Green Humble Leadership and Green Creativity: The Parallel Mediating Roles of Green Psychological Capital and Green Autonomy in Pakistan's Hospitality

Purpose - The aim of this study was to investigate whether Green Humble Leadership (GHL) is related to employee Green Creativity (GC) and whether the relationship between them can The aim of this study was to investigate whether Green Humble Leadership (GHL) is related to employee Green Creativity (GC) and whether the relationship between them can be explained by parallel mediations of Green Psychological Capital (GPC) and Green Autonomy (GA). Based on Self-Determination Theory, the study examines how humility related to sustainability can boost the green psychological assets and perceived discretion of employees to act out their environmental ideas by collecting data from 286 frontline employees in hotels in Swat, Madyan, and Bahrain, Pakistan, and analyzed using SmartPLS 4. Results show that GHL has a significant positive direct association with GC (β = 0.237, p < 0.001). GPC (indirect effect = 0.035, p = 0.039) and GA (indirect effect = 0.062, p = 0.003) both significantly mediate this relationship, with GA showing a stronger indirect pathway. The model explains 21.6% of the variance in GC. Based on the results, it is recommended that hospitality companies which aim to make their employees more creative for the environment consider applying the following leadership practices: recognition of employees' environmental knowledge, encouraging employees' involvement in environmental issues-related problem solving and giving some space for employees to try and experiment the green practices. The study doesnot focus on psychological resources or autonomy as individual factors but rather sees them as complementary channels connecting sustainability-oriented humble leadership and employee green creativity. Furthermore, the study contributes by integrating two green-specific mechanisms within a parallel mediation model and by extending evidence on sustainable leadership in Pakistan’s hospitality industry.