Linking environmentally-specific empowering leadership to hotel employees' green creativity: understanding mechanisms and boundary conditions

Purpose Drawing on conservation of resources and social exchange theories, the authors build and test a theoretical model examining the association of environmentally-specific empowering leadership (ESEL) with green creativity as well as the mediating and moderating roles of green knowledge sharing behavior and green psychological climate, respectively, in this association. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected in three different waves from 265 employees working in three-, four- and five-star hotels located in major cities in Pakistan. EFA, CFA and PROCESS macro were utilized to validate the study's research model and to examine the hypotheses. Findings The results indicated that ESEL is positively associated with green creativity, and green knowledge sharing behavior is an effective underlying mechanism between the ESEL–green creativity association. Furthermore, this study’s findings suggested that green psychological climate moderates the direct and indirect associations such that the associations were stronger when green psychological climate was more positive rather than less positive. Practical implications The study provides important lessons to managers and policymakers about the benefits of ESEL to achieving green employee creativity within the hospitality sector and helps to contextualize the importance and relevance of addressing global challenges in light of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Originality/value The study is the first to explore the green adaptation of empowering leadership, its effects, mechanisms and boundary conditions.