Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-8-2026
Publication Title
Journal of Cleaner Production
Volume
554
DOI
10.1016/j.jclepro.2026.148071
Abstract
This qualitative study examines how leaders in Canadian small-scale auto-parts (SSAP) firms implement green procurement (GP) and how this process contributes to cleaner production and sustainable organizational capabilities. While prior GP research has focused mainly on adoption drivers and performance outcomes, less attention has been given to how sustainability initiatives become embedded in organizational routines, particularly in small manufacturing firms. Rather than testing Kotter's eight-step Change Model, the study uses it as an analytical lens to examine GP implementation in practice. A qualitative single-case design drew on 10 one-on-one interviews, three focus groups (nine participants), and 15 public documents to investigate leadership strategies in this resource-constrained sector. Thematic analysis showed that all eight elements of Kotter's model were present but applied adaptively rather than sequentially. Leaders sustained urgency and guiding coalitions, allowed vision to emerge after early proof points, and anchored change through operational tools rather than rhetoric. GP implementation unfolded through reinforcing feedback loops involving adaptive sequencing, tactical tools, and monitoring mechanisms. Interpreted through a dynamic capabilities lens, these mechanisms function as microfoundations that enable firms to sense environmental pressures, seize improvement opportunities, and transform procurement routines. The study clarifies how leadership-driven change processes translate sustainability initiatives into enduring capabilities that support cleaner production and long-term competitiveness in small firms.
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Recommended Citation
Chen, Corrine Keke, "Green procurement as a catalyst for sustainable capability: A case of change in small auto parts firms" (2026). Management Faculty Publications. 38.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/managementfacpub/38
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Elsevier in Journal of Cleaner Production on [April 8, 2026], available online: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2026.148071