The Role of Authentic Leadership in Promoting Environmental Behaviors: Hotel Industry Context

Abstract

Employee behaviour and work settings have a substantial effect in the context of hotel business because of its heavy reliance on human activities. This study seeks to examine the relationship between authentic leadership (AL), workplace environmental behaviors (WPEB), and green organizational support (GOS) based on social identity theory (SIT). The study also investigates how GOS mediates the relationships between WPEB and AL. 194 hotels’ employees in Pakistan participated in the investigation using snowball sampling through self-administered surveys. Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses under study. The results demonstrate a significant positive influence of AL, GOS, and environmental focused behaviors in hotel workplaces. Furthermore, GOS acts as a mediator between AL and WPEB. Thus, this study suggests important insights by highlighting environmental behaviours in the workplace and the importance of supporting sustainable organizations in the hospitality sector. This study also highlights the need for the hospitality sector to enrich environmental behaviors in the workplace and promote policies that support the transition to a sustainable hospitality industry.

In addition, support for green organizations mediates between AL and WPEB. The results of the present study provide significant implications by highlighting environmental behaviours in the workplace and support for green organizations in the hospitality sector. This study required the hospitality sector to pay attention to and improve WPEB and strategies and policies that support green organizations to have a green hospitality sector.