Connecting the Dots: Group Coordination, Collective Agency, Social Cohesion and Sustainable Behavior

Abstract

The understanding of the predecessors of sustainable behaviour is currently more crucial than ever, especially for finding ways to delay or stop the harmful impact we are having on the environment. The focus of the current research is to investigate how a psychological understanding of sustainable behaviour can benefit a transition to collective sustainability. This research aims at investigating how collective agency, social cohesion and the intention to behave sustainably are influenced by the degree of coordination that individuals experience. In this experiment, participants completed a task with either a high or a low coordination manipulation and answered a questionnaire once they had finished it (N=84). The hypotheses were that the act of coordination would enhance the sense of collective agency, i.e., it is assumed that individuals experiencing more coordination in a group will report higher levels of collective agency. It was also assumed that the act of coordination would increase the sense of social cohesion, i.e., individuals experiencing more coordination in a group will report higher levels of social cohesion. By addressing both elements, we expected to increase the intention for performing sustainable behaviour. Our results revealed no association between coordination and collective agency or sustainability intention. However, a significant relationship was discovered between coordination and social cohesion. Moreover, in the literature search, social cohesion was found to increase proenvironmental behaviour. Together, these results demonstrate that higher social cohesion and the subsequent positive effects on pro-environmental behaviour are a follow-up of higher coordination. These insights are fundamental for effectively promoting the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices among populations.