INFLUENCING ORGANISATION BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS WASTE RE-USE BY DEVELOPING RE-USE PLAN AT SELBY TRUST

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STUDENT AMBASSADOR RESEARCH REPORT

INFLUENCING ORGANISATION BEHAVIOUR

TOWARDS WASTE RE-USE BY

DEVELOPING RE-USE PLAN AT SELBY

TRUST

May 2014

PURVA TAVRI

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For more information, or if you would like to provide feedback on this

research publication, contact The Building Futures Group on

020 7920 9632 or [email protected]

This document is available to download at

www.thebuildingfuturesgroup.com

About The Building Futures Group

The Building Futures Group is committed is the only organisation collectively representing

the housing, property, cleaning, parking and facilities management sectors in the UK.

Our goal is to support our member companies in their pursuit of ever increasing standards

of service and value and to assist them in improving their trading positions through

innovation and leadership. Established in 2014, The Building Futures Group is the result of

the merger of Asset Skills, the Cleaning & Support Services Association (CSSA) and the

Facilities Management Association (FMA).

As part of the employer-led skills body Asset Skills for many years our people have worked

closely with industry to shape vocational qualifications and training. The knowledge and

experience we have in each of the above sectors allows us an unrivalled position in being

able to offer forward-thinking and responsive workplace training and intelligence.

About the UKCES Employer Investment Fund Round Two

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) have used the Employer Investment

Fund Round Two (EIF2) to invest in activities designed to increase enterprise, jobs and

growth. The funding was only available to licensed Sector Skills Councils and aimed to:

Stimulate leadership from the bottom up to significantly raise employer ambition;

Drive innovation, change employer behaviours and develop new ways of working; and

Secure momentum from employers to support sustainable increases in skills levels and

better use of skills across sectors.

The funding supported 61 projects over the period 2012 – 2014. This Student Ambassadors

research report is part of the Asset Skills EIF 2 Higher Level Skills programme of projects.

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Contents

Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................................ 6 1. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 7

Purpose of the research

Benefits to ongoing PhD

Outcome

2. Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 3. Influencing organisation behaviour towards waste re-use by developing re-use plan at Selby Trust: Key Findings.......................................................................................................................................... 10

3.1 Existing re-use potential

3.2 Developed re-use process map and training

4. Literature Review .................................................................................................................................................... 12

Waste literature

Behaviour theories literature

Conclusion

5. Methodology ............................................................................................................................................................. 18

Aims and Objectives

The Business Objectives

Research Objectives

Research Methods

Research Design Process Notes

Reflection on effectiveness of research process

6. Results .......................................................................................................................................................................... 21 7. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................................ 22 8. Recommendations and implications for future research .................................................................... 23 9. Schedule of public / social media activity undertake .......................................................................... 24 10. Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................ 24 11. Appendices .............................................................................................................................................................. 28

Appendix 1: RGS-IBG AC2014 - Your paper accepted for the conference

Appendix 2: Re-use promotional tool examples

List of Tables

Table 1: Raw data for re-use production .......................................................................................................... 10

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List of Figures

Figure 1: The theoretical framework ...................................................................................................................... 8

Figure 2: Re-use process flow diagram ............................................................................................................. 12

Figure 3: Trends in waste management ............................................................................................................ 13

Figure 4: Connections between the theoretical framework and the case study .......................... 21

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Foreword

The Student Ambassadors project was one of our most popular activities in the EIF 2 Higher

Level Skills programme. By bringing together talented young students /researchers with

employers needs for data, it has had a considerable impact on the wealth of useful

information available to the sector.

As a part of an ongoing PhD, this research report is not only about the cost but also focused

on the use of physical assets at Selby Trust to seek ways by which it could interface with

businesses in a network to establish how a move to re-use can be part of normative

behaviour. Selby Trust is a registered charity organisation. As part of their commitment to

the environment they have established 3 enterprises that use green values to promote

recycling, waste reduction, energy efficiency and local skills for local communities. The

findings show that due to the increase in operational activity, Selby Trust is facing

organisational challenges. However, gaining their engagement has enabled them to step

back, reflect and implement new practices.

We hope you find this report useful and informative. As we strive to be as accurate as

possible and to cover the areas of most concern to employers, please feedback to us any

comments you may have. Armed with this information we can work with employers and

partners to help them develop strategies to meet their requirements and develop world

class skills and effective business growth.

