Green HRM and green innovation: Do environmental strategies and green culture matter?

Literature supports the notion that green human resource management (HRM), an emerging and effective HRM strategy, leads to superior environmental performance. Yet, insufficient attention has been paid to whether green HRM can improve organisations’ green innovation, and on the impact that environmental strategies and organisational green culture have on this process. To fill these research gaps, this study aims to examine the relationship between organisations’ green HRM and green innovation, utilising the natural resource-based view and ability-motivation-opportunity theories. It also investigates the mediating role of green culture to explore how green HRM relates to green innovation in organisations. Additionally, it examines the moderating role of environmental strategies to determine the boundary condition of the relationship between green HRM and green innovation. In line with its objectives, this study conducted a multisource survey among 250 Australian employees to test its proposed hypotheses. It employed the partial least squares structural equation modelling approach to analyse data and evaluate the hypotheses. Its findings show that organisations’ green HRM has a positive influence on green innovation, and environmental strategy acts as a moderator strengthening this relationship. The moderated mediation model also explains that organisations’ green HRM indirectly affects green innovation through the intervening mechanism of green culture. This study has important implications for organisations as its findings underscore the need to align green HRM with a supportive green culture to effectively promote their green innovation. It also highlights that environmental strategies are a key driver of green HRM and green innovation, offering essential insights and guidance for organisations looking to remain competitive in the contemporary business world.