Managerial green leadership behavior and its impact on employee environmental citizenship behavior: the mediating role of green intellectual capital in the hospitality sector

Soomro S. A., Soomro S. A., Ibrahim B., Aljarah A.

Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol.34, no.4, pp.1135-1156, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 34 Issue: 4
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/09669582.2025.2539283
  • Journal Name: Journal of Sustainable Tourism
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, PASCAL, ABI/INFORM, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, CAB Abstracts, Geobase, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, Hospitality & Tourism Index, PAIS International, Public Affairs Index, Sociological abstracts, Veterinary Science Database
  • Page Numbers: pp.1135-1156
  • Keywords: environmental citizenship behavior, green human capital, green intellectual capital, Green leadership behavior, green relational capital, green structural capital
  • İstanbul Ticaret University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Hospitality organisations are crucial in driving green and sustainable business practices as the world advances toward global decarbonisation. This study investigates the relationship between Green Leadership Behavior (GLB) and employee Environmental Citizenship Behavior (ECB), focusing on the mediating role of three facets of Green Intellectual Capital (GIC), i.e. Green Human Capital (GHC), Green Structural Capital (GSC) and Green Relational Capital (GRC). The study is based on a multilevel dataset comprising 264 employees (Level 1) nested within 16 hospitality organisations (Level 2). We used a 2-1-1 multilevel mediation model to analyse the data, using Jamovi 2.5 software. We found that GHC, GSC, and GRC serve as a mechanism through which GLB is associated with increased ECB. The study recommends valuable insights for hospitality organisations to provide the necessary and timely availability of intangible assets such as GHC, GSC, and GRC so that GLB may effectively exploit GIC to encourage ECB. We contribute to the leadership literature in tourism and hospitality by identifying key pathways through which GLB influences ECB, emphasising the crucial role of GIC in shaping employees’ environmentally friendly behaviors.