March 2014

Sarah Bentley, Chief Executive, Asset Skills

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Acknowledgements

Purva Tavri would like to thank the following employer sponsor of this research:

Selby Trust, Selby Centre, Selby Road, Tottenham, London N17 8JL, 02088855499

www.selbytrust.co.uk

In addition Purva Tavri thanks the following people for participating in this research:

Sona Mahtani, CEO, Selby Trust

Joel Minot, Environmental Projects Manager, Selby Trust

Michael Mullings, Health & Safety Officer, Selby Trust

Abigail Stevenson, Community Energy Lab (CEL) Project Leader, Selby Trust

Linda Butt, Building Manager, Selby Trust

Alexandre Silva, Volunteer, Selby Trust

Other staff at Selby Trust

Purva Tavri also gives sincere thanks to the following people for their support and help

throughout this project

Prof. Sarah Sayce, Head of School of Surveying & Planning, Kingston University.

And finally thanks to:

Jay Consulting

Asset Skills

UK Commission for Employment and Skills

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1. Executive Summary

Purpose of the research:

The UK Government through DEFRA (2013) has gathered evidence that

preventing waste (including re-use) is essential to moving towards a more

sustainable economy, and delivers improved environmental and economic

outcomes. This is supported by recent economic analysis which shows that

by adopting simple measures (with a one year payback period) to produce

less waste, UK businesses could save around £17bn and avoid greenhouse

gas emissions equating to 16MtCO2e annually, which represents around

3% UK carbon dioxide emissions and 4% gross UK business profit.

This research seeks ways by which Selby Trust could interface with

businesses in a network to promote re-use. This potentially includes

logistics, recycling, insulation and construction businesses. Furthermore, the

project will bring funding opportunities for Selby Trust which eventually will

bring environmental improvements, improved design, promote business

community involvement, reduce waste, increase skills and job opportunities

for the local communities. Also, businesses involved will incur financial

benefits by minimising waste going to recycling and landfill and also by

purchasing affordable goods.

Benefits to ongoing PhD

This is part of an ongoing PhD in which the review of the re-use literature

confirms that re-use is not a new concept and has been a social norm since

the mid 1900s; however with an increase in waste produced, recycling has

become dominant in the market. Current normative individual and corporate

behaviours are focused on recycling; it is economically advantageous and

may engender feelings of being socially responsible. So, the challenge is

how to change to re-use as the norm.

The ongoing PhD so far has developed a theoretical framework (Figure 1)

through an Inductive Analysis (Thomas, 2003) of several environmental

behaviour theories. To test the framework this research is a pilot case study

whose objectives are, through action research (Berg, 2004) to:

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Assess the viability of establishing re-use as a social enterprise activity

(calculating benefits) at Selby Trust;

Design and establish operational process (including training) that would

enable Selby Trust to develop their marketing strategies towards waste

re-use.

Figure 1: The theoretical framework

Outcome:

Selby Trust now has a re-use plan which has been developed through an action

research (Berg, 2004) method by exploring barriers and analysing re-use

potential on site. The development of a re-use plan involved undertaking

interviews and group discussions which enabled a system and procedure to be

devised by which re-use practice could be better organised both physically and

through records kept. Furthermore, as a part of the implementation process,

training has been delivered and the initial evaluation of the usefulness has

been undertaken with the company. Finally, the researcher developed a long-

term relationship with Selby Trust and received an opportunity to be a part of

their team. This will further assist the PhD to develop.

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2. Introduction

The Selby Trust was set up as a charity in 1992 when locals recognised the need for a multi-

purpose centre led by the community and local organisations. The Trust is recognised as a

Social Enterprise and Community Incorporated Company (CIC). Its’ motto ‘Many Cultures,

One Community’ acts as a basis for working with a rich mix of individuals and organisations,

primarily from BME, refugee and other historically excluded communities in Tottenham,

Haringey, North London and beyond. As part of their commitment to the environment, the

Selby Trust has established 3 enterprises that use green values to promote recycling, waste

reduction, energy efficiency and local skills for local communities. These enterprises work

for the social good, working with volunteers, the long-term un-employed and ex- offenders

to make and restore furniture, other wood crafts, insulation and several other building

materials to boost local skills and employment.

To achieve the goal of establishing re-use as a social enterprise, Selby Trust needed

additional expertise to assist with the recording, processing and re-use planning of

materials. As well as to develop ways to use and promote re-use of the materials currently

stored and find new ways and management for sourcing new items. Simultaneously, with an

expertise in waste management and as a part of an ongoing PhD, the researcher wanted to

testify the developed theoretical framework (figure 1) through a pilot case study. Action

research which involves assistance by a researcher to formulate objectives via focus groups

and interviews was identified as the most appropriate method to conduct the case study.

