Green Transformational Leadership and Value–Action Barrier on Employees’ Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Moderating Role of Green Brand Image in Chinese Food Manufacturing Enterprises

As public attention to environmental issues grows, enterprises have begun implementing environment-centered business management. Achieving environmental sustainability requires the participation of all organizational members. This study was conducted in Chinese food manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises located in Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces, China, and employed a three-wave, time-lagged survey design to collect and match data from team leaders and employees. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to test the cross-level hypotheses, and the indirect effect was assessed using Bayesian multilevel mediation analysis. Using cross-level data from both team leaders and team members, this study examines how green transformational leadership impacts employees' pro-environmental behavior. In addition, this study examines the mediating role of employee value-action barriers and the moderating role of green brand image. The results indicate that (1) green transformational leadership positively influences employee pro-environmental behavior, (2) employee value-action barriers mediate the relationship between green transformational leadership and employee pro-environmental behavior, and (3) green brand image moderates both the correlation between green transformational leadership and employee pro-environmental behavior and the relationship between employee value-action barriers and employee pro-environmental behavior. These findings provide empirical support for the application of social learning theory and offer managerial insights into how managers can more effectively enhance their employees' pro-environmental behavior. Future research may further test the robustness and applicability of these relationships in other industries and in different regional and national contexts.