Follower persuade Leader Green Commitment: Exploring Sustainability in Pharma Companies

This study investigates the impact of follower green knowledge (FGK) on leader green commitment through moderation (follower perceived organizational support) and mediation (leader motivation toward sustainable development goals). A total of 429 respondents from large pharmaceutical companies operating in different regions of Pakistan were selected. PLS-SEM and Johnson–Neyman plots were used for the conditional moderation mediation model. The results of the hypotheses including the conditional moderation mediation model were significant. Moreover, follower knowledge is a vital asset for persuading leader commitment when followers receive organizational support and leaders are motivated to adopt sustainable development goals. This study opens new avenues for leadership development programs. Moreover, enhancing green awareness and knowledge through training stimulates innovation and promotes experimentation with new environmentally friendly practices within the organization. Organizations must recruit new employees who possess green knowledge. This study adopts a leadership perspective based on the concept of sustainable followership. This study reveals the importance of followers in bringing leaders’ internal willingness toward sustainability development goals. This study uses leader–member exchange theory to highlight the importance of followers in creating a sustainable culture through their knowledge, awareness and support from peers.