To establish the parameters and ways to undertake the study by using the theoretical

framework as a stand, group discussions were conducted with the CEO and CEL Project

Leader. Based on the parameters, several site visits were undertaken as a data collection

exercise which involved face to face interviews, on-site induction and group discussions

with employers between December 2013 and March 2014. This report is the outcome of

this case study research and examines the behavioural and economic analysis of re-use.

The information presented will be of interest to individuals, providers, employers and

others who wish to implement a behaviour model towards re-use in the future. Further

monthly monitoring for next 6 months will be conducted to assess the establishment of re-

use as a normative behaviour through a deep examination of behavioural and economic

analysis, making it a major contribution to the ongoing PhD.

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3. Influencing organisation behaviour towards waste re-use by

developing a re-use plan at Selby Trust: Key Findings

3.1 Existing re-use potential Through the data collection it was found that due to the increase in re-use operations, Selby

Trust is facing organisational issues. These issues have resulted in an inability of staff

members to properly catalogue and understand the potential of existing materials.

Therefore, to provide facts and figures regarding the re-use potential, the raw data was

evaluated and tabulated (Table1). Using the Carbon and energy database developed by the

University of Bath’s, Sustainable Energy Research Team (ICE) the inventory was analysed to

calculate the estimated carbon potential and sources obtained through Google

(www.google.co.uk) were used to determine the estimated cost of products. The resultant

figures showed a total of around 30 ton KG CO2 and £43,000 valuable re-usable materials

had been accumulated within the existing re-usable materials held at Selby Trust.

Table 1: Raw data for re-use production

Types of

material

Description of material Numbers

/

volumes

Estimated EC of

Product (kg co2)

Estimated

price

Grade A wood Wood trunk & branches 2.5 cu.m. 888 -

Grade A wood 0.5m long wooden logs 302 300 £3,020

Grade A wood 1m long wooden beams 28 - -

Grade A wood 1m X 1.2m pallet slates 3033 1723 £3,033

Grade A wood Wooden chips 0.5 cu.m. 155 £4,401

Grade A wood Wooden slates 180/16 2045 £180

Grade B wood Single panel door 28 470 £1,120

Grade B wood Timber window frame 13 35 £130

Grade C wood Wooden drawer mobile 1 38 £226

Grade C wood Laminate wooden shelf 1 - -

Grade C wood Office table oak 3 225 £351

Grade C wood Laminated timber paving

slabs

25 112 £475

Insulation Insulations slabs 132 1505 £2,640

Insulation Insulation acoustic tubes 205 - £3,280

Insulation wood insulation slabs 14 - -

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Building

materials

600mm X 600mm

concrete slabs

129 2352 £851

Building

materials

Bricks 1346 619 £13,460

Building

materials

Concrete blocks 678 4025 £678

Building

materials

19mm plasterboard 80 8016 £800

Building

materials

Insulated plasterboard

(per sq.m)

- -

Building

materials

Steel lintels 4 535 -

Building

materials

Cycle hoops steel 4 61 -

Miscellaneous Kitchen unit (single) 22 3128 -

Miscellaneous Kitchen worktop 11 986 -

Miscellaneous Polyflor "Prestige Pur"

vinyl (40 sq.m)

80 2015 -

Miscellaneous Vinyl flooring (20 sq.m.) 80 470 -

Miscellaneous Floor finishing "Stopgap

500 micro" compound

1 - £44

Miscellaneous "Green Bag" bags floor

screed\latex

9 - £78

Miscellaneous Cartons "Stopgap 128"

screed solution

8 - £101

Miscellaneous Nicobond tubs of tile

adhesive

2 - £70

Miscellaneous SBR Friction coat 70 - £6,300

Miscellaneous Radiator 1 87 £80

Miscellaneous ceramic tiles 5 30 £75

Miscellaneous Shires cistern 1 15 £45

Miscellaneous Shires toilet pan 1 45 £58

Miscellaneous Dulux vinyl matt yellow 5L 1 15 £15

Miscellaneous Leyland Trade Brilliant

paint 10L

2 64 £34

Miscellaneous Plastic water tanks 250L 10 204 £1,400

30161 KG CO2

£42,945.50

3.2 Developed re-use process map and training

The data collection and analysis enabled Selby Trust to establish the materials they had and

helped them to become more systemized and thus able to maximise their opportunities for

re-use. After the action research group discussions and interviews had been conducted, it

was possible to devise a re-use process flow diagram (Figure 2) that they could implement

within their re-use practice. The roles specified in the procedures were mapped to the

identified relevant staff and volunteers through training. As a follow up, an initial evaluation

of the usefulness of the process was undertaken with the employees.

