How green training drives green process innovation and green product innovation: testing the underlying mechanisms

Purpose Developing eco-friendly businesses through green process innovation and green product innovation has become prevalent in generating profits and demonstrating environmental responsibility. However, contemporary hospitality management research has overlooked the impact of green training in influencing green process innovation and green product innovation. The focal study aims to understand how green training can foster green process innovation and green product innovation. We aim to examine dual mediating mechanisms, such as adaptive capability and environmental orientation, to assess the connection between green training, green process innovation and green product innovation. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzed 308 responses from middle and junior-level managers working in five-star hotels in China through structural equation modeling. Findings The results exhibit that managers’ green training positively relates to green process innovation and green product innovation. The evidence specifies that adaptive capability and environmental orientation are dual mediation mechanisms connecting green training to green process innovation and green product innovation. Research limitations/implications The research model has been tested in Chinese hotels; the scholar community can expand to other service industries, specifically healthcare, education institutes, transportation, and government services. This research emphasized green training as a GHR practice; researchers could focus on other human resource tools, such as recruitment and selection, rewards and benefits, talent management, and employee engagement, to research their influence on green innovation management. Practical implications This work has practical implications for academics, managers and policymakers, demonstrating that disseminating green training programs can help achieve green process innovation and green product innovation in the environmental sustainability agenda. Further, adaptive capability and environmental orientation should also be fostered among the organizational members to increase green process innovation and green product innovation. Originality/value This study advances the natural resource-based view by discovering a dual mediation mechanism that provides insights into how green training can shape green process innovation and green product innovation in organizations.