to
Master Thesis in Sustainable Destination Development
Title How nudging can be used as a tool in order to include the employees in a company's sustainability efforts
Author Maja Ulander
Tutor Göran Lindström
Date 2020-06-06
Key Terms sustainable development, destination development, sustainable destination development, sustainability, sustainability efforts, nudging, nudging waste management, nudging employee involvement, behavioral change, Åre, SkiStar
Words from the Author
Firstly, I sincerely would like to thank SkiStar AB Åre and Steen Pedersen, supervisor and manager for property, land, and environment for accepting this research project and providing valuable information and insights. By contributing with important discussions and perspectives and with his enthusiastic mindset created a good collaboration and helped to move this study forward.
Secondly, I would like to warmly thank all participants for taking your time and effort to share valuable thoughts, ideas, and honest acknowledgments. To provide information in order to create a more sustainable accommodation, company, and destination.
Thirdly, I would like to thank my subject reader Göran Lindstöm, for guidance, support, and helpful feedback throughout the research process and a helping hand when I struggled.
Moreover, this study has been incredibly interesting, and with a great relevance to the program of study. It has expanded my understanding of the complexity of sustainable development and sustainable destination development and integrated theoretical and practical perspectives with a learningful outcome.
Åre
6th of June, 2021
Table of Content
1.Introduction 6
1.1 About this study 6
1.2 Background 6
1.3 Nudging 7
1.4 The case destination: Åre, Sweden 8
1.5 The case company- SkiStar AB 8
1.5.1 Skistar and sustainability 9
1.5.2 Skistar in Åre 10
1.5.3 Previous research conducted by Skistar 10
1.6 Problem formulation 10 1.7 Research purpose 11 1.8 Research questions 12 1.9 Perspective statement 12 1.10 Delimitation 13 1.11 Key concepts 13 2. Frame of reference 15
2.1 The process to create the frame of reference 15
2.2 The complexity of sustainable development 15
2.3 Why sustainable efforts by companies? 16
2.4 Why nudging? 17
2.4.1 Positive aspects of nudging 18
2.4.2 Negative aspects of nudging 19
2.5 To conduct a successful nudge 19
2.6 Different types of nudges 21
2.7 Cases of nudging within a waste management context 23
2.8 Behavior and decisions 23
3. Methodology and Method 24
3.1 Methodology 24
3.1.1 Research philosophy 24
3.1.2 Research approach 25
3.1.3 Research design 25
3.2 Method 26
3.2.1 Sampling process for primary data 26
3.2.2 Primary data collection and interview structure 26
3.2.3 Data analysis 27
3.2.4 Ethical considerations and trustworthiness of research method 28
4.1 The current situation 30
4.2 Factors to behavior 31
4.2.1 Background and previous experience; 31
4.2.2 A favorable environment 32
4.2.3 Distance 33
4.2.4 Motivation and transparency 34
4.3 The collective behavior 34
4.4 Information 35
4.5 The participants ideas to improvements 36
4.6 Skistars sustainable efforts from an employee perspective 38
5. Final analysis and application to the theoretical framework 39
5.1 Commonalities and integrations to the theoretical framework 39 5.2 Suggested solutions and suggested nudging techniques 41
5.2.1 Decision architecture 41
5.2.2 Enhance and facilitate behavior 42
5.2.3 Information 43
5.2.4 The collective behavior 44
1.Introduction
1.1 About this study
This master thesis is a collaboration between the researcher and the alpine ski-resort company of SkiStar AB (in the following text mentioned as Skistar) located on the destination of Åre, Sweden. The study builds upon previous internal quantitative research conducted by the company, whereby the areas of waste management, recycling, and coworker inclusion showed a great potential for improvements.
Therefore this study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the employee's behavior about waste management in its provided staff accommodation, as well as a more qualitative, detailed, and personal perception of Skistar's sustainability work from a co-worker perspective. From this, a behavioral analysis is conducted which lays the foundation for an understanding and a behavioral insight. The behavioral economic concept of nudging is used as the theoretical standpoint, whereby appropriate nudging techniques are identified. This, in order to provide the company with tangible solutions and useful information and materials which can be used to perform practical experiments, such as changing the decision environment and facilitating sustainable behaviors. By this, an increased and enhanced ability to pursue sustainable enterprise development as well as in the larger picture, a help to create a sustainable destination development will be achieved.
1.2 Background
in order to incorporate sustainability in their daily work and to ensure a continuously attractive destination for future generations. This research, therefore, aims to break down the complexity and focus on small changes with a large impact.
1.3 Nudging
“By knowing how people think, we can make it easier for them to choose what is best for them, their families, and society”
Richard Thaler
1.4 The case destination: Åre, Sweden
Åre, one of Sweden's most famous tourist destinations, known for its world-class winter activities and its large ski resort which has been attracting visitors for decades. Its majestic mountain landscape and the cultural and social assets which characterize northern Sweden are unique and an appeal that attracts visitors from all around the globe. In 2018, Åre was named Sweden's best ski resort for the 6th year in a row by the World Ski Awards and has hosted several high-class alpine events such as the World Cup competitions. Although the winter scene is what comes to mind first when mentioning the destination of Åre, the area is now largely in the running to become an interesting all year round destination due to extensive efforts in summer activities such as hiking and mountain biking. From the years 2011 to 2019 the number of overstaying guests increased from 27000- 42000 people, which is seen as a steady increase both during the summer and winter season. The destination consists of several commercial beds which are owned by hotels and companies, yet the private renting is the one that is noted to have seen a remarkable growth rate during the last couple of years, whereby an increase is seen from around 17,000 beds (2011) to 32,000 beds (2019). Yet, the year 2020 of course had its downs as the global pandemic of Covid-19 forced the world to slow down, thus the ski resort had to close down earlier than expected and potential visitors were recommended not to travel. This caused the destination a loss in around 155000 commercial guests (counted in overstaying nights) between the period of March to August 2020 and had a potential loss of 380 million Sek in revenue (Destination Åre, n.d).
1.5 The case company- SkiStar AB
resorts includes the drift of the ski system and sales of all products and services regarding this area, such as SkiPass, accommodation, activities, as well as ski shops and ski rentals. Property development & exploitation on the other hand, includes management of assets that can be exploited or used, either by the Skiresort segment or collaborations with private actors. Therefore, this department is focusing more on sales/leasing of land and other properties, and provisions of accommodation possibilities (SkiStar Our operations, n.d). This company was chosen out of availability and interest by the researcher.
