Promoting sustainable industrialization by exploring workforce perception towards green hydrogen adoption

• Norms bridge personal convictions to foster eco-friendly tech adoption. • Responsibility and efficacy are major socio-psychological drivers to adopt green hydrogen. • Aligning green hydrogen benefits with personal norms fosters genuine sustainability. • Mandates and grants can drive green hydrogen adoption in industrial processes. • Need for skill development of employees to work on green hydrogen technologies. This study examines the determinants of employees’ personal norms that influence the intention to adopt green hydrogen technologies in industries, using the Norm-activation model. Drawing on the responses of 235 industry professionals from India and employing structural equation modelling, the study finds that awareness of consequences (β = 0.529, p < 0.001), awareness of needs (β = 0.152, p < 0.05), and situational responsibility (β = 0.176, p < 0.01) positively shape personal norms. Perceived efficacy showed a negative influence (β = –0.094, p < 0.05), while perceived ability was insignificant. Personal norms strongly predicted the intention to adopt green hydrogen (β = 0.715, p < 0.001), moderated by annual industry turnover. The study highlights gaps in workforce preparedness and recommends targeted upskilling, institutional collaboration, and policy incentives. This research contributes to the sustainable industrialization discourse by integrating organizational behavior with clean energy adoption and provides actionable insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders to align workforce readiness with green hydrogen implementation.