Green Creativity at the Workplace: Unveiling Trends and Future Directions Through a Two-tiered Literature Review

Purpose This study examines how green human resource management (GHRM), directly and indirectly, individually and collectively, affects green creativity (GC), green psychological climate (PGC), green in-role behavior (GIB) and green extra-role behavior (GEB) in Pakistani small, medium, and large textile enterprises. The study examines how PGC mediates the relationship between GHRM and GIB, and GEB and ethical leadership (EL) moderate the relationship between PGC and GIB, and GEB. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in 2 phases: in phase 1 (N = 41 records), a systematic literature review was performed to identify the gaps, and in phase 2 (N = 412 managers and supervisors), a quantitative survey method was employed. Findings The results showed that GHRM positively impacted GC and PGC. GHRM practices, including employee involvement (GEI), training and development (GTD), and recruitment and selection (GRS), enhanced PGC. However, compensation and reward (GCR) and performance and management (GPM) do not significantly affect PGC. GHRM practices significantly influenced GIB and GEB, and in turn, PGC positively affects GIB and GEB. GIB and GEB also significantly contribute to GC. PGC does not mediate the relationships between GHRM and GIB, GEB. EL significantly moderates the relationship between PGC and GIB, improving green behavior in textile enterprises. Practical implications This study highlights the need for Pakistani textile companies, especially SMEs, to prioritize GHRM practices like green training and GEI. Policymakers should encourage the adoption of GHRM to align corporate practices with environmental goals. Originality/value This study is unique in examining how GHRM practices, directly and indirectly, and EL influenced PGC and employee green behaviors in Pakistani textile SMEs. It also examines how EL moderates GHRM, providing insights for environmental sustainability managerial strategies and policy frameworks.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of green perceived organizational support (GPOS) on employee green behavior (EGB), encompassing both task-related and voluntary behaviors. It explores direct and indirect effects through green knowledge sharing (GKS) and green creativity while considering organizational green initiatives across five dimensions as potential antecedents of GPOS.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a survey questionnaire distributed to front-line employees working in hotels in Bangladesh. The analysis was conducted using SmartPLS 4.0.9 on responses from 486 participants.FindingsThe results indicate that all dimensions of organizational green initiatives, except for top management’s environmental concerns, have a positive relationship with GPOS. GPOS positively influences GKS, green creativity and task-related green behaviors, but not voluntary green behaviors. GKS and green creativity mediate the relationship between GPOS and EGB.Practical implicationsThe findings serve as a guide for management to devise effective strategies that encourage employees’ positive engagement with the environment and strengthen their contributions to organizational green initiatives. The research reveals the importance of employees’ green creativity and GKS, enabling organizations to leverage these aspects for sustainable development.Originality/valueThe research sheds light on the dual pathways through which GPOS influences EGB, distinguishing between task-related and voluntary behaviors, and highlights the mediating roles of GKS and green creativity.

This study uses Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to explore the nexus between green human resource management (GHRM) practices and employee green voice behaviors in the Spanish hospitality sector. Using a sample of 308 Spanish hotel employees, the findings indicate that employees’ perception of GHRM practices significantly predicts green voice behavior development and is positively associated with harmonious environmental passion. Employees’ GHRM perception substantially impacts organizational green mindfulness, positively influencing harmonious environmental passion. The study unveils complementary partial mediation, showcasing the significant and indirect impact of GHRM practices on green voice behaviors through harmonious environmental passion and organizational green mindfulness. Theoretical contributions involve introducing novel psychosocial processes that motivate and influence the interaction between GHRM and employees’ green behaviors. Meanwhile, practical implications underscore the role of GHRM in fostering a shared green vision and empowering employees for actively engaging in environmental sustainability within the hospitality sector.

