Leading the green wave: How and when green transformational leadership cultivates employee green creativity

Abstract

Appealing to the componential theory of creativity and social exchange theory, this study examines the roles of green transformational leadership, employee green passion, and green climate in nurturing green creativity in employees. It further delves into the moderating role of green perceived organizational support in the employee green passion-green climate linkage. The results obtained from applying PLS-based structural equation modeling on 464 data points drawn from the U.S. manufacturing industries confirm that green transformational leadership reinforces employee green passion and fortifies green climate, which enables green creativity among employees. A significant mediating role of employee green passion and green climate in causing green transformational leadership to produce desirable effects on employees green creativity has been empirically substantiated. The significant moderating role of green perceived organizational support bolsters the role of green transformational leadership in enhancing green creativity through augmenting employee green passion and green climate. The findings underscore the profound instrumentality of green transformational leadership and green climate in cultivating employees green creativity. The research outcomes offer critical insights to the organizations striving to preserve competitive advantage through fostering employees green creativity.