Environmentally responsible behaviors in hospitality and tourism service employees: an application of complexity theory

Purpose Hospitality and tourism businesses often face environmental criticism as they rely heavily on natural resources to operate. Therefore, as a recent trend, hospitality companies are trying to adopt an environmentally friendly approach. Thus, this study sought to investigate the determinants of employee intention to engage in environmentally responsible actions in the workplace, drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the value-belief norm (VBN) theory. Design/methodology/approach This study employed the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to discover sufficient configurations for predicting employees’ intentions. Findings The result has provided recipes with an efficient combination of factors that can influence employees’ intention to undertake environmentally responsible behaviors. Originality/value This study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding sustainable behavior among employees and sustainability in the travel and hospitality sector. The findings of this research also provide managers and operators of sustainable hospitality businesses with guidance on how to enhance their staff members' environmentally friendly behaviors at work.