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Figure 2: Re-use process flow diagram

4. Literature Review

Introduction

The following literature review creates the argument that there is a need for changed

behaviours towards waste in order to fulfil the government’s own policies. It concludes that

technological developments in the re-use sector are accompanied by behavioural barriers

to the up-take of re-use. The ongoing PhD seeks a theoretical framework from behaviour

change studies to generate a way to critically analyse factors influencing re-use. The

literature on behaviour studies shows that corporate and individual behaviour are

intertwined; as organisations are made up of individual employees. Whilst legislative

drivers, first movers, champions and stakeholders play an important role in influencing

behaviour, barriers such as misperception and the boomerang effect are likely obstructions.

However, the literature also identifies several interventions that have the capacity to build

associative strength through social means. Thus, as an empirical case study this research

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applies the theories through the theoretical framework to develop the re-use systems and

procedures at Selby Trust to evaluate the corporate and individual behaviour change for re-

use.

Waste literature

Figures published by the UK Environment Agency (figure 3) show trends within waste

management in England and Wales since 2000 (Environment Agency, 2013). They reveal

that over the first decade of the century there has been a significant decrease in waste to

landfill. However, in the last three years, since economic activity revived post recession,

waste to landfill has flat lined. Further by 2012, the amount of waste managed in England

and Wales had risen by almost 20 percent. This rise was accompanied by a 15 percent

increase in the consumption of resources in the same period (Office for National Statistics,

2013). Resource consumption underscores the need to address what happens to the

materials at the end of their life. In 2012, out of 167 million tonnes of waste managed in

England and Wales, around 67 percent was recycled and recovered; only 2 percent went to

re-use and the remainder was sent to landfill (Environment Agency, 2013). This leads to the

loss of large quantities of valuable re-usable materials and puts further pressure on a

decreasing landfill capacity.

Figure 3: Trends in waste management

This situation is in stark contrast to the beginning of the last century when normative

behaviour was to re-use materials with landfill being the last option. One of the key points

arising from the previous study by the authors (Tavri, et al., 2013) is that this lack of re-use

is apparent despite UK Government publishing four waste strategies (2000, 2007, 2011,

2013) all aimed at decreasing waste to landfill and promoting better resource management.

The figures reveal success in moving from landfill to re-cycling, but not in achieving the

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next step up the hierarchy. Recent evidence provided by the Government’s own economic

analysis shows that adopting re-use activities promises to reduce landfill and the need to

recycle and could be influential in reducing environmental damage and carbon emissions

(DEFRA, 2013).

To develop the theoretical framework, literature has been taken primarily from the field of

environmental behaviour change. The aim is to seek and understand the reasons for re-use

not currently being normative behaviour, despite the promotion of it through the UK

Government’s successive waste strategies since 2000. The forthcoming paper by Tavri, et

al.,(2014) addresses the literature and types of approach that can lead to behaviour change

in organisations and individuals. It has been recognized (Tavri, et al., 2013) that most of the

literature on promoting environmental behaviour is concentrated primarily on household

sector or individuals; there has been little literature on organisational behaviour change

related to the waste sector. However, it has been identified that individual and organisation

behaviour are intertwined (Thomas, et al., 2004; Campbell, 2007) recognizing that

organisations are made up of people.

One particular organisational characteristic that was revealed as relevant and effective in

enabling change is that of developing ‘associative strength’ (Collier & Esteban, 2007).

Within the literature a number of studies identified theories that help in building

associative strength. These are: communication, engagement/action, behavioural

maintenance and the avoidance of a 'value action gap'. However, it was noted that none of

the literature relates specifically to waste re-use, making the current study unique within

the field of enquiry.

Behaviour theories literature

Communication theories

Behaviour studies covering the following: sustainable ethical behaviour within firms

(Thomas, et al., 2004), misperception of social norms (Wenzel, 2005), misperception or

boomerang effect of marketing campaigns (Schultz, et al., 2007) and normative beliefs and

conservation behaviours (Gockeritz, et al., 2010) all indicate that communication is an

important factor in developing associative strength within a group or an organisation. In

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particular a study by Kelman (1958) identified four types of communication that determine

conditions for changes in attitude. One of them, "low means control" has been discarded

from the study because of PhD limitations. The relevant three high level communications

are:

• "High means control" means applying mandatory rules and regulations. In

illustration of this, a study of corporate behaviour (Cashore and Vestinsky, 2000)

emphasises governance systems, regulations, enforcement and environmental

policy as the means to influence corporate behaviour, especially when firms know

that non-compliance decisions can affect a firms ability to operate.

