How green transformational leadership shapes employee green behavior in Indonesian hotels

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractWhile green transformational leadership drives environmental sustainability in service organizations, understanding how it shapes employee green behavior in hospitality contexts requires further examination. This study examines how green transformational leadership influences employee green behavior through the mediating role of green psychological climate in Indonesian hotels, and investigates whether these relationships differ between front-of-house and back-of-house employees. Survey data from 412 hotel employees across 36 hotels in the Lake Toba region, North Sumatra, Indonesia, were gathered during the first quarter of 2025. Participating hotels were chosen for their adoption of environmental management systems, with respondents sampled from both guest-facing and operational positions. Structural equation modeling reveals that green transformational leadership exerts a strong influence on green psychological climate (β = 0.583, p < 0.001, f² = 0.514) and a moderate direct influence on employee green behavior (β = 0.161, p < 0.01, f² = 0.020). Green psychological climate demonstrates meaningful effects on employee green behavior (β = 0.285, p < 0.001, f² = 0.064). Mediation analysis confirms partial mediation through green psychological climate (β = 0.166, p < 0.001). Model diagnostics indicate adequate explanatory power (R² = 0.340), predictive capacity (Q² = 0.223), and fit (SRMR = 0.042). Aggregation validity is supported by within-unit agreement (rwg(j) = 0.78) and reliability metrics (ICC(1) = 0.60; ICC(2) = 0.90). Functional role comparisons show equivalent relationships across front-of-house and back-of-house contexts (p > 0.05). Findings suggest green transformational leadership operates through dual mechanisms, building collective environmental perceptions while enabling individual green actions, with implications for hospitality leadership development.AcknowledgmentsThis research was supported by the TALENTA Research Grant 2025 from Universitas Sumatera Utara (Contract No. 83/UN5.4.10.K/PT.01.03/TALENTA/RB1/2025). We are grateful to the participating hotels’ management and staff for their cooperation and willingness to contribute to this study. We also thank the anonymous reviewers whose constructive feedback greatly enhanced the quality of this manuscript.