Modification of driving behavior in a large transport organization: A field experiment.

To change the driving behavior of mail-van driven so as to encourage energy saving, a program wasdeveloped and implemented in the Netherlands Postal and Telecommunications Services (FIT).Based on empirical analysis, 3 approaches were used to influence driving behavior: providing infor-mation, providing task assignment and control, and providing feedback on gasoline consumption.The effectiveness of the program was tested in a field experiment. Attitudes, social norms, and re-ported behavior changed, and energy savings of more than 7% were achieved, compared with acontrol group. From an economic point of view, further implementation in the PTT organizationcould be attractive.Little is known about the potential for achieving energy con-servation through the use of behavioral modifications in indus-trial organizations. Investigations of energy conservation infamily households have shown that, as a result of behavioralmodifications, savings of up to 20% can be realized (Geller, Wi-nett, Seligman and (b) inhibiting complications might be introduced bya company's organizational size, structure, and climate.Research designed to investigate ways to change energy-re-lated behavior in organizations is needed. Such research shouldfocus on the factors that play a primary role in behavioralchange. For that reason, studies of energy-related behavior haveoften been based on behavioral models. Some of these modelsare discussed here.McGuire (1985) distinguishes a number of phases that canoccur during the process of behavioral change in an individualwho, for example, has been presented information on a giventopic. According to McGuire, the first phase of behavioralchange requires that an individual's attention must be obtained.This can then be followed by understanding, acceptance, andattitudinal and behavioral change. It is important to note thesteplike character of this process: the preceding phase is a neces-sary condition for the following one. In addition, Rogers (1983)emphasizes that a positive experience with the new behavior isneeded for that behavior to be retained.According to Fishbein's theory of reasoned action (Fishbein,1980), an important link between attitude and behavior is theintention to exhibit that behavior. This intention is determinedby both the attitude (considered as an evaluative judgment ofthe behavior) and the social norm related to the behavior. TheThe investigation was commissioned by the Netherlands Postal andTelecommunication Services (PTT) and the Netherlands Agency forEnergy Conservation Information (Sven).Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to FransW. Siero, Department of Social Psychology, University of Groningen,Kraneweg 4,9718 JP Groningen, The Netherlands.social norm refers to the influence of the social environment,particularly the persons or agencies that the individual consid-ers to be important.Fishbein has developed a number of insights into the way inwhich an attitude and a social norm are formed. According tohim, the attitude is a weighting of all the consequences of thatbehavior and their evaluations. A link between a consequenceand behavior is called a belief, whereas a judgment of a conse-quence is an evaluation. The attitude is defined as the sum ofproducts of beliefs and evaluations. Expressed as a formula:att = 2 b, X