• “High attractiveness” means the influence of peer or external pressures. Stern

(2000), in developing a framework for promoting pro-environmental behaviour,

identified external forces as an important factor in leading to behaviour change.

Further, an empirical study of the corporate behaviour of 14 pulp and paper

manufacturers (Kagan, et al., 2003) concluded that fear of action by environmental

groups led to behaviour change.

• “High credibility” means the embedding of research based on facts and knowledge.

It particularly relates to a study by Cialdini (2003) on providing descriptive

normative messages for influencing behaviour towards protecting the environment.

All three mechanisms are high level and all three are important in terms of building

associative strength. Relating this to the current waste study, the Government has been

communicating the importance of re-use through high level means i.e., waste strategies,

legislations and regulations. However, by themselves high level means have not proved

sufficient to be effective - there is also a need to promote action towards embedding re-use

as normal behaviour.

Engagement/Action theories

Converting communication into action requires acting on accepted shared goals. When a

goal is agreed, habitual plans or actions to achieve that goal are automatically activated

(Campbell, 2007; Kallgren, et al., 2000; Bargh & Ferguson, 2000). Lachman et al (1994), in

their study on a theoretical framework for cross cultural analysis, argued that resources and

technology availability can have an important impact on organisations' ability to adapt to

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pressures; this may affect approaches towards re-use which might well involve changes in

resourcing, process and technology adoption. However, building associative strength for

activating goals not only depends on the quantifiable variables such as resources and

technology, but is also influenced by several qualitative variables.

A study by Bargh and Ferguson (2000) on automatic behaviour showed that to achieve a

common goal within an organisation, employees tend to establish a rapport or friendship by

mimicking others. In addition, Cialdini et al’s study on substantial norms' affect on human

behaviour (Cialdini, et al., 1990) and Kallgren et al’s study on factors altering the

relationship between norms and behaviours (Kallgren, et al., 2000) both identify the "focus

of attention" as an important variable that creates an appropriate environment for

achieving the desired goal. The right environment or situation automatically elicits the

behaviour by activating the goal (Aarts and Dijksterhuis, 2000). A further study (Dewhurst

and Thomas, 2003) on sustainable business practice argues that contextual, personal and

sector environment all play important roles in influencing behaviour to achieve a common

goal. In support, Stern (2000) and Nye and Hargreaves (2009), both identify contextual

factors as important variables in developing associative strength. Therefore, the social

context needs to be understood and accounted for in behavioural interventions.

Furthermore, for that reason it is likely that adopting re-use practices in organisations where

environmental awareness is valued provides an appropriate context.

Engagement/action theories go further; in addition to social context and resource

availability to enable the building of associative strength to enable goal delivery, it is

argued that there needs to be a link between goal and action to create a habit or norm. A

study on automatic behaviour (Aarts and Dijksterhuis, 2003) illustrates that habit is the link

between goal and action that is instrumental in attainment. Relating this to the history of

waste: re-use used to be a habitual behaviour, primarily for economic imperatives. However,

with increased wealth and the rise of a consumption norm, the habit of re-use has fallen

away. For the government to succeed in achieving their waste strategy, a realignment of

habitual behaviour away from landfill and re-cycling to re-use is required. However, it is

indicated (Kelman, 1958) that adopting new behaviour and embedding it is as a habit incurs

costs, so there need to be recognized benefits to compensate. UK Government (DEFRA,

2013) has evidence which proves re-use activities are more economically and

environmentally beneficial than recycling, recovery or landfill. But this has to be known and

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accepted before action will ensue. However, developing a habit is one thing; maintaining

and monitoring it is another. The evaluation of the newly acquired habit (or in the case of

re-use, re-acquired behaviour) depends on an effective monitoring process; this is now

considered.

Behavioural Maintenance

Measuring and monitoring is crucial to ensure that the changed behaviour is maintained,

even if it has become habitual. Behavioural maintenance depends on the perceived

satisfaction with resultant outcomes based on the acquired behaviours (Kelman, 1958).

