Understanding project champions’ ability to gain intra‐organizational commitment for environmental projects
基于组织内影响理论，研究了项目倡导者如何通过特定影响策略（如激励诉求、咨询和理性说服）获取组织内其他利益相关者对环境项目的承诺，并发现项目回报和高层支持有正向作用，而环境监管有负向作用。
Abstract A key enabler of environmental projects is the ability of the project champion to gain commitment to the project from other stakeholders in his or her organization. This paper develops a model of commitment‐gaining success that is based on intra‐organizational influence theory. The model also includes project payback, customer pressure, government regulation, top management support and the project champion's position in the organizational hierarchy. The model was tested using survey data from 241 environmental professionals describing their attempts to gain the buy‐in of purchasing managers, operations managers, industrial engineers and others for environmental projects. The results (obtained from hierarchical regression analysis) show that intra‐organizational commitment is positively associated with the project champion's influence behavior—in particular, the champion's use of three influence tactics (inspirational appeals, consultation and rational persuasion) and avoidance of a fourth tactic (ingratiation). Commitment is also positively associated with project payback and with top management support for the environment and negatively associated with environmental regulation. The paper contributes to the OM knowledge base on environmental project implementation by bringing new theory to bear on the topic, by focusing on individual‐level, rather than organization‐level, variables and by taking a confirmatory, large sample approach which complements extant exploratory research. In addition, the paper contributes to the OM field by evaluating various antecedents to cross‐functional integration. The results also provide specific guidance to those who champion environmental projects within their companies.