Where there is a thriving, there is a green way: cultivating employee green creativity through green HRM and creative leadership
| Date | 05 November 2024 |
| Pages | 1826-1842 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-02-2024-0080 |
| Published date | 05 November 2024 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Industrial/labour relations,Employment law |
| Author | Xiaoqin Liu,Zhibin Lin,Yanling Sun |
Where there is a thriving, there is a
green way: cultivating employee green
creativity through green HRM and
creative leadership
Xiaoqin Liu
Business School, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
Zhibin Lin
Durham University Business School, Durham, UK, and
Yanling Sun
Business School, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of the study is to investigate the mechanisms through which green HRM practices foster
green creativity among employees. Specifically, it tests a conceptual model linking green HRM practices to
green creativity, with employee thriving at work as a mediator and creative leadership as a moderator
strengthening the links.
Design/methodology/approach –The study collected survey data from 319 employees working in the
financial, internet and IT sectors in the developed coastal regions of China. The conceptual model and
hypotheses were tested using this sample focused on sustainability-oriented sectors based in regions with
imperative ecological needs and priorities.
Findings –The findings indicate that thriving at work (characterized by vitality and learning) mediates between
green HRM practices and green creativity. In addition, creative leadership was found to moderate the impact of
green HRM on both thriving and green creativity, including the indirect effects through thriving.
Originality/value –The study breaks new ground by being the first to examine the mediation of thriving at work
and the moderation of creative leadership in connecting green HRM to green creativity. It develops and tests an
integrated theoretical framework that combines insights from self-determination theory and creative leadership
theory, situates the research in the timely and relevant context of China’s developed coastal areas and key
industries and offers new insights and practical implications for fostering green creativity and aligning
organizational strategies with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Keywords Green creativity, Creative leadership, Green HRM, Thriving at work
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
In the face of growing environmental concerns and increasing stakeholder pressure for
sustainable business practices, employee green creativity has emerged as a critical factor in
organizational success (Chen and Chang, 2013;Song and Yu,2018;Luu, 2023;Adomako and
Nguyen, 2023;Shakil et al., 2023;Li et al., 2023). Employee green creativity addresses urgent
environmental challenges by promoting the development of novel solutions to reduce the
ecological impacts of unsustainable production and consumption patterns (Chen and Chang,
2013). It encompasses innovative behaviors that contribute to environmental sustainability by
reducing pollution, waste, and carbon emissions (Takalo et al., 2021). For example, green
creativity might lead to the development of closed-loop manufacturing processes that
eliminate waste, the design of energy-efficient appliances that significantly reduce carbon
emissions, or the creation of biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastics. As a result,
employee green creativity has become a key driver of firm product innovation performance
ER
46,8
1826
Funding: This study was partly supported by the Guangdong Philosophy and Social Science Project
(Grant No. GD24CGL62).
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0142-5455.htm
Received 7 February 2024
Revised 29 July 2024
4 October 2024
Accepted 10 October 2024
EmployeeRelations: The International
Journal
Vol.46 No. 8, 2024
pp.1826-1842
©Emerald Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI10.1108/ER-02-2024-0080
and competitive advantages (Adomako and Nguyen, 2023;Song and Yu,2018). This not only
addresses environmental challenges but also promotes sustainable business practices,
positioning organizations to thrive in an increasingly eco-conscious market landscape
(Norton et al., 2015).
Tofoster green creativity among employees, many organizations are turning to green human
resource management (HRM) practices. Green HRM involves aligning human resources
activities with environmental objectives, encompassing aspects such as recruitment, training,
incentives, culture-building, and performance management, all emphasizing sustainability (Ali
et al., 2020;Renwick et al., 2013). Existing research has shown that these practices foster
employee green creativity through strengthening intrinsic motivations (Ren et al., 2018;
Ahmad et al., 2022;Luu, 2023). Studies have demonstrated positive links between green HRM
practices and employee green creativity across various sectors, including manufacturing (Kim
et al., 2019), hotels (Alyahya et al., 2023;Muisyo et al., 2022), and pharmaceuticals (Shakil
et al., 2023). In addition, several mediating mechanisms have been examined in the literature.
These include perceived organizational support (Hameed et al., 2022), green passion (Luu,
2023), green mindset (Shakil et al., 2023), and pro-environmental behaviors (Ahmad et al.,
2022). These studies have provided valuable insights into the psychological and behavioral
processes that link Green HRM practices to employee green creativity.
Moreover, previous research has revealed that the impact of green HRM practices on
employee green creativity is further influenced by various leadership styles (Arici and Uysal,
2021;Faraz et al., 2021;Lee et al., 2020), which act as moderators in this link. Research has
explored the moderating effects of ethical leadership (Ahmad et al., 2022), spiritual leadership
(Li et al., 2023), green transformational leadership (Hameed et al., 2022), and green authentic
leadership (Luu, 2023). These leadership styles play an important role in leveraging green
HRM practices to spur green innovation by providing resources, vision, and passion for
exploring sustainability solutions (Robertson and Carleton, 2018;Tuan, 2020;Zhu
et al., 2005).
Despite the growing importance of employee green creativity in addressing environmental
challenges, several significant gaps persist. While existing research has made strides in
examining the link between green HRM and green creativity, there remains a limited
understanding of the specific psychological mechanisms that explain this link, particularly the
role of employee thriving at work (Spreitzer et al., 2005;Kleine et al., 2019). Furthermore, the
boundary conditions that shape the effectiveness of green HRM practices in promoting green
creativity,especially the influence of creative leadership, have been insufficiently investigated
(Mainemelis et al., 2015;Hughes et al., 2018). Finally, there is limited empirical evidence on
the joint influence of green HRM practices and creative leadership in fostering employee
thriving and green creativity.
To address these research gaps, this study aims to investigate the mechanisms through
which green HRM practices foster green creativity among employees. Specifically, drawing
on the foundation of self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000) and integrating insights
from leadership and environmental sustainability literature, we propose and empirically test a
conceptual model. This model examines the mediation of employee thriving at work between
green HRM practices and green creativity, as well as the moderation of creative leadership in
strengthening the direct and indirect effects of green HRM practices on green creativity via
thriving.
To test our hypotheses, we conducted a survey among a sample of employees from
advanced coastal enterprises in China. Coastal regions in China face unique environmental
challenges due to rapid economic development. The Chinese government is pursuing
aggressive targets for decreasing carbon emissions and enhancing sustainability, urging
organizations to adopt eco-friendly practices and technologies. Furthermore, coastal areas are
especially at risk from the effects of climate change, which is urgent. Understanding the drivers
of employee green creativity is critical for generating bottom-up eco-friendly ideas to mitigate
business operations’ environmental impact.
Employee
Relations: The
International
Journal
1827
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