Rothman (2000, p.65) in his study of maintenance of new behaviours concluded that "

given the repeated application of intervention strategies that facilitate short term success

does little to improve rates of long term success, the premise that there are important

differences in the psychological processes that govern behavioural initiation and

maintenance appears worthy of consideration". In his study, Rothman proposed an

alternative framework which provides a difference between the change in behaviour and its

maintenance. This implied that long-term change will not happen without monitoring and

maintaining the changed behaviour. Part of this maintenance is stakeholder communication

to ensure continued associative strength; without it a so-called 'value action gap' may

emerge. The following section will provide a summary on the 'value action gap' and the

importance of it to support re-use should it be successfully introduced.

Avoidance of ‘Value action gap’

The 'value action gap' has been defined in a study on pro-environmental behaviour (Baker

and Ozaki, 2008) as the difference in beliefs and actual behaviours. A study by Kollmuss

and Agyeman (2002), in recognising its importance, concluded that it is a common cause of

failure in pro-environmental behaviour models. The implication is that many models fail to

take into account individual, social, cultural and economic constraints and assume humans

are rational beings who make systematic use of information provided. In reality, this may

not be the case. Based on these findings, it is evident that understanding individual, social,

cultural and economic circumstances is crucial to the avoidance of a 'value action gap'.

Furthermore, communication, information and engagement all play important roles in

avoiding any 'value action gap' which associates directly with communication and

engagement theories. It is not enough to simply gain belief in changes – such as to re-use –

those implementing the action will require support and reinforcement of their behaviour.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, the analysis of behaviour theories, all of which have a track record within

environmentally focused literature, indicates that the factors building associative strength

to change behaviour and maintain it are interconnected and dependent on one another.

Although this is established through literature, it requires empirical testing. The case study

with Selby Trust provided an opportunity to test it out within a small, environmentally

focused non-profit organization. If the theory didn’t work with Selby where there is a pro-

disposition towards good waste behaviour, then the theory would need adjustment before

further testing.

Methodology

Aims and Objectives

The aim was to apply the developed theoretical framework to real life re-use practice and to

draw out evidence as to whether transformation towards waste re-use can become

normative behaviour.

The Business Objectives

To assess the viability of establishing re-use as a social enterprise activity at Selby Trust.

To design and establish operational processes (including training) to measure the

environmental, social and economic value arising from waste re-use.

To analyse the findings in a way that would enable Selby Trust to develop their marketing

strategies towards waste re-use.

Develop a strategy to help and engage with businesses in developing a network concerning

waste re-use.

Research Objectives

The case study was adopted to develop a best practice approach to manage waste re-use at

Selby Trust. It aimed to develop a deep understanding of the strategies being successfully

used and how these strategies could be transferred to other organisations. This case study

had the following objectives:

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Research Methods

Action research as a qualitative approach has been adopted to carry out the case study

research. Action research is divided into four stages (Berg, 2004). They are:

Identifying the research question;

Gathering the information to answer questions;

Analysing and interpretation of the information;

Sharing the results with participants

In action research, the problem needs to be identified by the researcher and brought to the

stakeholder. The individuals in the team are assisted by the researcher to formulate

objectives via focus group(s). All members in the team are informed about the progress on a

regular basis. The study is in partnership with the people or organisations involved. The two

major goals of action research are to:

Bring the book and the practical knowledge together;

Develop a social critique, to bring action and change

In order to achieve the objectives, in-depth face to face interviews and group discussions

with staff across the Selby Trust were conducted. This method was selected because it

enabled the researcher to focus on the specific detail required from the staff to develop a

viable case study. Furthermore, the one on one situation of in-depth interviews, as well as

the additional time available to the moderator for exploring each respondent’s strategy,

ensured that a good level of detail and insight was gained. Face to face interviews lasting

30 minutes were set up at a time convenient with the staff.

Identify the needs and motivations of employers implementing waste re-use

strategies

Build a profile of each team member involved in re-use practise

Building a connectivity within the strategy and the theoretical framework, in

order to refine the framework for wider application

Evaluate how practical the strategy will be for Selby Trust and other

employers across the Asset Skills sectors to implement

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There were 7 site visits and all interviews and group discussions were used to develop an

in- depth plan demonstrating the practical applications of waste re-use strategy in the

organisation and how this has benefitted their business and workforce. The case study was

then returned to the participant for approval, before being published in this report.

Research Design Process Notes

4 staff employees and 2 volunteers participated in the waste re-use plan and group

discussions covering the following key areas:

The company background.

Existing resources available for the re-use plan.

A description of the company’s management for involvement in the re-use strategy.

Identification of the benefits to the individuals and the company.

A description of the organisations strategy to market the developed re-use plan.