1.5.1 Skistar and sustainability
“Protecting the unique mountain environment in which the company operates is a fundamental condition for sustainable development of SkiStar´s business”
(SkiStars Sustainability Report 2019/2020 p.1)
1.5.2 Skistar in Åre
When looking at the company operating at the specific destination of Åre, it is clear to say that Skistar plays a significant role in the geographical destination's attraction, revenue, and development. During the winter seasons, the company provides jobs to around 650 people, where approximately 550 are seasonal workers, while the rest are full-time employed. Moreover, during the season of 20/21, the company provided seasonal accommodation to 175 workers located on 15 different installations within a 15 km area. Yet, in previous years (Pre-covid) that number usually tends to be around 225 employees provided with accommodation. With regards to waste management services at the individual units, this may be imposed by Skistar or by other property managers if the accommodation is rented.
1.5.3 Previous research conducted by Skistar
Earlier this year, a sustainability survey conducted by the head of sustainability was sent out to all employees working for Skistar during the season of 20/21. The survey was answered by 463 employees from all different ski resorts owned by Skistar, yet only 361 answers were completed. 99 of the respondents were located in Åre, which corresponds to 23,35% of the total number of answers. Statements of various themes were performed, such as “ I am motivated to change my behavior to make SkiStar more sustainable.” and “Sustainability is an area we discuss in my working group” which the respondents valued on a scale from 1 (totally disagree) to 6 (totally agree). Some statements were complimented by an “open for comment” section, where respondents could add comments about the previous statement. Respondents were also encouraged to contribute with their own ideas and suggestions to Skistars sustainability efforts. The results clearly showed a commonality of the need for employee inclusion and increased effort in waste management aspects. The researcher has been assigned access to the survey and the result, which is of great value for this thesis project.
1.6 Problem formulation
visitors, local communities, workers, investors, ecosystems or cultural heritages, etc., Sustainable destination development is a phenomenon that impacts all levels, and all dimensions of sustainability. Therefore, there is a need to implement effective and smart solutions which impacts and enhances sustainable behavior, whereby this study focuses on the technique of nudging. Furthermore, as previous internal quantitative research showed negative aspects in terms of recycling, waste management, and employee involvement, however, little information was known in terms of a deeper understanding of why this occurred. In order to make humans behave in a certain and desirable way, it is important to understand the current situation and the behavior they are pursuing, what hinders and motivates them in their actions. This awakened an interest for further investigation of the deeper meanings and stived the decision to explore how to increase and enhance sustainable behavior in regards to waste management and recycling from an employee perspective.
“The net result is that all those involved in tourism have a huge responsibility to recognize the importance of its sustainable development. Tourism has immense power to do good. Yet it
can also be the vector for the very pressures that may destroy the assets on which it relies.” (UNEP & UNWTO, 2005, p. 10)
1.7 Research purpose
Following the problem formulation and the description of the case study above, the research purpose has been created as;
By exploring the current situation of the employees and their behavior around waste management in their given staff accommodation, and combining this with the theoretical fundamentals of nudging, this study aims to investigate and examine how nudging can be used as a tool in order to include the employees in a company's sustainability efforts.
sustainable behavior and a circular system of waste management. This will generate further comprehension and knowledge of the stakeholders and behavior on the destination, and by that, a greater understanding of the phenomena of sustainable destination development.
1.8 Research questions
The following research question was formulated to evaluate and explore the synergy between nudging and the employees´ sustainability effort:
Q0- How can nudging be used as a tool in order to include the employees in a company's sustainability efforts?
To answer this, three supportive research questions were formulated to receive a broad understanding of how to be able to include the employees in the company's sustainability efforts.
Q1- What is the current situation and behavior occurring in the provided seasonal staff accommodation in terms of waste management?
Q2- What are the impacting factors behind the employees' waste management efforts?
Q3- What type of nudging techniques are appropriate to incorporate to make the employees conscious about their waste management?
1.9 Perspective statement
1.10 Delimitation
To make this research feasible, the researcher has limited the scope of research to the destination of Åre. Furthermore, several different target groups can be found in terms of nudging and waste management within a tourist destination, yet this research will focus on a larger tourism company operating on the destination. In communication and discussion with the company, the decision was made to focus on employee involvement and waste management within the staff accommodation, to narrow the scope to a specific target group, as well as target the need for improvement potential shown in the previous quantitative study conducted by the company earlier this season. Moreover, the employees are expected to stay at the destination for a longer period of time/season and are therefore likely to have gained recycling/waste management patterns and habits, which is of great relevance when looking at nudging techniques and how to change behaviors. Furthermore, as the company provides staff accommodation to 175 coworkers during the season of 20/21, located in 15 different installations, research would have been extensively time-consuming to study them all. Therefore, 4 accommodations with different features and locations were chosen to narrow the scope. In order to make the research deep and meaningful, five participants were chosen for in-depth interviews focusing on current behavior, motivation, and perceptions of waste management to identify important factors which influence the current behavior and what to nudge. When looking at the internal aspects and focusing the study on the people who are currently living in the provided accommodation, important knowledge can directly be identified and areas of change and improvements may be provided.
1.11 Key concepts
As this study is built on several fundamental concepts, a list of crucial explanations are presented below;
1. Sustainable Development;
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (Brundtland, 1987). 2. Destination Development;
As no commonly accepted definition of the concept of Destination Development has been found, this research applies to the definition used by Destination British Columbia, Canada; “Destination development is the strategic planning and advancement of defined areas to support the evolution of desirable destinations for travellers, with a sole focus on the supply side of tourism, by providing compelling experiences, quality infrastructure, and remarkable services to entice repeat visitation.” (Destination British Columbia, n.d.).
3. Sustainable Destination Development;
Therefore, in regard to the complexity and the multi-dynamic aspects of this concept, the definition of sustainable destination development in this research combines and refers to the two definitions above;
“Sustainable Destination Development is the strategic planning and advancement of defined areas to support the evolution of desirable destinations for travellers, with a sole focus on the supply side of tourism, which develops within the frames for a sustainable development ~ To meet the needs of the present generation, without compromising the needs of the future generations.“ (Savu & Ulander, 2020).
4. Nudging;
The concept was originally stated by the inventors Thaler and Sunstein in their book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, where they defined a nudge as; “A nudge, as we will use the term, is any aspect of the choice architecture that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives. To count as a mere nudge, the intervention must be easy and cheap to avoid. Nudges are not mandates. Putting fruit at eye level counts as a nudge. Banning junk food does not.” (Thaler & Sunstein 2008, p. 6).
