Green Transformational Leadership and Green Innovation: The Sequential Mediating Roles of Green Human Capital Management and Work Behavior

Organizations seeking environmental improvement need to understand how leaders' environmental priorities are associated with employee capabilities, everyday conduct, and Green Innovation. This study examined the direct and indirect associations among Green Transformational Leadership, Green Human Capital Management, Work Behavior, and Green Innovation, including a sequential mediation pathway. A cross-sectional quantitative survey of 300 purposively selected company employees used a 24-item, five-point Likert questionnaire; the reported data were analyzed with PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4. Green Transformational Leadership was positively associated with Green Human Capital Management (β = 0.406; p < 0.001) and Work Behavior (β = 0.255; p < 0.001), but not directly with Green Innovation (β = 0.041; p = 0.446). Green Human Capital Management was associated with Work Behavior (β = 0.325; p < 0.001) and Green Innovation (β = 0.292; p < 0.001), while Work Behavior was associated with Green Innovation (β = 0.326; p < 0.001). The specific indirect paths through Green Human Capital Management (β = 0.118; p < 0.001), through Work Behavior (β = 0.083; p = 0.001), and sequentially through both mediators (β = 0.043; p < 0.001) were significant. These findings support a statistical explanation in which environmental competency management and work conduct connect leadership orientation with perceived Green Innovation, although the cross-sectional design does not establish causal ordering.