Abstract
In today’s globalized world, it has become challenging for organizations to prevent environmental damage and decay as they are the major contributors to these concerns. Researchers in the field of organizational behavior and sustainable development have been concentrating on the role of corporate leaders in deriving employee green behavior (EGB). Despite a few early attempts in this emerging field, no precise antecedents and mechanisms have been established so far. Accordingly, this research contributes to this emerging debate by examining how and under what conditions ethical leadership affects EGB. This study investigates the impact of ethical leadership on EGB through the mediation of green psychological climate (GPC) and the boundary condition of environmental awareness. This research uses social learning theory to derive hypotheses. This study empirically examines the underlying framework by conducting two surveys with time-based breaks to collect multilevel data from 410 employees working in four private and public sector universities and hospitals in Pakistan. We conducted multilevel path analysis through Mplus and confirmed a statistically significant positive effect of ethical leadership on GPC that ultimately translates to EGB. Further, the contingency of environmental awareness strengthens the indirect impact of ethical leadership on EGB through the mediation of GPC. Our findings reveal various ways by which organizations can strategically focus on employee green behavior, such as saving energy, wastage, and recycling.
Highlights
The worsening of environmental conditions has become a matter of grave concern for the inhabitants of our world, and organizations are one of the primary causes of this frightening situation [1,2,3]
We suggest that ethical leadership builds perceptions of a green psychological climate (GPC), which in turn transforms into Employee green behavior (EGB)
We hypothesize that: Hypothesis 3: Green psychological climate mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and employee green behavior
Summary
The worsening of environmental conditions has become a matter of grave concern for the inhabitants of our world, and organizations are one of the primary causes of this frightening situation [1,2,3]. They can imply thoughts, values, attitudes, and moral behaviors They can influence employees’ perceptions about organizational policies, procedures, and practices regarding environmental sustainability and make some extra effort to maintain GPC. Environmental awareness can strengthen this relationship, because when environmentally aware employees experience ethical behaviors by their leader, their perceptions and interpretations of their organization’s policies regarding environmental sustainability further increase. They are more likely to engage in EGB at the workplace. This study contributes to the empirical body of knowledge on the consequences of ethical leadership and adds to the OB literature in developing countries where research on GPC, EGB, and environmental awareness is needed more
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
