Leading for a greener tomorrow: how and when green transformational leadership fosters green innovative service behavior

Abstract

Purpose

We investigate how green transformational leadership (GTL) influences green innovative service behavior (GISB), particularly in the hospitality sector, which faces significant environmental challenges. Drawing from social identity theory (SIT), we introduce green organizational identity (GOI) as a mediating mechanism through which GTL fosters GISB. Furthermore, we propose a moderated mediation model whereby a green knowledge-sharing climate (GKSC) serves as a first-stage moderator to further understand how and when GTL fosters GISB through GOI.

Design/methodology/approach

We employed a multi-study design (i.e. two independent studies across China) to test the hypothesized relationships. Study 1 involved full-time employees from the service industry in China, including healthcare, telecommunication, and insurance sectors (N = 313). Study 2 employed a time-lagged dyadic design, collecting responses from employees and their managers at three different time points in the hospitality sector (N = 419).

Findings

In Study 1, the simple mediation results demonstrate that GTL positively influences GISB through the mediating role of GOI. Moreover, in Study 2, the moderating effect of GKSC was supported, showing that in organizations with strong green knowledge-sharing climate, the indirect effect of GTL on GISB via GOI is amplified.

Originality/value

In our work, we address a critical gap in the literature by identifying both the mechanisms and contextual factors that explain how GTL influences GISB. By introducing GOI as a mediator and GKSC as a first-stage moderator, the study advances understanding of how leadership, organizational identity, and a green-supportive climate interact to promote eco-friendly innovation in service organizations. This contributes both theoretically and practically to the development of effective strategies for advancing green initiatives in the service sector.

Citation

Waqas, M., Tahir, A.H., Tariq, H. and Khan, A.R. (2025), "Leading for a greener tomorrow: how and when green transformational leadership fosters green innovative service behavior", Journal of Service Theory and Practice, Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 263-287. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-06-2024-0182