On how personal values and sustainability conceptions impact students’ sustainability management orientation: evidence from Germany, Indonesia, and the USA

Purpose This study develops and empirically tests a framework on how personal values and sustainability conceptions affect students’ sustainability management orientation (SMO). An understanding of this connection gives insight into the question whether students are likely to engage in sustainable business practices in their future work. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional and comparative research design is employed, using survey data of business students from Germany, Indonesia, and the United States (N=475). The proposed mediation models are tested by bootstrap procedures using Hayes’s (2013) PROCESS macro for SPSS. Findings Self-transcendence values translate into more nuanced sustainability conceptions since individuals with self-transcendence values are more likely to conceptualize sustainability beyond their own (narrow) self-interests. In turn, the stronger individuals’ sustainability conceptions, the higher the likelihood that they prefer sustainable management practices in their future professional working field. Research limitations/implications Implications arise for researchers to investigate the engagement of future managers with different personal value types in sustainability practices and to gain insights into values and sustainability conceptions as a learning outcome. Limitations of this research—for instance, arising from potential common method bias—are discussed. Practical implications The findings point to the need to (re-)design appointment processes for management positions in a way that allows taking into account individuals’ personal values and sustainability conceptions. This research may also help firms and higher education institutions to empower their workforce/students to develop more integrated perspectives on sustainability challenges as well as teaching methods that address students’ effective learning outcomes, e.g. their values. Originality/value The paper offers a new framework and a cross-country perspective on psychological antecedents of individuals’ sustainability management orientation as an important prerequisite for responsible behavior in the business context.