Motivating sustainable behaviour in the workplace through control

Abstract While social and environmental accounting studies often focus on organisational-level motivations to engage in sustainability, less is known about how controls are designed to motivate individuals (managers and non-managers) to engage in sustainable workplace behaviours that align with organisational goals and, ultimately, wider planetary concerns. Drawing on the concept of motivation and its relation to control, this study aims to deepen the understanding of the role of sustainability controls for behavioural alignment across different contexts. This is achieved through the production of a conceptual typology that elaborates: What, when and how should controls be used to motivate organisational and individual behaviours that align for sustainability performance? Drawing on (1) the classification types of organisational-level ethical motivations and (2) the regulatory styles and processes of the self-determination continuum, examples are provided from two independent case studies to illustrate the types of controls that can be used by organisations to motivate the sustainable behaviours of their employees; behaviours that extend beyond the workplace into the personal sphere. The typology has analytical potential for future sustainability control research as well as practical implications in that managers can assess organisational and employee positions and then design controls accordingly to support behavioural alignment. It is important for understanding the behavioural alignment function of control by elaborating different types of incentives that can motivate sustainable behaviour. Finally, this approach may help reduce tensions in management control by connecting individual, organisational and, ultimately, planetary levels in sustainability efforts.