5. Waste Management;
Waste management is control of waste-related activities with the aim of protecting the environment and human health, and resources conservation. Waste-related activities include waste-creating processes, waste handling as well as waste utilisation (Pongrácz & Pohjola, 2004).
6. Recycling;
In this thesis, recycling is one of the prioritized activities in regards to waste management and to minimize waste, and is referred to as;
Recycling is the process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products. Recycling can benefit your community and the environment (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2020).
2. Frame of reference
2.1 The process to create the frame of reference
In order to receive a wide understanding of the theoretical knowledge on the chosen subjects and gather important perspectives from previous literature, a frame of reference was created. Related keywords were identified such as “sustainable development”, “sustainable destination development”, “nudging”, “nudging techniques”, “nudging waste management”, “change behavior” and elaborated with to generate different hits. The second-hand data collection was mainly done online, with google scholar as the preliminary search engine. Efforts to focus the literature on the last decade were attempted, as the topics of sustainable development and nudging have progressed majorly during the recent years. Yet, earlier literature does occur due to the relevance of different perspectives. Literature was focused on peer-reviewed articles, hence, as valuable information was found in book formats, these were included as well. Throughout the process, additional sources were added, to extensively supply more aspects to the theoretical foundation and target and complement specific findings of the empirical data. After debriefing the chosen articles, similarities were identified in order to narrow down the topic, find research gaps as well as coherently connect the previous literature to this current study.
2.2 The complexity of sustainable development
within all societal levels and industries (Tillväxtverket, 2020). Brave leaders and the transition from the dominant monetary purpose are argued to be two key components for change to happen, yet creates a complicated dilemma as policymakers and decision-makers usually tend to be more interested hence concerned about the economic pillar, as it lays as a success factor and dominant indicator for governmental systems. Therefore, C Hall argues that sustainable development is rather a theoretical model, yet fails in practice (Hall,2011). Additionally, the lack of commonly accepted definitions due to the multidimensional aspects creates space for interpretations and misunderstandings further adds to the criticism (Wickens et al., 2015). With vague requirements of what counts as sustainable and from whom, when, the degree of urgency, for how long, and who decides its limits, sustainability becomes a theoretical dream yet faces practical challenges in reality (Berno & Bricker, 2001).
Furthermore, the complexity regarding the measurement of the dimensions becomes visible when looking into the concrete variables and the short vs long term aspects. The socio-cultural and environmental dimensions tend to be far more complex and extensive to grade as change may happen over a long time, are hard to value, may have intangible values, and may have many factors influencing at the same time, compared to the economic pillar which is rather easy to measure due to its numerical nature and straight forward value (McKercher & Prideaux, 2014; Dwyer, 2018). However, although the debate about practical and theoretical implications are criticised, natural science clearly points to the direction that change needs to be implemented, due to the effects of human activity are expected to have devastating results on natural resources and important ecosystem services in the near future, destroying not only society itself, but the planet we rely on (Leal Filho et al., 2017).
2.3 Why sustainable efforts by companies?
company's responsibilities to take action (Kastenholz, 2004). Secondly, as the attention for sustainable development increases, the increased pressure on national and global authorities to take action and responsibility is noticeable, whereby raised pressure on a company level is to be seen. Sustainability reporting, tax regulations, and Agenda 2030 are just a few examples of laws, regulations, and long-term goals in order to reach a more sustainable future (Tillväxtverket, 2020), which can be seen as one major reason why companies are steered to sustainable efforts. Furthermore, in the article Sustainable development: a competitive advantage or a threat, several benefits and limitations for sustainable efforts by companies are discussed. Enhanced brand value and reputation, promoting and increasing innovation, building and sustaining shareholder value, enhanced human and intellectual capital, generating increased revenues and identification of new opportunities are stated as a few benefits which are seen in cases where sustainability has been implemented by a company. Therefore, sustainability further strengthens the capacity and can be seen as a competitive advantage and benefits the organization in the long run (Nejati, et. al 2010).
2.4 Why nudging?
choices might be easier to take, although an awareness of the negative consequences for the individual and the planet is visible and known. Research profiles such as Richard Thaler and Daniel Kahneman say that humans tend to fall quickly for short-term rewards, often take mental and physical shortcuts, get caught up in old habits, and do as "everyone else". This, although we know that in the long run, it would have benefited us if we had acted differently. Therefore, to create a positive societal change that is easy and benefits the individual, the business community, and the climate, there is a need to create a system and environment that encourages and facilitates the right type of behavior, meaning behavior that in the long run is good for the individual, the organization and the planet (Lemoine, et.al, 2019).
2.4.1 Positive aspects of nudging
2.4.2 Negative aspects of nudging
Altho nudging is argued to be a successful tool for decisions such as health promotions, pro-environmental decisions and is relatively cheap and easy to implement, the method has also been fired with great criticism. Literature reveals ethical debates about whether nudging is jeopardizing freedom of choice and personal freedom, as well as worries such as nudging can be seen as manipulative, violates human dignity, and prevents important structural reforms (Schmidt & Engelen, 2020). Furthermore, despite the increased interest and attention in the literature and on the field, organizations testify that it's hard to know where to start and which practical efforts to implement to create a successful nudge. Hence, there are many frameworks and work processes to find, yet many frameworks target professionals within the area, rather than beginners (Lemoine, et.al, 2019). Moreover, nudging is identified to be avoided when 1) Context can be changed by businesses or other institutions in the marketplace, 2) Additional regulation may be needed to set boundaries for market behavior, 3) Incentives may need to be changed to improve alignment with policy goals, 4) Intended outcome of the nudge may go against individual intentions (Ly & Soman, 2013).
2.5 To conduct a successful nudge
In order to conduct a successful nudge where the current behavior is steered to the desired direction, the literature reveals different approaches and processes to consider. Firstly, the newest process found is from 2019 and the book Nudging i praktiken: Så gör organisationen det lätt att göra rätt which presents a process which they call “the behavioral journey”. The process is built on four steps; 1) Behavioral analysis 2) Behavioral insight 3) Behavioral effort and 4) Experiment. The process is built from interdisciplinary perspectives within psychology, service design, and behavioral economics to understand the user and the situation and context in-depth, which are later transformed into solutions that are designed to meet the users' needs and to be explored and evaluated in practice by experiment. In short, the process is described as follows ;
2. Behavioral insight - Understand the user's reality. In order to change the user's behavior, it's important to understand the users' reality and deeply understand the users' needs. Both users who do not perform the behavior today and users who actually do the behavior, are important to include and understand as these give an insight and knowledge about motivation, obstacles, or challenges and in the next step, creates an understanding of the problem to solve.
