GTBS’ Andrea Nicholas on why the tourism sector should adopt environmental personality testing

The most common reason for a property’s failure to meet environmental standards is a 'bolt-on’ rather than 'built-in’ approach from its senior members of staff. Therefore 'pro-environmental’ traits will soon become a key employment consideration for tourism businesses as accommodation providers and venues come under increasing pressure to demonstrate full commitment to sustainability.

Over a decade of Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) experience in helping properties create and apply environmental programmes and thousands of venue inspections show that those which are less successful are typically run by general managers who have a lukewarm approach to green considerations.

People vary considerably in their attitudes toward environmental issues. Some individuals view the environment from a purely utilitarian perspective, while others have an altruistic concern about its protection and survival. Determining a person’s outlook in this area is fast becoming a critical dimension to employability.

Trait-testing
For decades recruitment decisions have been aided by trait-testing tools that suggest a predisposition towards psychological attributes such as self-motivation, leadership and reliability – most employers would be reluctant to take on an executive whose values indicate laziness or dishonourable behaviour. As 'green’ becomes an ever more critical booking consideration among consumers as well as procurement professionals, hotels cannot afford to risk the credibility of their environmental investment through uninterested or sloppy implementation of their policies by a non-sustainability-minded manager. Weakness here can lead to a property being guilty of misrepresentation by making inaccurate, misleading statements about environmental credentials which are effectively greenwash. The GTBS estimates that around 50 per cent of hotels either deliberately or inadvertently misrepresent themselves in this way.

Green leadership
Green-mindedness also has the potential to affect the bottom line immediately and directly. For example, energy savings of around 20 per cent can be achieved through simple employee awareness, but it is a leader’s attention to training, motivation and monitoring that ensures that the agreed and stated processes are followed through. Equally, a general manager who is seen by staff to take sustainability commitments personally and positively sets a strong example for staff to follow and brings them under pressure to adhere to environmental pledges by acting as a green 'catalyst’.

Personality testing will allow recruiters to gain insights into likely environmental commitment levels of their managers, the success of their eco-efforts and ultimately their business.

As an example of how this might work, an interpretation of the 'Five Factor’ trait model published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology earlier this year, identified key 'pro-environmental’ attributes as Agreeableness and Openness, followed by Neuroticism and Conscientiousness.

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Related links:
www.green-business.co.uk/