Developing a social enterprise activity within Selby Trust to benefit the company, the

businesses involved and the community.

Reflection on the effectiveness of the research process

Identifying Selby Trust as a well established organisation in Tottenham, London, who

has always been keen to develop waste re-use systems and procedures in their

Facilities Management Department, has worked out well. They were interested and

cooperative partners in the process.

Prior to the start of this case study research, developing aims and objectives in

collaboration with Selby Trust as a part of proposal from Asset Skills clearly built an

understanding between the parties involved and gained ‘buy-in’.

Using action research as a methodological approach proved to be optimal for this

collaborative piece of work. It made the case study research theoretically and

practically viable which not only benefited the researcher and Selby Trust but will

also benefit Asset Skills to present it as a behaviour re-use model.

As a part of an ongoing PhD, the researcher was able to build a connection between

the theoretical framework and this case study research in a schematic diagram

(Figure 4).

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Figure 4: Connections between the theoretical framework and the case study

Selby Trust now has a re-use plan and process in place which is being implemented

in the real life scenario. This case study research cannot go further than immediate

evaluation and it may be too early to know the benefits that Selby Trust has

incurred. The intention after the formal period is to undertake a further evaluation

via monthly visits for the next 6 months to find out the social, environmental and

financial benefits resulting from the re-use practice. Furthermore, the aim is to

receive feedback and refine the process based on their experiences.

As a part of an ongoing PhD the next 6 months will also involve preparing

promotional tools to disseminate among the supply chain network and receive

feedback to evaluate results. The evaluation will help inform the next case studies.

Results

The re-use material data that was reproduced from the raw data revealed that Selby Trust,

who established Green Hub to undertake recycling, waste reduction and energy efficient

projects, has also been involved informally in taking materials and seeking ways in which

they can be re-used and repaired. The findings helped to evaluate the quantitative data of

22

this ongoing activity and convert it into a systemised organisational project. During the

process the researcher was able to build a long term sustainable relationship with the

company and received an offer to be a part of Selby Trust, which will enable participatory

research to be ongoing as a next step. Furthermore, Selby Trust also recruited a volunteer to

carry out certain roles in the project. In the 4 months of the project, both qualitative and

quantitative benefits of re-use as a social enterprise activity at Selby Trust emerged. As a

funded body Asset Skills will receive the benefit of attaining a qualitative piece of research

for its Facilities Management domain which can be of interest to individuals, providers,

employers and others who wish to implement behaviour model towards re-use in the

future.

Being a part of an ongoing PhD, this research shows connectivity with the theoretical

framework. Further research work that develops this theme will be undertaken as a part of

the PhD. There will be monitoring and assessment of the re-use activity for 6 months will

provide a result that will then be triangulated back to the developed framework in order to

refine the framework for wider application.

Conclusions

In seeking to apply the framework to real life re-use practice, it was found possible to draw

out evidence that there are organisation barriers when working with individuals. Embedding

best practice amongst people’s roles within organisations takes time and may be subject to

misperceptions which are also seen in a theoretical context. Tying the case study back to

the framework showed the important role of deep communication and real engagement in

changing behaviour towards re-use. For instance, the behaviour theory indicated that the

availability of resources and social context was the crucial quantitative and qualitative

factors respectively, for engagement or action. These elements acted as an initiative agent

to gather the parties for this case study research. Furthermore, strong communication with

credible' facts and figures developed a rapport among the staff and researcher. These led to

the development and implementation of a re-use plan through engagement and feedback

via interviews and group discussions. 'High Means Control' i.e.; regulatory requirements and

'avoidance of value action gap' i.e.; diversity (ethos of 'many culture, one community') acted

23

as the foundation of this case study research. The theoretical approaches when applied to

the real life re-use practise. Over a period of time, people engaged with the agenda,

enabling them to step back reflect and implement new practices. The research provides

evidence of change in behaviour towards re-use. However, whether there can be a

'behavioural maintenance' i.e.; the re-use behaviour can be maintained and change into

normative behaviour is something that can only be assessed over a period of time.

Therefore, as a part of 'High attractiveness' the next step is to observe through feedback,

whether in a small organisation a limited amount of work actually changes behaviour so

that re-use is better enabled and sustained as normative for internal and external

stakeholders.

Recommendations and implications for future research

Action research as a method can be a successful tool and is good for small scale

interfaces.

Data capture and management is critical to good re-use, without which change

cannot be promoted.

For undertaking similar work, early engagement and communication is crucial to

understand the social context and availability of resources.

