The green spark: how green HRM ignites employee innovation through organisational commitment

Abstract In recent years, environmental issues have come to the fore and caused pressure on organisations to take sustainable measures; however, the mechanism by which green human resource management affects the green innovation behaviour of employees is still poorly understood. Although there is some research that has shown the relationship between green human resource management and environmental outcomes, there has been less research that focuses on the psychological processes that explain the relationship between green human resource management and innovation that is employee-driven. Utilising Social Exchange Theory and Resource-Based View, this empirical study examines the direct relationship between green human resource management and green innovation behaviour as well as the mediation of green organisational commitment. A questionnaire was developed and structured to collect data from 436 employees from different industries, which were then examined using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling technique for testing the proposed relationships. The findings reveal that green human resource management has a significant positive effect on green innovation Behaviour ( β = 0.136, p < 0.001) and green organisational commitment ( β = 0.665, p < 0.001). Moreover, green organisational commitment has a significant mediating effect on the relationship between green human resource management and green innovation behaviour ( β = 0.102, p < 0.001), which can be interpreted as a psychological mechanism that explains how green human resource management practices affect employee behaviour in terms of innovation. The study empirically confirms this mediating process, thus adding to the sustainable literature by breaking the “black box” between green human resource management and green innovation and broadening the use of Social Exchange Theory and Resource-Based Value theory in the sustainability sphere. From a practical perspective, the results indicate that implementing sustainability principles into recruitment, training, performance assessment, and reward systems within an organisation can promote an environment that is dedicated to sustainability goals and that creates and drives green innovation.