An Assessment of the Exchange of New Technology between Environmental Agencies and Business with the Pronoia Technology Transfer Framework

Recently a new paradigm has emerged in the United States and many other countries that calls for a more collaborative approach between industry and government, such as the use of environmental management systems (EMSs) in supplemental environmental projects (SEPs) associated with enforcement actions. EMSs are seen as a promising new way to achieve higher corporate environmental performance. However, it has been difficult for many companies and regulatory agencies to work out mutually beneficial SEP agreements. In this paper, we use the pronoia framework of technology transfer to assess the impact of organizational trust on the ability of business and environmental agencies to negotiate the use of EMSs in SEP agreements. The interview data from business and governmental managers indicates that all three dimensions of the pronoia framework are useful in predicting the ability of the two parties to achieve SEP agreements. Implications for research and practice are presented, including the need to recognize the greater challenges involved in technology transfer in regulated industries.