From paternalistic leadership to green innovation in hospitality: unpacking the roles of clan culture, green engagement, and organisational-based self-esteem

Purpose This study examines how paternalistic leadership dimensions—moral leadership (ML), benevolent leadership (BL), and authoritarian leadership (AL)—shape green innovative behavior (GIB) among hotel employees, drawing on Social Exchange Theory (SET) and the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Theory. Design/methodology/approach In total, 451 staff members in the hotels of Sharm El Sheikh city in Egypt were chosen through a two-wave time-lagged design. This study tests a model in which organisational clan culture (OCC) and green work engagement (GWE) function as mediators, while organisational-based self-esteem (OBSE) moderates the relationships, analyzed using PLS-SEM. Findings The findings reveal that moral leadership and benevolent leadership foster the organisation clan culture, whereas authoritarian leadership undermines it. Additionally, clan culture is positively associated with employees' green engagement, which drives their green innovation. Moreover, OBSE strengthens the positive correlation between moral leadership and BL and buffers the negative linkage between authoritarian leadership and organisation clan culture. Practical implications Hospitality managers should adopt paternalistic leadership dimensions like benevolent and moral leadership and avoid authoritarian styles—especially with Generation Z—to strengthen team culture, foster trust, collaboration, and shared values. Rewarding pro-environmental practices and holding workshops that involve all employees in creating green policies and goals can boost environmental participation and green innovation. Originality/value This study advances hospitality sustainability literature by integrating paternalistic leadership with green innovation mechanisms along with the roles of organisation clan culture, green work engagement, and OBSE in translating leadership into pro-environmental innovation, and offering actionable insights for hotel managers aiming to cultivate a sustainability-driven organisational culture.