A multilevel perspective on employee green behaviour

BackgroundNursing leaders and nurses play a significant role in promoting green healthcare practices in healthcare organizations. Therefore, it is essential to understand the mechanism through which leadership can affect the green behavior and creativity of nurses.AimsTo investigate the effects of transformational leadership and a green work climate on nurses’ behavioral intentions, actual green behavior, and green creativity.MethodsSelf-report questionnaires (nursing green transformational leadership, climate, behavior, and creativity) were used to gather data from 400 nurses.ResultsNurses’ perceptions of nursing green transformational leadership, climate, behavior, and creativity were all at acceptable levels. Regression analysis indicated that nurses’ green behavioral intentions, actual green behavior, and green creativity, as well as the green work climate, were positively affected by nursing green transformational leadership. The Sobel results showed that nursing green transformational leadership indirectly affected nurses’ green behavioral intentions, actual green behavior and green creativity through the mediating role of the green work environment. There was a moderating influence of the green work climate on the association between nurses’ green behavioral intentions and actual green behavior.ConclusionA green work climate had a mediating effect on the relationships among nursing green transformational leadership, nurses’ green behavioral intentions, actual green behavior and green creativity. Nurses’ green behavioral intentions positively affect their actual green behavior through the moderating effects of a green work climate.ImplicationNurse managers should be aware of the influence of leadership style and the green work climate as significant factors influencing the ability of nurses to engage in green behavior and foster their green creativity.Clinical trial numberNot applicable.

PurposeGreen human resource management (HRM) plays a vital role in improving employees’ green behaviour. A research gap exists in the roles psychological green climate and employee green commitment have in the relationship between green HRM and employees’ green behaviour. Building on social exchange and social identity theories, this study aims to propose a model of the effects of green HRM on employees’ green behaviour through the serial mediation of psychological green climate and employee green commitment.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 297 full-time employees working in various manufacturing organizations in India using cross-sectional research design and self-reported measures. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the model fit of the serial mediation model, and PROCESS macro with a bias-corrected bootstrapping method was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe result of the study revealed that green HRM impacts employees’ green behaviour. Further, the findings showed that both psychological green climate and employee green commitment individually mediate the relationship between green HRM and employees’ green behaviour. The key outcome of this research is the partial serial mediation of psychological green climate and employee green commitment in the relationship between green HRM and employees’ green behaviour.Originality/valueThis is one of the primary studies that examined the serial mediating effect of psychological green climate and employee green commitment in the relationship between green HRM and employees’ green behaviour. This study contributes to the existing literature on green HRM and green behaviour by evincing the mediating mechanism of psychological green climate and employee green commitment.

With environmental protection awareness increasing, green innovation has become a key way for enterprises to achieve sustainable development. Research trends on employee green behavior are an important basis for formulating green behavior incentive measures and a key foundation for further exploring green innovation. However, due to the large amount of literature on employee green behavior, obtaining research trends directly related to employee green behavior takes time and effort. To solve this problem, this paper takes the relevant published literature on research on employee green behavior from 2009 to 2024 as the research object. It uses CiteSpace software to study the research trends of employee green behavior from the number change analysis of published literature, distribution region analysis of published literature, influence analysis of main authors of published literature, keyword analysis, and high-frequency word analysis. The research results show that the publication of literature on employee green behavior has been steadily increasing since 2018, and the relevant research mainly focuses on the impact of green behavior motivations, green behavior emotional factors, green behavior performance results, green self-energy efficiency, and other aspects on employee green behavior. Based on the research results, further summaries and suggestions are given to provide references for the subsequent related research in this paper.