3. Behavioral effort - Design your nudge. With the foundation of the behavioral analysis and the insight, the next step is about choosing an appropriate way to nudge. Furthermore, factors to consider are to make sure the nudge is feasible, user-focused, measurable, and ethical.
4. Experiment - Evaluate and measure the effectiveness of your nudge. The last step is to implement the nudge in the actual environment and context. Measure the outcome and make sure it fulfills the purpose and leads to a behavioral change. This can also be facilitated by one “test” group and one “normal group” to deeply follow the change in your process (Lemoine, et.al, 2019).
Figure 1- The nudging process presented in the book Nudging i praktiken: Så gör organisationen det lätt att göra rätt.
Figure 2- The nudging process presented in the article A Practitioner’s Guide To Nudging.
2.6 Different types of nudges
When targeting different behaviors to change, it is important to apply the right method of nudging to the right case. Yet, the variety of tools keeps on growing as the method of nudging takes a larger part of the social structure and is more and more noticed in larger contexts. The article Nudging: A Very Short Guide by C.R Sunstein states the following most common and effective nudges;
● Change in the default option; It is argued to be one of the most efficient nudging techniques. This effort simply changes the “normal”, pre-set first alternative. For example, by changing the default option to vegetarian food on a conference or an aircraft (yet having the alternative of meat or fish as a choice of notice) more people are likely to stay with the alternative of vegetarian food, instead of making an effort to change the order to meat or fish.
● Simplification; To behave in a certain way for a certain good/cause, humans tend to be drawn to simplicity. If something is too complicated or takes too much effort to pursue, the chances of carrying it through successfully are slim. Therefore, the effects of simplification are easy to underestimate, yet may have a significant impact if implemented correctly.
● Increases the convenience; One of the main goals of nudging is to “make it easy”, therefore, if the goal is to encourage certain behavior, reducing various barriers (including the time that it takes to understand what to do) is often helpful. This can for example be portrayed as moving the healthy or ecological food lower down, making it easy to choose good products.
letters, or terrifying/uplifting images may influence one's perception and behavior around it.
● Using social norms; By emphasizing the social norms, behavior can change as
humans tend to strive for collective behavior. Therefore, informing and highlighting the social norms are seen to be one of the most effective nudges to engage in a certain behavior, and is as most effective if applied as local and specific as possible.
● Disclosure; By providing transparency regarding factors around the behavior,
disclosure can be highly effective, especially if the information is provided with simplicity, comprehensibility, and accessibility.
● Precommitment strategies; In order to successfully reach a specific goal or target,
individuals are more likely to follow through if a premade action plan or activity has been presented. As a specific action, a measurable goal and a defined time frame can motivate action and reduce procrastination.
● Reminders; As humans tend to forget, procrastinate or ignore information or tasks, a
reminder can be an easy yet powerful tool to enhance and facilitate a certain behavior. Here, timing is a key point and the window for accessibility can be highly critical, whereby extra caution needs to be taken to successfully pursue.
● Eliciting implementation intentions; To highlight and strengthen a particular behavior,
to ask directly if an individual is intended to pursue the behavior can enhance and provoke engagement and pursuance of activity.
● Informing people of the nature and consequences of their own past choices; By informing the results of individuals or organizations previous performances or choices (for example show how much money one has spent on previous electric bills) change in decision can be seen and behavior may shift (Sunstein, 2014).
behavior. Pure nudges are implemented to change the choice environment to guide behavior unobtrusively, whereby moral nudges provoke a psychological reaction to trigger behavior change (Carlsson et al., 2019).
2.7 Cases of nudging within a waste management context
In 2018, the Swedish company of beteendelabbet, which has specialized expertise within nudging and behavioral economics, successfully pursued a nudging project on the construction company of Wästbygg which intended to change the recycling behavior on site. By viable and distinct information signs (with clear symbols and in different languages), displayed statistics from the previous months, movable containers to facilitate the simplicity and incentives every third month, the company successfully reduced their waste by 90 tons and instead increased their recycling efforts. (Beteendelabbet, n.d). Another experiment took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, where littering was identified as a behavioral problem. To nudge the society, a research team tried to place green footprints that led to various garbage bins and thereafter handed out caramels in the nearby area. Researchers then observed how many people followed the footprints to the garbage bin and disposed of the caramel wrapper. The study showed that there was a 46% decrease in caramel papers littering the streets when the green footprints were in use (Ly et al., 2013).
2.8 Behavior and decisions
looking at reality, cases of such does rarely imply, which highlights the theoretical aspects of models and frameworks regarding behavioral economics. Therefore, the experimental part of nudging and the cross-linkage between behavioral economics and psychology aspects are not to overlook nor underestimate (Ly & Soman, 2013). Furthermore, when studying aspects of behavior and decision making, it is important to recognize the challenge of cognitive biases, meaning the statements and intuitions of one's behavior do not always correspond to the performed actions. Cognitive biases may occur due to limited accessibility, loss aversion, social pressure, and overconfidence/optimism, etc. However, the technique of nudging and changing choice architecture is therefore identified as a tool and an effective strategy for leveraging these cognitive traps in an attempt to facilitate behavior for the better, among both individuals and organizations (Battaglio, et.al 2018).
3. Methodology and Method
The following chapter guides the philosophical aspects and the research paradigm of this study, as well as a presentation of how the research was conducted.
3.1 Methodology
3.1.1 Research philosophy
elements (Saunders et al., 2009) which are argued to be beneficial to this study due to the complexity of sustainability, destination development, and human behavior.
3.1.2 Research approach
Following the interpretivism paradigm in combination with a qualitative study, this research is leaning towards an inductive research approach, meaning the research goes from a practical process of real-life observations, into theoretical implications and theories. By collecting empirical observations in the form of interviews from reality, the researcher aims to identify the current behavior, factors to the behavior, as well as suggestions for improvement, which is supported by the inductive approach. However, as the technique and fundamentals of nudging are commonly associated with the experimental and deductive research approach, it is important to highlight that this study rather focuses on identifying the underlying factors in the current situation and provide knowledge on how/what to nudge, rather than practically experimenting and pursuing a nudge. Hence, this research does not aim to test any hypotheses but rather identify meanings and draw findings that add to the existing knowledge (Collis & Hussey, 2014). However, deductive elements can be found in terms of guidance in the process to conduct a successful nudge, where the “behavioural journey” presented by Lemonie et al., works as inspiration.
