Environmentally specific servant leadership and voluntary pro-environmental behavior in the context of green operations: A serial mediation path

• Published in: Frontiers in psychology 2022-11, Vol.13, p.1059523
• Main Authors: Zafar, Hina, Tian, Feng, Ho, Jo Ann, Zhang, Gaoqi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: environmentally specific servant leadership; green operations; organizational identity; psychological empowerment; Psychology; voluntary pro-environmental behavior
• ISSN: 1664-1078; 1664-1078
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1059523

Green operations of organizations and enhancement of corporate social responsibility hinges upon leaders. This study investigated the influential role performed by environmentally specific servant leadership in provoking voluntary pro-environmental behavior of employees. The findings illuminate a serial chain mediation model that originates as a result of environmentally specific servant leadership and leads toward psychological empowerment, and organizational identity, ultimately leading toward voluntary pro-environmental behavior. Data from the textile sector of Pakistan uncovered that environmentally specific servant leadership prompted the voluntary pro-environmental behavior of employees. Moreover, environmentally specific servant leadership was significantly linked with voluntary pro-environmental behavior through psychological empowerment. The study supports the serial mediation of psychological empowerment and organizational identity in stirring voluntary pro-environmental behavior. An organizational psychological mechanism has been unraveled that can help organizations achieve a high level of sustainability and can serve as a catalyst for organizational green operations.