PurposeThis study examines how green human resource management (GHRM), individually and collectively, affects green psychological climate (PGC), green in-role behavior (GIB), extra-role behavior (GEB) and green creativity (GC) in small, medium and large textile companies. The study also explores how green intellectual capital (GIC) moderates the relationship between GHRM and PGC and GC.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted in two phases: in phase 1 (N = 41 records), a systematic literature review was performed to identify the gaps, and in phase 2 (N = 412 managers and supervisors), a quantitative survey method was employed. The structural equation model, with 1st-order and 2nd-order hierarchical models, was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results showed that GHRM practices positively impacted PGC and GC. GHRM practices, including employee involvement (GEI), compensation and reward (GCR), training and development (GTD) and recruitment and selection (GRS), enhanced PGC. However, performance and management (GPM) do not significantly affect PGC. PGC significantly and positively affects GIB and GEB. GHRM also directly significantly influenced GC. Additionally, GIC significantly and positively moderated the relationship between GHRM and GC but not PGC, improving green creative behaviors in textile companies.Practical implicationsThis study spurs textile enterprises, especially small, medium and large, to prioritize GHRM practices where employees with green climate (i.e. PGC), behaviors (i.e. GIB and GEB), knowledge, skills and abilities (i.e. GIC) strengthen their GC. Policymakers should encourage the adoption of GHRM to align GIC practices with environmental goals.Originality/valueThis study is unique in examining how GHRM practices, individually and collectively, enhance PGC employees’ GIB, GEB and GC. GIC strengthens employee green behaviors to develop innovative ideas (i.e. GC). It examines how GIC is crucial for GHRM to enhance creative activities toward environmental sustainability practices and goals.

Employing the stimulus-organism-response model, this study examined employees’ eco-anxiety as a potential boundary condition, in the indirect relationship between restaurant green attributes, and employee green behaviors. Using PROCESS macro, the analysis of data obtained in two waves from 446 restaurant employees revealed that second-order restaurants’ green attributes are directly associated with required and voluntary employee green behaviors. More so, it was found that employees’ perception of their restaurants’ orientation towards environmental issues constitutes a psychological mechanism, linking restaurants’ green attributes, to employees’ green behaviors. This relationship is attenuated by employees’ eco-anxiety for voluntary green behaviors, whereas there is no significant moderation for required green behavior. This study uniquely explores the role of emotions in eco-sustainability efforts and the dynamics associated with employee eco-anxiety in the hospitality industry. It further extends the literature by examining two different potential outcomes of the interaction between workplace attributes and employee eco-anxiety, enriching what is currently known of the different forms of employee green behaviors.

Purpose This study explores how Eco-guilt influences employee green creative behavior (EGCB), focusing on the mediating role of green task involvement and the moderating effect of green resource availability. It examines the interaction of emotional, task-related, and resource-based factors in promoting workplace sustainability. Design/methodology/approach Data from 295 employees in Chinese firms were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Established scales measured Eco-guilt, green task involvement, green resource availability, and employee green creative behavior. Findings Eco-guilt positively impacts employee green creative behavior, mediated by green task involvement. Green resource availability strengthens this relationship, highlighting the importance of emotional drivers and organizational support for fostering sustainability. Practical implications Organizations can enhance green creativity by providing sustainability-related tasks and ensuring access to green resources. Structured tasks help channel Eco-guilt into creative actions, while resource availability supports innovative environmental solutions. Originality/value This study extends Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to sustainability, showing how competence and autonomy mediate and moderate the link between Eco-guilt and green creativity, offering actionable insights for fostering workplace sustainability.

Based on the theory of planned behavior, we investigated how green human resource management (GHRM) affects employees’ green behavior in resource-based enterprises, and examined the mediating effect of green behavior intention and the moderating effect of green psychological climate. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 260 employees working in resource-based enterprises. The results show that GHRM has a direct positive impact on employees' green behaviors. GHRM can indirectly influence employees' green behavior through green behavior intentions. The green psychological atmosphere moderates the relationship between GHRM and employees' green behavior intentions. When employees perceive a strong green psychological atmosphere, GHRM has a stronger positive impact on their green behavior intention. The theoretical and more specific practical implications of these findings are also discussed.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how green human resource management (GHRM) influences employee green innovative behavior. Specifically, it tests a conceptual model linking green HRM practices to green innovative behavior, with environmental enthusiasm at work as a mediator and organizational innovation support perception as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach Based on self-determination theory and social exchange theory, with green human resource management (GHRM) as the core, this study constructed a theoretical model of the relationship between GHRM and employee green innovative behavior and explored the mediating role of environmental enthusiasm and the moderating effect of organizational innovation support perception. Findings Based on the survey data of 349 employees and using tools such as SPSS and Amos for analysis, the following results have been drawn. First, GHRM has a significant positive impact on employee green innovative behavior. Second, environmental enthusiasm positively affects employee green innovative behavior and plays a mediating role between green HRM and employee green innovative behavior. Third, organizational innovation support perception has a positive effect on moderating the positive relationship between GHRM and employee green innovative behavior as well as their enthusiasm for environmental protection. Practical implications In order to help enterprises effectively promote the green innovation behavior of employees, the following suggestions are put forward. First, enterprises should establish a GHRM system to enhance environmental awareness and skills training. Second, organizations can design green incentive mechanisms to effectively stimulate employees’ innovative enthusiasm. Third, it is necessary for the organization to cultivate a green organizational culture to promote cross-departmental collaboration and knowledge sharing. Originality/value First, the study enriches the relevant research in the field of GHRM and expands the relevant conclusions on the factors influencing employee green innovative behavior. Second, it promotes contextual research on the role of GHRM in organizations.