3.1.3 Research design
This thesis is of qualitative nature with an exploratory purpose due to its deeper aim of exploring both how and why and with interviews as the main method of collecting the primary data. This enables “a deeper understanding of behavior, rather than a shallow representation of intentions” (Granot et al., 2012, p. 547). Therefore, this design facilitates a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the research topic and the phenomena, as well as decomposes the complexity in a suitable manner. Furthermore, this design enables flexibility and adaptability in regards to new findings and is appropriate in combination with a case study (Collis & Hussey, 2014; Saunders et al., 2009).
Furthermore, this design is of great relevance and is estimated to give meaningful information and concrete value to the chosen company, destination, and the industry.
3.2 Method
3.2.1 Sampling process for primary data
The population is the item(s) under investigation, which in this study is identified as “seasonal co-workers, living in provided staff accommodations”. This is further divided into the sample, which is described as a subset of the population, and in this study identified as “seasonal co-workers in Åre, living in provided staff accommodations by Skistar (Collis & Hussey, 2014). Firstly, in order to make this research feasible, the scope of the sample is further narrowed by a judgemental sampling process in terms of which provided staff accommodations to investigate. Features such as geographical location, size, number of residents, and waste management services are looked at, to discover commonalities, differences and prerequisites, as well as structures and norms. By this, four staff accommodations- Årekläppen 107, Östlienvägen 6 and 7, Blåkulla (Björnenvägen 1) within the destination of Åre are selected.
Secondly, a mix of convenience sampling(in order to determine the participants) and selective sampling (in order to determine the accommodations) was used to contact, inform and invite potential participants within the chosen accommodations. This was directly made by the company, with respect to GDPR regulations. By this, five participants were selected out of availability and voluntariness. They all have been working for Skistar for the season of 20/21 and have been living in one of the determinant accommodations for a minimum of two months. Three out of five had not been living in shared accommodation before, and two participants had previous experiences of seasonal work for Skistar in Åre. All of the participants received themself as some level of sustainability-conscious and are aged between 19-26 years old.
3.2.2 Primary data collection and interview structure
participant and give time to thoughtful answers and meaningful reflection, as well as confidence about what questions to come. The questions were elaborated and confirmed with the subject reader and supervisor beforehand to guarantee appropriateness and meaningful context. The interview was conducted in Swedish, as it was the native language of all participants as well as the researcher. All interviews were on voluntary premises and recorded on the participants' agreement to receive a backup and the ability to go through the raw data again. The interviews took between 25-40 minutes and resulted in approximately 3 hours of raw data. The interview consisted of semi-structured, open-ended questions divided into personal related information, Behavior for waste management and recycling within the received staff accommodation, and Skistar's sustainability work. This, to provide a wide yet grounded understanding of the current behavior and situation within the accommodation, as well as a personal coworking perspective regarding the company's employee involvement and sustainability efforts in general. The semi-structured formula gives the interview a more relaxed environment where conversation and discussion can flow freely. To enhance elaborated and in-depth answers, and clarify if misunderstandings arise the interview incorporates probes. This is due to provide clarity, define relevance, depth, dimension, significance, comparisons, and address biases (Collis & Hussey, 2014; Saunders et al., 2009).
3.2.3 Data analysis
3.2.4 Ethical considerations and trustworthiness of research method
To conduct and guarantee an appropriate, trustworthy, and ethical research, the four criteria of transferability, dependability, confirmability and credibility identified by Lincoln and Guba (1985) are used to evaluate the analysis of this study. This further raises the quality and enhances the validity and reliability of the research (Collis & Hussey, 2014). The credibility of the research is strengthened by data triangulation in the form of first and second-hand data collection, which was cross-checked with the frame of reference, as well as the time spectrum of a two months research period can enhance the accuracy (Collis & Hussey, 2014). The transferability refers to the generalizability of the study, and if the study can be pursued with a similar outcome in another case or setting. As this study is customized to SkiStar Åre and their provided staff accommodation, a risk for differences in outcome may occur if research is applied to other cases. Yet, the research is clearly outlined and described, providing rich and comprehensive data and characteristics for seasonal workers' behavior regarding waste management within staff accommodation and its application to the concept of nudging, whereby the research can be adjusted to another setting and modified to specialize to another case. Therefore, the dependability of this research is evaluated to be high.
the continuum of the positivism and interpretivism spectrum of research, and provides supportive knowledge of both objective and subjective standpoints. Furthermore, the study has been guided and peer debriefed by a subject reader which provides valuable feedback, helpful advice, and help to minimize misunderstandings or unclarity.
3.2.5 Ethical aspects of nudging
As the study applies to the concept of nudging- whereby human behavior and how to change human behavior will be under examination, ethical aspects are not to deny. The knowledge and the ability to steer or “push” behavior in a certain, favorable direction needs to be handled with great respect. However, as this study aims to examine the personal motives and objectives behind the decisions, rather than the experiment itself of changing the decision, no direct interference of nudging is performed. As the previous internal research revealed an urgent need for increased employee involvement as well as waste management efforts, this study aims to create an understanding of the underlying decisions of the employees waste management habits, which in the next step may be used to nudge to improve and facilitate sustainable decisions and efforts within the company.
4. Empirical findings and first order analysis
This chapter, therefore, gives a good foundation to apply the theoretical concept of nudging and select appropriate nudges to the case. By this, researchers aim to discover potential nudging solutions in order to enhance and facilitate a sustainable behavior and decisions within the staff accommodations. The participants are presented below;
After coding and analyzing the interviews, the following findings were identified;
4.1 The current situation
Furthermore, two participants state the importance of recycling, yet do not feel the necessity or actively prioritize it while working on a seasonal basis and living in temporary accommodation, as if they would have been living in a more settled home environment. “We have made so that we have a lot of paper bags along a wall where we have cardboard, plastic, metal, glass that we have set up ourselves.” - Participant 1
“We have made the recycling possibilities clearer. We have a small corridor where we have set up different containers or what should I say, different plastic boxes that we can sort in. But after the first week, I asked for more boxes because I knew they would be full”-Participant 5
“So the articles we actually sort are cans, and colored and uncolored glass because you can bring them to Ica. Otherwise, it is probably nothing .. we have a general dustbin so it becomes that everything else is thrown in that one.”- Participant 2
4.2 Factors to behavior
During the interviews, several factors to enhance a successful sustainable behavior and factors which influence the current behavior have been identified.
