ABSTRACT A key question facing firms today is how to continue expanding their operations while reducing the ensuing emissions. Decoupling carbon emissions requires a holistic approach that simultaneously accounts for the structural and internal factors shaping firm growth. In this research, we focus on the roles that firms adopt within supply networks and the relationship between role orientations and emissions decoupling. Using an ego-temporal exponential random graph model, we empirically infer the distinct roles of firms from the aerospace and defense supply network. The inferred roles indicate great heterogeneity in the firm behaviors and role-generative processes shaping the supply network. In the following analysis, we discover the decoupling performance differences between firms with distinct role orientations. Firstly, our exploration indicates that firms in central network positions tend to have poorer decoupling performance, with those in monopolistic positions within disconnected networks faring the worst. Secondly, firms occupying roles within interconnected and balanced networks demonstrate relatively effective decoupling efforts. Thirdly, disconnected networks generally perform worse compared to their more connected counterparts. These findings contribute to the evolving perspective on the role of firms within supply networks, offering practitioners valuable insights into the roles their firms play and the subsequent impact on decoupling performance.