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of green human resource management (GHRM) and green transformational leadership (GTL) on employees’ green work behavior. This study also tests the mediating role of environmental value congruence (EVC) on the relationship of GHRM and GTL with employees’ green work behavior.Design/methodology/approachResponses were collected from 480 employees working in various Indian hotels using a two-wave survey design. The data was analyzed using Smart PLS 4.FindingsThe findings report significant indirect associations between GHRM and GTL on the one hand and in-role green behavior and extra-role green behavior on the other through EVC.Practical implicationsThis paper highlights leaders’ focus on creating environmentally focused HR practices in hotels. As employees are the face for customers, particularly in the hotel industry, green behavior creates a green image of the organization in consumers’ minds, which may result in long-term sustainable competitive advantage.Originality/valueThis study makes two significant contributions; one, it explores the effect of GTL and GHRM on hotel employees’ green behaviors and second, it also tests the mediating role of EVC in explaining the relationship between the focal constructs in the Indian Hotel industry which has not been studied before.

Organizations are increasingly adopting green human resource management policies to encourage environmentally friendly behaviors. Research shows that adopting green policies and procedures is beneficial for the hospitality industry. However, limited empirical evidence exists on the association between environmental-specific ethical leadership, psychological green climate, and employees’ green behavior. Therefore, this study intends to examine psychological green climate (PGC) as a mediator between the relationship of environmental-specific ethical leadership (ESEL) and employees’ green behavior (EGB), specifically in the hotel industry of Pakistan. Data from 224 non-managerial position employees in the understudy sector was collected using a convenient sampling technique. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to examine the direct and indirect effects among the variables using the Smart PLS 3.3.3 version. This study showed that ESEL is positively related to PGC and EGB. Moreover, PGC is positively associated with EGB, and PGC mediated in the relationship between ESEL and EGB. Thus, current research highlights the significance of environmental-specific ethical leadership behavior, which assists in establishing a green psychological climate, thereby fostering employees’ green behavior in the hotel industry of Pakistan.

Purpose: The present study examines the effect of perceived green organizational support on employee green behavior in the manufacturing sector. The study also attempted to determine whether long-term orientation has a moderating role in this effect. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study uses a quantitative research design. Data were obtained from employees working in the manufacturing sector using the convenience sampling and survey methods. Analyses such as confirmatory factor, reliability, correlation and regression (Model 1) analyses were carried out. Results: The findings have shown that perceived green organizational support positively affects employee green behavior, and that long-term orientation plays a moderating role in this effect. Research Limitations: Limitations include the data being obtained cross-sectionally from a single sector (manufacturing) and the only variables in consideration being perceived green organizational support, long-term orientation and employee green behavior. Practical implications: The findings reveal that managers in the manufacturing sector should turn to green organizational support practices because green behaviors (in-role and extra-role) increase with employees' perceptions of these support practices. The findings also revealed that employees with low long-term orientation levels (compared to those with medium and high levels) exhibit more green employee behavior as their perception of green organizational support increases. Originality / Value: The present study focuses on employee green behavior, which is important for Industry 4.0. It is also the first study to examine the relationship between perceived green organizational support and employee green behavior within the context of long-term orientation.