4.2.1 Background and previous experience;
“I have my mother who always thought it was very important, so I grew up with it. So I have received that appreciation from her and so I also think it is very important.” -Participant 1, about recycling
“Recycling is very natural for me, my parents have always pushed it, so for me it is a matter of course.” - Participant 5
“yeah but you are still very lazy...It is very easy to do it at home because it is very important in our house and my family, but it is not something that is a huge priority now when I do a season.” - Participant 2, about recycling
“yes but some are more environmentally conscious than others, many are lazy, they are still seasonal residents..many have never lived alone before and many are used to parents taking care of everything. And then they don't really have this own thinking, like think of themselves primarily and not of the environment” - Participant 5
“Because we are four of the people living in my accommodation which has done as many seasons as I have and yeah you know you learn...like where should we throw the garbage. We must have somewhere, we must have something to throw it in, otherwise it will be mountains gradually. You know it the fourth season, that it doesn't work otherwise” - Participant 4
4.2.2 A favorable environment
“I think it would have been optimal if each housing had their own sorting bins or containers, in order to provide the best access and possibility as possible and so we can handle it the best we can. Right now we collect all our stuff in like paper bags from Ica. I think it feels difficult if you do not have the right conditions and circumstances" -Participant 4
“Probably no one takes it very seriously, we have not sat down and talked about the importance of sorting, so for us it has just become that we have paper bags where we throw cans and glass, then everything else ends up in the usual trash can.” - Participant 2
4.2.3 Distance
Furthermore, the distance, the proximity, and the effort to pursue the behavior is another factor that clearly impacts the ability to successfully sort and recycle. All interviews discussed the factor of distance and how it affects the probability of pursuing successful recycling. One participant describes the sorting station within their accommodation in a hallway, rather far away from the kitchen which produces the most waste articles, whereby the general bin is located in connection to the kitchen. Therefore, this may create an extra “effort element” in order to recycle the article, instead of taking the shortcut and putting it in the general bin. However, when looking outside of the accommodation, and the ability to reach the public recycling stations, the research shows that all five participants think they live close to a public recycling point and perceive good possibilities according to distance. Yet, two participants shared previous experience from earlier seasons with Skistar in Åre and previous staff accommodation, whereby distance was a major problem in regards to waste management and recycling.
“Yes I think it is good, we are very close too, we just walk down to one of the waste rooms provided for the tourists so we are pretty close to that which makes it easy. I think it would have been harder if we would have needed to take the car or walk far, then maybe you get a bit lazy in order to not walk as often”- Participant 1
“We have like 100 meters to the public recycling point where we can handle our waste management, so I would say that is very easy and smooth”- Participant 3
“And we are also fortunately very close to a sorting station now, so it makes it so much easier. Instead of that first staff accommodation I had when we lived in Duved .. then we kind of had to collect it in bags, to then take the car since it was very far… like it was psychologically stressful for everyone ... so then it was really easy just to ignore it”-Participant 4
4.2.4 Motivation and transparency
When looking into different factors which regulate the wanted sustainable behavior, motivation and transparency of the result are identified to impact the decision to recycle. Firstly, none of the participant states their motivation for recycling was changed during the period in the given staff accommodation, however, three out of five participants admits their motivation would raise if a “recycle competition” between/within the accommodation would be implemented, and all participants believed they would be more motivated if they knew what their food waste goes to biomass fuel to run the ski busses. Therefore, transparency of the result of the behavior, as well as a tangible goal or reason to do it, can be seen as an important factor to receive the wanted behavior.
"You always get more motivated when you aim for something" - Participant 3
“But if it would have gone to some type of biofuel, I think at least it would have engaged me more than thinking it would just end up in some type of garbage bin.” - Participant 4
“A competition is to win, I definitely think it could have helped.” - Participant 2
4.3 The collective behavior
routine with shared responsibility. However, if the behavior of recycling is not communicated or implemented by anyone, it's identified to be overlooked if no one starts.
"I moved in a bit later than the others, but since the people I live with already had a system, I just joined in on that" - Participant 1
“It wasn't anyone who brought it up, but if someone had done it in the beginning it would probably have been a different thing. We are good at communicating with each other, but when a topic is not addressed, it's just a topic that no one takes responsibility for” -Participant 2
“Well at first I lived in this accommodation by myself, and then I did not recycle. Then my two friends came up, and since they are very concerned about the environment they were very strict that we should do it. And when you live three, you remind each other and when you see someone else do it, you do not want to throw any metal yourself in the trash.”- Participant 3 “Yes I think it is easy, but it is probably also because we are all collectively pretty good at it too, so it becomes everyone's responsibility to do it and it is everyone's responsibility to go and throw it away. So I think we have probably got a pretty good system on it and a good routine that everyone takes care of” - Participant 4
4.4 Information
all participants state that the majority of information is received before the season/job starts, and no follow-up/reminder takes place during the seasonal months, which has resulted in oblivion. Moreover, research also showed three examples of where email has been stated to not be an effective way of communicating information to these participants.
“Eh no, I would probably not say that I have received any clear information about my housing and recycling and my role in åre. It's not like there exists some type of house description or likely... it's more like here are your keys and you will live here... And then we kind of walked around and discovered a waste management point for the tourists which was close by, so then we assumed that it was there we should throw our stuff, so we had to figure that out ourselves. So no, it is not very clear, I must say ..” - Participant 4
“Yes, specifically as an employee, I have received a lot of information. But there is less information about specific housing and our role in Åre, and what requirements...But yes as an employee, I have definitely received that information. And otherwise, it is just to ask if there is anything.”- Participant 1
“no, not what I have been thinking about, I may have received it by email, but it is nothing that I have opened, read, or seen.” - Participant 3 (About sustainability reminders/follow up during the season)
“I have not received anything specific about it, I think ... I'm not 100% sure, but we may have got something in the email like where we should throw our garbage. But I do not feel that we have received any specific information about recycling or waste management, or that they have pointed it out as something important. And if they had been, maybe more people would have thought of it, but no I have not really seen anything specific about it” - Participant 2
4.5 The participants ideas to improvements
kitchen. Secondly, the need for clearer and adjusted information specialized for the provided accommodation, as well as information regarding the importance of recycling and a list of the most common articles, was declared.
