Social psychological drivers of environmental behavior: Impact on operational efficiency of an electric power supply company in Hebei

This study investigates the social psychological drivers of environmental behavior and their impact on operational efficiency within a Hebei electric power supply company, utilizing a comprehensive mixed-methods research design with 387 participants to examine how individual environmental consciousness translates into organizational performance improvements. The research employs structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression analysis to analyze the relationships between environmental attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioral control, collective environmental identity, and three categories of environmental behaviors (energy conservation, waste reduction, and green innovation), while examining their subsequent effects on technical efficiency, cost efficiency, and overall system performance. Results demonstrate that environmental attitudes serve as the strongest predictor of environmental behaviors (β = 0.452 for energy conservation), with collective environmental identity showing particularly strong relationships with green innovation behaviors (β = 0.71), while descriptive social norms significantly influence all environmental behavior categories (β = 0.387). The analysis reveals that environmental behaviors collectively explain substantial variance in operational efficiency measures, with energy conservation behaviors accounting for 33.7% of technical efficiency improvements, emission reduction behaviors explaining 28.9% of cost efficiency gains, and green innovation behaviors demonstrating the strongest associations with overall system performance (r = 0.61). Mediation analysis indicates that environmental knowledge and operational risk reduction serve as crucial mechanisms linking social psychological drivers to operational outcomes, while technological infrastructure and supervisory leadership provide important moderating effects. Longitudinal analysis reveals temporal dynamics with optimal benefits manifesting 6-9 months after behavior implementation, and sustained environmental practices producing cumulative efficiency gains of 12.4%. The findings provide evidence-based recommendations for electric power companies seeking to enhance operational efficiency through strategic environmental behavior management, emphasizing comprehensive environmental education, organizational culture transformation, and long-term investment perspectives in environmental initiatives.