Strategic enablers of employee green behavior: the role of HRM, culture, and leadership alignment

Purpose This study investigates how the strategic alignment of Green Transformational Leadership (GTL), Green Human Resource Management (GHRM), and Green Organizational Culture (GOC) impacts Employee Green Behavior (EGB), with Green Self-Efficacy (GSE) serving as a mediating factor. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, data were collected from 216 managerial employees of an Indonesian fertilizer company and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings GHRM and GOC significantly enhanced GSE and indirectly fostered EGB. However, GTL had no significant direct or indirect effect on GSE or EGB. This highlights a novel insight: leadership, without reinforcement from HR systems and culture, may not be sufficient to influence sustainable employee behaviors. The study underscores that GSE is a critical psychological pathway through which aligned systems promote green behavior. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design limits causal interpretation, and findings are based on a single industrial sector in a developing economy. Broader industry and cross-cultural studies are encouraged. Practical implications Organizations should prioritize aligning HRM practices and culture with sustainability objectives and invest in building employee self-efficacy to maximize the effectiveness of green leadership. Policy initiatives could support this alignment through environmental literacy programs and performance-linked incentives. Originality/value This research uniquely applies the SOR model to explore strategic alignment in organizational sustainability and uncovers the conditional impact of leadership effectiveness in green behavior transformation, an area previously underexplored.