Does Green Transformational Leadership Promote Employees’Green Innovative Behavior in the Hotel Industry? : A Multilevel Time-Lagged Study

This study investigates how green transformational leadership (GTL) promotes employees’ green innovative behavior (EGIB) in the Chinese hotel industry. This research, rooted in the Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV), explores green thinking as a mediating cognitive mechanism and strategic flexibility as a moderating organizational factor. Using a multilevel time-lagged design, we collected data from 510 employees and 90 team leaders in Chinese hotels. The results, analyzed through Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM), reveal that GTL significantly enhances EGIB both directly and indirectly through green thinking. Furthermore, strategic flexibility improves the positive effects of GTL on EGIB and of green thinking on EGIB. These findings enrich the comprehension of cross-level leadership dynamics in sustainability management, emphasizing the synergistic roles of cognition and flexibility in fostering environmental innovation. Theoretical and managerial implications emphasize the importance of cultivating green thinking and organizational adaptability to attain sustainable competitive advantage in service industries.