Furthermore, the wish for a composting system and food waste alternative was identified among three of the participants, where one participant dived deeper within a circular system. She suggested the possibility of a collection of food waste would be a great supplement to local farmers to provide food for their animals. This would create a closed food system loop and benefit the local community as well as minimize the burnable garbage and food waste. Another topic was to create motivation by competitions or reachable and tangible goals, as well as the information and transparency of what happens with the waste if/if not recycled. One question was directly focused on the end of the season whereby articles and food are not being brought home by the seasonal workers. Ideas such as a collective gathering space at the workplace, promotion, and enhancements to give it into secondhand stores or collect it to donate were brought up as ideas.
“But I know that at home we got a very good list sent to us when they started with a new system where it was very clear how to do it, and I think something like it would have been very good to have. For example when it is things that you think are difficult like packages that have both plastic and cartons... And we do not have a compost, which I really miss, because it is something that I think is very important and the waste can go to good things”-Participant 1
“Something that I think would have helped a lot is if we would get a station with different vessels with notes and tags on with what to sort were, so it gets clearer and more specific, I think that would have made it a lot easier” Participant 2
“(From previous work experience) so we fixed that we had our own bags only for food waste which we then gave to farms because it was very much food waste. So they became food to chickens and pigs instead of going down in some burnable bag.”- Participant 1
everyone a Skistar beanie or something like that ... so that we would work with goals instead of competition, I think that would have triggered those minds a bit more”- Participant 5 “Some kind of pre-made bins that are not Ica bags, just to get a little more structured and clear like that, I think that would have been optimal.”
Participant 4
4.6 Skistars sustainable efforts from an employee perspective
At the end of the interviews, questions regarding the employee's perception of Skistar's generally sustainability work were included to receive a personal and deeper understanding from an employee perspective, as well as a more qualitative complement to the internal quantitative survey conducted earlier this year. Areas such as social sustainability regarding safety and wellbeing at work and environmental sustainability such as lifts driven on renewable energy were addressed as positive aspects when it comes to sustainable efforts. All participants state they all feel the importance of working for a responsible and sustainable company. Yet, two participants state they do not feel they have a significant role in Skistars sustainability efforts, versus one person who had a perception of being a strong representative for the company and their sustainable beliefs.
“Yes absolutely, we actually talked about it earlier today like what kind of feeling you have for the company generally and if we were proud to work for Skistar, and we all agreed and yes it really feels as if you are actively working with very important issues. Or ignore the recycling part now, but like good atmosphere at work, no discrimination, that you work quite actively with such and also sustainability work with green electricity and you know that the lift is powered by solar energy and all of that”- Participant 4
“I have been well received and we have been told whom to turn to regarding safety at work or how we should feel at work, etc. And they are very responsive when it comes to ideas and stuff.” - Participant 1
“So no, I don't think for me personally it is very included. You never feel that you have any kind of say in things when it comes to companies. Because you are really at the bottom of the food chain…” - Participant 2
5. Final analysis and application to the theoretical framework
The final analysis incorporates the main findings in the first section analysis and the theoretical framework, to explore and comprehensively answer the research questions and develop tangible solutions for the case. Firstly commonalities and differences between the theoretical framework and the case are discussed, followed by a hands integration between nudging techniques and the case, in order to adapt the knowledge and create tangible suggestions for the company.
5.1 Commonalities and integrations to the theoretical framework
you still don't do it”. These findings align well with the description the researchers Richard Thaler and Daniel Kahneman says that humans tend to fall quickly for short-term rewards, often take mental and physical shortcuts, get caught up in old habits, and do as "everyone else". This, although we actually know that in the long run, it would have benefited us if we had acted differently (Lemoine, et.al, 2019).
Furthermore, nudging is much about creating a system and environment that encourages and facilitates the right type of behavior, meaning behavior that in the long run is good for the individual, the organization and the planet (Lemoine, et.al, 2019). Where in this case, the right type of behavior is a sustainable pursuit of recycling within the given seasonal accommodation. However, for example, the findings revealed that the accommodation is rather equipped with a general bin, instead of a facilitating system with specialized bins intended for recycling, a hindrance in the decision architecture was identified quickly. Therefore, this type of problem aligns with the theoretical foundation of nudging and is suitable for common nudging techniques such as change of default option or simplification. Moreover, this case can be applied, facilitate and enhance good decisions and a sustainable behavior for both the individual, the organization, and the planet. If the company chose to implement nudging techniques within the given staff accommodation and design customized and simplified choice environments whereby it is easy to take “the right decision”, the individual and the employees are likely to actively perform an increased recycling behavior and to raise consciousness. This would benefit the individual, but also involve the employees in the company's sustainability efforts and contribute to a sustainable destination and planet. Ly & Soman outlines positive aspects of nudging, whereby limited extensiveness can favor quick implementation, small costs, and expected fast effect can be applied to this type of case. Nudging is also argued to be easier to implement than a law, regulation, or economic incentive and applies directly to human behavior instead of economic factors which may vary between humans and social standards (Ly & Soman, 2013) Furthermore, all the interviews revealed a personal value and importance to work for a sustainable responsible company, whereby employee involvement and waste management has been pinpointed as improvement areas from previous internal research.
more sustainable destination and the planet. This can further be connected to positive aspects of sustainability efforts that benefit the company in the long run addressed by Nejati, et. al. For example, enhanced brand value and reputation, promoting and increasing innovation, building and sustaining shareholder/stakeholder value, enhanced human and intellectual capital, strengthens the capacity, and identification of new opportunities (Nejati, et. al 2010) can be applied to this case.
5.2 Suggested solutions and suggested nudging techniques
The sections integrate the theoretical foundation with the practical outcomes to widely adopt and investigate how nudging can be a tool to incorporate the employees in a company's sustainability efforts. The researcher has analyzed the data, and in combination with the theoretical framework and the participants' own ideas for improvements, specific nudging techniques have been identified to adapt to the problem, and suggested actions have been developed. However, it's important to highlight that more/different efforts can be implemented as well. In regards to the theoretical framework and paragraph 2.5 “How to conduct a successful nudge”- This section is can be equated with the third step (behavior effort, design your nudge) of the behavioral journey, presented by Lemoine et al, in the book Nudging i praktiken: Så gör organisationen det lätt att göra rätt.