For applying the theoretical framework in further environmental behaviour model, it

is very important to have an in-depth knowledge of behaviour theories and its

implications to the context.

This report can act as a benchmark for the researchers to carry out other case

studies on re-use or in developing any other environmental behaviour model.

The findings and results of the report can be presented to the businesses with

emphasis on the benefits of re-use, making it a marketing and promotional tool. This

promotion can be carried out as a further research to receive their feedback.

24

As a promotional tool, Selby Trust can develop an online re-use recording system for

the public and organisations to access and buy the re-usable materials.

This report cannot go further than immediate evaluation. Therefore, the intention is

now to undertake monthly monitoring for the next 6 months to assess the

establishment of re-use as normative behaviour through a deep examination of

behavioural and economic analysis, making it a major contribution to the ongoing

PhD.

Schedule of public / social media activity undertaken

There will be a presentation prepared on the case study to present at RBS-IBG the

Annual International Conference 2014, 26th August 2014 to 29th August 2014,

London. The confirmation acceptance email is copied in Appendix 1.

As a social media activity Selby Trust has started preparing marketing and

promotional tools to disseminate among the businesses (Appendix 2). Furthermore,

as a part of networking Selby Trust might plan to exhibit them as a re-use social

enterprise at RWM Exhibition 2014

(http://www.rwmexhibition.com/files/rwm_event_brochure.pdf).

The researcher has had face to face conversations with a Manager at WRAP who

might be interested in publishing this report as a re-use case study work on their

website (www.wrap.org).

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11. Appendices

Appendix 1: RGS-IBG AC2014 - Your paper accepted for the conference

Dear Purva, Sarah, Victoria

Congratulations! We are delighted to inform you that your paper, Influencing organisations

behaviour towards waste re-use, has been accepted for the RGS-IBG Annual International

Conference 2014. We apologise for the short delay in confirming acceptance; we had a

larger than expected response to our Call for Papers/Posters. We are looking forward to a

vibrant and busy conference in August.

The authors we have recorded for this paper are: Purva Tavri (Kingston University), Sarah

Sayce (Kingston University), Victoria Hands (Kingston University).

Please let us know as soon as possible if there are any errors in the title or authors for your

paper.

What happens next?

The conference takes place in London from Tuesday 26 August 2014 (when registration

opens and there will be pre-conference workshops and an evening plenary/welcome event)

through to Friday 29 August 2014. Sessions may be scheduled at any time between 9am

and 6:30pm on Wednesday 27, Thursday 28 or Friday 29 August 2014.

The scheduling process is underway, taking into account special requests. We will make

every effort to ensure there are no clashes for presenting authors in this process (in case

you have other commitments in the conference.

29

You will be able to check what session your paper has been scheduled into when the

provisional programme is ready in early May. All contributors will be given an opportunity

to make amendments to session and paper titles and/or abstracts at that time, before the

programme is made final and the programme book goes to print.

If your plans have changed and you can no longer attend, please notify [email protected] as

soon as possible.

Registration

Online conference registration is now open for payments by credit/debit card, or you can

download a registration form to make payment by other methods. Find out more about how

to book at www.rgs.org/AC2014Registration.

The deadline for early-bird (reduced rate) registration is: Friday 13 June 2014.

If you are planning to attend for only one day, please wait until the provisional programme

is published so that you know which day your session is scheduled.

Invitation letters for visa applications

If any prospective delegates need a formal letter of invitation for a visa application, please

contact the conference organisers at [email protected]. Visa letters can only be issued once

a delegate has had a submission accepted for the conference programme, paid the

registration fee in full, and provided full contact details from a recognised institution.

Travel plans

If you are ready to make your travel plans, you may wish to book your accommodation. You

can find a list of local accommodation on the conference website,

www.rgs.org/AC2014Accomm

Conference crèche

We are pleased to offer a full-service conference crèche free of charge to registered

delegates. The crèche will run on the conference site, from 8:30am to 7:00pm daily, and

will accept children of all ages. Indications of interest may be made on a first-come, first-

served basis by delegates already registered to attend. Please visit

www.rgs.org/AC2014Creche for more information.

30

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the RGS-IBG in London from 26 to 29 August

2014. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact [email protected]

for assistance.

Kind regards,

Stephanie

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Appendix 2: Re-use promotional tool examples

Business card sample:

Flyer samples:

32

For more information, or if you would like to provide

feedback on this research publication, contact The

Building Futures Group on 020 7920 9632 or

[email protected]

This document is available to download at

www.thebuildingfuturesgroup.com