Sustainability and human competences: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss human competences required for sustainability management in organisations. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on a systematic review of the literature, through qualitative thematic analysis. Findings The research covered 15 years of scientific publications and was summarised in 43 articles. It revealed that education, more than management, was the field of knowledge with more references in human competences, through exploratory methodological approaches. The competences found were plenty, but there is still some misunderstanding regarding their conceptual and theoretical bases. Research limitations/implications This research provides evidence that the academic knowledge on the subject is still at its initial stage, and it exposes the debility of the management area in addressing the subject. Practical implications The authors intend to indicate to managers some fundamentals for the adoption of human competences for sustainability aiming at a more sustainable performance in organisations. Social implications The results may instigate studies concerning the fit of sustainability competences developed on higher education institutions and the job market. From it, curricula and pedagogical projects can be proposed and revised with better alignment to the organisational context. Originality/value This paper presents a theoretical contribution by building bridges among different perspectives and fields of knowledge on the topic. The paper also offers a managerial contribution by stimulating practical discussions to develop sustainability in organisations through individuals.

The simultaneous effect of green ability-motivation-opportunity and transformational leadership in environment management: the mediating role of green culture

“…The study clarifies that by deploying strategies that enhance employees' green ability, motivates them to contribute towards performance and provides them opportunities to engage in green behaviour, organizations can improve their EP. The study also clarifies that the favourable attitude of the organization towards sustainability leads towards the development of unique competencies (Galleli et al , 2019) that can be used as a strategic weapon to achieve overall competitiveness (Shashi et al , 2018) that is visible in the form of superior environmental performance. Studies have shown that organizations with superior green performance attract talented employees (Albinger and Freeman, 2000; Tang et al , 2017).…”

Green Purchasing by Wine Retailers: Roles of Individual Values, Competences and Organizational Culture

“…In addition, wine retailers' cognitive competence led to more positive green purchasing behavior while functional competence had no significant effect on green purchasing behavior. Galleli et al (2019) conducted a literature review on sustainability and human competences by adapting both relevant theoretical foundations and the analysis of practitioner interviews. They reported that although functional competence was most frequently identified in the literature, cognitive competence was addressed as being more important for green purchasing.…”

“…Boyatzis (1982) defined competences as underlying characteristics of employees, resulting in superior performance in various areas involving motives, traits, skills, social roles, or bodies of knowledge. Several scholars argued that individual competences should be understood as a continuous and interdependent process of formation and development of "knowings" and "actings" from a combination and mobilization of resources such as knowledge, skills, experiences, and values (Galleli et al, 2019). Many recent interpretations of the concept of individual competence acknowledged the developmental nature of professional practice, which offered a more comprehensive conceptualization.…”

La elaboración de modelos de competencias técnicas y su aplicación en la detección de necesidades formativas

“…Actualmente, tanto las personas como las organizaciones, se encuentran ante un escenario caracterizado por un rápido ritmo de cambio en los requerimientos del trabajo, exigiendo un movimiento continuo, que posibilite superar los desafíos inherentes a unas condiciones de empleo adversas y volátiles (Feltovich, Spiro y Coulson, 1997;Hesketh y Neal, 1999). Los modelos por competencias han tenido una gran implantación debido a que facilitan o potencian comportamientos de alto desempeño y rendimiento asociados con la estrategia organizacional, utilizando un lenguaje contingente, operativo y propio de cada realidad organizativa (Campion et al, 2011;Macchi Silva et al, 2019;Salman et al, 2020), y que además cuentan con potencial para su aplicación en la gestión sustentable de las organizaciones (Galleli et al, 2019).…”