Transcript Slide 1

Under the Influence?
Interorganizational Networks in
Energy Efficiency
Michigan Climate Change Conference
Business Decision-making Session
Rachael L. Shwom
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Sociology
Environmental Science and Policy Program
Michigan State University
Factors Influencing Decisions
• Internal to Organizations: Closed system
approaches
• External to Organization: Open system
approaches
• Research supports both internal and
external influences, my research focuses
on external
Organizing to Address Climate
Change
Business
Organizations
Government
Agencies
Environmental
NonGovernmental
Organizations
Potential New Interorganizational Relationships
Resource Dependence Theory
• Resources are scarce
– Information
– Authority
– Skills
– Financial capital
• Organizations form relationships to get
resources
• With the flow of resources, comes
influence, and subsequent changes in
behaviors
New Institutional Theory
Organizations may act like other
Organizations they interact with because:
1.Orgs face uncertain conditions and look to
other orgs for the successful actions to
guide them.
2.Orgs seek to meet political and cultural
expectation to increase chances of
survival.
Why Interorganizational
Networks?
Collecting data on ties between
organizations allows us to observe an
organization’s environment and identify
correlations between its environment and
organizational behavior.
Interorganizational Networks:
The Actors
Organizations that seek to influence the
definition of residential energy-efficiency
products and their promotion between
1973-2006.
Interorganizational Networks:
The Events
Venues where organizations interact over
the definition of residential energy-efficient
products and their promotion.
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Energy Efficiency Conferences
Energy Star Negotiations & Commenting
Dept. of Energy Rulemaking Comments
Hearings & Testimonies
Lawsuits
State level activities
Interorganizational Networks:The
Nexus of Actors & Events
ACTORS
A A A D L
1
Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute
0 0 0 1 0
2
Alliance to Save Energy
1 1 1 1 0
3
American Council Energy-Efficient Economy
1 1 1 1 0
4
American Geothermal DX
0 0 0 1 0
5
Appliance Standards Awareness Project
0 0 0 1 0
6
Attorney General of California
0 0 0 1 0
7
Attorney General of Massachusetts
0 0 0 1 0
8
Attorney General of New York
0 0 0 1 0
9
Austin Energy
0 0 0 1 0
10
Brookhaven National Laboratory
1 0 1 0 0
11
Building Science Corporation
0 0 1 0 0
12
California Energy Commission
1 1 0 1 0
EVENTS
Why may these networks be
important?
Organizations that attend events together
are:
1) All exposed to conference information
2) All exposed to each other
3) All deciding that the event is worth
dedicating resources to (staff time, fees)
Dissertation Research
• Businesses, environmental groups, and
government agencies all have a stake in energy
efficiency policies. They have made diverse
choices on how to engage with each other and
participate in influencing energy efficiency policies.
• Which organizations engage with each other?
• How do they engage with each other?
• What factors influence these patterns of
organizational engagement?
• What are the outcomes of differing patterns of
engagement?
The Case of the 2006 AirConditioning Minimum Standards
• 1987:
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1992:
1993:
2001:
2002:
2004:
2006:
National Appliance Energy
Conservation Act passed
Min. standard goes into effect.
Intention to revise publicized.
Final Rule of 13 SEER published
Final Rule Withdrawn & 12 SEER
Courts rule against roll back
13 SEER minimum goes into effect
DATA
• American Council for an Energy Efficient
Economy Summer Study Residential
Sessions 1996, 1998, 2000.
• Department of Energy comment in 2001
on HVAC minimum standard roll-back.
• 2001 lawsuit participation over minimum
standard roll-back.
Organizational Population
Percent Population
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
*Total Population Size 180
FED
NAT'L LAB
ACADEMIC
MFR
EE
INT'L
STATE/REG
UTILITY
CONSULTING
Percent Population
Which organizations engage
with each other and how?
All Events (3%)
Lawsuit Only (5%)
DOE Comment Only (32%)
Comment & Conference (8%)
Conference Only (42%)
EE Nonprofit
Consultant
Government
Industry
Utility
Which organizations engage
with each other and how?
Industry & Energy Efficiency
• Utilities and Product Manufacturers:
Diverging Interests
• Trade Associations play a large role in
coordinating mfr actions and
interorganizational relationships.
• Product manufacturers have historically
been more likely to participate in state
hosted events, Energy Star and DOE
regulatory commenting/meetings/ hearings
while less likely to participate in
conferences.
Acknowledgements
• This research is funded by NSF’s
Innovation and Organizational Change
Program Grant # SES 0724905.