The role of the environmental sphere in factors affecting performance and in performance dimensions in the utility sector : a literature review

Considering the environmental impacts of utility activities and the lack of literature systematic understanding of the different factors affecting utility performance with a specific consideration of the environmental sphere, this article tries to bridge this gap conducting a literature review on factors affecting utility performance. An aspect of novelty of the paper is represented by the clusterization of literature (also useful for future studies) that considers the environmental sphere both among factors of influence and as performance dimensions. The analysis conducts to conclude that both as influencing factors and as performance dimensions, the environmental role should be more widely and deeply investigated by literature. The research highlights some managerial implications: the appointment of managers should consider their “green skills” as factor influencing performance of the utilities; the need to develop managerial tools to make the decision-making process effective and efficient also in the environmental sphere.