The Moderated Mediation Role of Organizational Green Culture and Green Intrinsic Motivation in the Relationship Between Green Empowering Leadership and Employees' Eco-Friendly Behavior

Yüceol N., Yıkılmaz İ.

The Management Academy Association’s 2026 Annual Meeting, İzmir, Türkiye, 31 Ağustos - 04 Eylül 2026, (Yayınlanmadı)

  • Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Yayınlanmadı
  • Basıldığı Şehir: İzmir
  • Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
  • İstanbul Gelişim Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Purpose: This study examines how green empowering leadership shapes employees' eco-friendly behavior, testing the mediating role of green intrinsic motivation and the moderating role of green organizational culture. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior, Social Learning Theory, Social Exchange Theory, and Social Information Processing Theory, it proposes and tests a moderated mediation model in which eco-friendly behavior emerges jointly from leadership, internalized motivation, and cultural context.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Data were collected from 398 full-time employees at four- and five-star hotels across Turkey. Common method bias was assessed via Harman's single-factor test, a marker variable technique, and VIF analysis. Hypotheses were tested using Hayes' (2017) PROCESS macro (Model 14), with 5,000 bootstrap resamples at a 95% confidence interval.

Findings: Green empowering leadership positively predicts both green intrinsic motivation and eco-friendly behavior. Green intrinsic motivation significantly mediates this relationship, showing that leadership shapes behavior through internalized motivation rather than direct compliance. Green organizational culture moderates this indirect effect, strengthening the mediation as culture strengthens and rendering it non-significant where culture is weak confirmed by the moderated mediation index.

Originality/Value: Eco-friendly behavior proves not reducible to individual sensitivity or leadership directives alone, but emerges at the intersection of leadership, psychological internalization, and organizational culture. By integrating five theoretical frameworks within a single moderated mediation model and testing it in the hospitality context, this study offers both theoretical depth and actionable guidance for fostering sustainable employee behavior.

Keywords: green empowering leadership, green intrinsic motivation, green organizational culture, eco-friendly behavior, moderated mediation, hospitality