5.2.1 Decision architecture
The first section analysis firstly described the current situation in the staff accommodation and the possibility and behavior regarding waste management and recycling. A motivation, will, and pattern to pursue the behavior was identified, in terms of the participants' own implemented systems such as paper bags and plastic containers. However, limited resources and possibilities to pursue a successful recycling behavior within the accommodation provided by the company was identified. Researchers, therefore, identified a hinder, which later was strengthened by the participants' own ideas for improvements.
-Change the default option; Instead of providing a general bin, provide recycling bins. -Simplification; Clearly mark the containers with specific goods and articles.
-Increase convenience; Change placing of bins, place in connection to the kitchen, and switch places of general/recycling bins. Adjust size according to accommodation.
-Warnings, graphics, or likewise; Can be used to modify and cheer up the bins. Garbage and waste management can easily be connected to negative attributes/feelings such as dirt/waste/disgusting, which can be changed with the visualization or mood.
-Disclosure; Focus on positive statistics and numbers, transparency regarding what recycling efforts do.
5.2.2 Enhance and facilitate behavior
Altho a motivation for pursuing the behavior is identified, all participants stated the word “laziness” and that cheating is occurring. On one hand, this can be connected to the access/not access to favorable conditions and facilitating environment architecture. However, motivation can be enhanced and temptations for cheating should be minimized. Furthermore, two participants state the importance of recycling, yet do not feel the need or actively prioritize it while working on a seasonal basis and living in temporary accommodation, as if they would have been in a more settled home environment. In combination with the collective behavior, all of the participants state that “you do as the others do”
Suggested Solution; In order to raise motivation, all participants have shown a positive attitude to a tangible and feasible goal such as a competition or likewise. Furthermore, a few of the participants have stated their motivation has changed during the season, it's important to highlight and create good motivation already from the start. This would also facilitate collective behavior, with respect and a fellowship in doing it together. Suggested nudging techniques;
-Using social norms; To highlight and build a social norm in recycling already from the start. Inform and highlight positive statistics of how many that recycles. Create a fellowship and solidarity in pursuing sustainable behavior.
- Disclosure; Provide numbers and statistics of previous months, years, accommodation to increase transparency and minimize “the magic” that happens when the waste goes
Reminders; To highlight the continuous behavior, reminders can be an easy yet effective way
to enhance and facilitate recycling and sustainable behavior.
Eliciting implementation intentions; By asking eliciting questions as “are you thinking about
recycling” when handing over the keys to the accommodation or “how is the recycling going” after moving in is likely to higher the behavior implementation.
Precommitment strategies; In the middle of the season, the researcher suggests implementing
a “sustainability theme/focus week” with concrete goals, competitions, motivations, inspirations, measurements, and reminders. This, in order to remind and highlight the focus of sustainability both at work and as a resident in the accommodation/on the destination.
Simplifying the decision; By providing the right information about recycling, in connection to
the decision moment, an enhanced possibility of correct recycling is likely to be seen.
5.2.3 Information
In terms of information, as all participants have stated that the information regarding their employment has been excellent, yet little information has been received regarding their staff housing, waste management, and their "role" as a resident in Åre. Therefore, the researcher has found an obstacle in regards to information, and on how the employee receives the information.
Suggested Solution; In order to provide the right information within the accommodation, information charts that are adapted to the specific accommodation are to recommend. Information such as where the closest public recycling station is, information where to turn if questions occur and the most common tricky articles are examples to include. Furthermore, as email has shown to not be the most efficient communication tool, information needs to be adapted and simplified to the right target group. As most seasonal workers are between 18-30, an informative social media account for the employees can be a suggestion. Suggested nudging techniques;
Warnings, graphic, or likewise; To draw attention to the information, provide graphic
eye-catching information regarding recycling in convenient places in the accommodation.
Increase the convenience: To raise the accessibility, increase the convenience and ensure the
right information is provided, a social media account for the employees is suggested to complement the emails. An Instagram or Snapchat account with daily updates and reminders on “stories” is an easy yet effective way to provide daily information, simultaneously keeping track of how many have opened and received the information.
Disclosure; As mentioned before, provide information that's easier to process and gives a
tangible connection to the usage. Examples can be to provide how much recycled waste or water use one accommodation consumed per month/season.
Informing people of the nature and consequences of their own past choices; In connection to
the disclosure, by providing a concrete number of previous choices, behavior may change. For example, providing the electricity bill or water consumption, or how much is recycled in terms of C02 emission.
5.2.4 The collective behavior
Throughout the interviews and the first analysis of the raw data, the collective behavior regarding recycling occurring in the provided staff accommodation was highly noticeable. All of the participants commonly talked about “we do” and stated “you do as the others are doing” which portrays a strong collective behavior. Furthermore, the accommodation which implemented a self recycling system on their own from the beginning revealed a higher positivity and a collective responsibility than the other ones. Furthermore, one participant revealed her recycling behavior became better when two more persons moved into the accommodation.
Suggested solution; In order to create a successful recycling behavior, it's important to implement the habit already from the start. Highlight and communicate the importance of recycling and other important sustainable behaviors when the employees are receiving the staff accommodation. Focus on a good routine from the start and create responsibility and fellowship to engage everyone involved in the accommodation. A house guide with specific information and tips/tricks may be an idea. Suggested nudging techniques;
Reminders; To actively work with reminders may intrigue and enhance the collective
behavior and create a “we movement” to pursue successful recycling. If someone starts to cheat it's easy for others to follow, keep up the reminders and a good routine.
Eliciting implementation intentions; Ask direct questions during the season; Are you intended
to recycle? How is the recycling going? Has the recycling behavior changed during the season?
Informing people of the nature and consequences of their own past choices; By giving the
employees the full information about the recycling within the accommodation, such as how much weight, cost, emissions, etc., a numeric knowledge and a reference point can be created, which may intrigue to change the behavior.
6. Conclusion
By exploring the current situation of the employees and their behavior around waste management in their given staff accommodation, and combining this with the theoretical fundamentals of nudging, this study aims to investigate and examine how nudging can be used as a tool to include the employees in a company's sustainability efforts.
Throughout the research, several interesting and important factors and perspectives on how nudging can be a tool to include the employees in a company's sustainability efforts. This chapter summarizes the main findings, draws conclusions to the research questions, and finalizes the results.
Q1- What is the current situation and behavior occurring in the provided seasonal staff accommodation in terms of waste management?
