Leader green behavior as an outcome of followers' critical thinking and active engagement: the moderating role of pro-environmental behavior

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the role of followership dimensions of active engagement (AE) and independent critical thinking (ICT) in leader green behavior (LGB), and how followers' pro-environmental behavior (FPEB) moderates between the proposed relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe data was collected from 381 employees working in different small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of Pakistan, through a structured questionnaire with five points Likert scale. The proposed hypotheses were tested by using Smart-partial least square (PLS).V.3.FindingsResults showed a significant positive impact of followership dimensions on LGB. Moreover, the findings of the study substantiated the moderating role of FPEB between the direct relationship of ICT and LGB, but no significant moderation of FPEB in case of the relationship between AE and LGB was observed.Practical implicationsThis paper argues that organizational effective green leadership can be enhanced by followership dimensions of AE and ICT, and by participation of followers in pro-environmental behavior. This has been largely overlooked in the past studies.Originality/valueThe study attempted to empirically test the “Reversing the Lens” perspective by Shamir (2007) in the context of green human resource management (HRM). This study extends a distinct theoretical contribution to the social exchange theory (SET) by focusing on the fact that follower's role is equally as important as that of a leader in the effective leadership process.

Leadership and Environmental Sustainability: An Integrative Conceptual Model of Multilevel Antecedents and Consequences of Leader Green Behavior

“…Our literature search (Table 1) identified only one study that is somewhat consistent with this proposition (but did not test potential mechanisms). Specifically, Javaid et al (2023) found that follower active engagement and critical thinking were positively related to leader green behavior.…”

“…Additional individual antecedents examined in the literature include personal values (Egri & Herman, 2000), personality traits like conscientiousness and moral reflectiveness (Kim et al, 2017), and environmental knowledge (Fryxell & Lo, 2003). Only one study showed that follower characteristics (i.e., active engagement and critical thinking) were positively related to leader green behavior (Javaid et al, 2023). Finally, several studies examined contextual antecedents of green leadership.…”

Green leadership and competitive advantage: The role of mediation from knowledge management and talent management

“…Green leadership encourages organizations to generate and share knowledge about sustainable practices, such as green technology, waste management, and renewable energy (Javaid et al, 2023). Green leadership provides opportunities for staff to contribute through platforms, training, and internal meetings.…”

The moderating mediating model of green climate and green innovation’s effect on environmental performance

“…The productivity of staff members who are encouraged to adopt organizational citizenship behavior and improve their green behavior for sustainability is higher (Huang, Liu, & He, 2023). On the other hand, putting less emphasis on employee behavior makes it harder for the company to adopt green behavior (Javaid, Kumari, Khan, Jaaron, & Shaikh, 2023). While a company can establish and sustain a culture of sustainability over time, this relies on each employee's willingness to engage in environmentally friendly organizational practices (García-Salirrosas & Rondon-Eusebio, 2022;Sharma, Aswal, & Paul, 2023).…”