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Fostering Employees’ Voluntary Green Behavior: The Role of Environmentally Specific Servant Leadership, Positive Affectivity, and Workplace Anxiety

Author

Listed:
  • Liyan Yang

    (College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai 200240, China)

  • Xiaojing Shao

    (School of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 Xidazhi Street, Nangang District, Harbin 150001, China)

  • Yuan Jiang

    (China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), 699 Hongfeng Road, Pudong New District, Shanghai 201203, China)

Abstract

The recent introduction of servant leadership into the research on pro-environmental behavior in organizations has stimulated interest and concern among scholars on how an environmentally specific servant leader fosters their subordinates’ green behavior. Drawing from affective event theory, this study focuses on the underlying affective mechanism linking environmentally specific servant leadership and employee voluntary green behavior. Using two-wave data from 190 employees in two organizations, we found that environmentally specific servant leadership was indirectly related to employee voluntary green behavior via positive affectivity. Moreover, workplace anxiety moderated the indirect effect, such that it was only significant and positive under low levels of workplace anxiety. Overall, our study sheds light on the role the effect plays in unpacking the influence of environmentally specific servant leadership on employee voluntary green behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Liyan Yang & Xiaojing Shao & Yuan Jiang, 2023. "Fostering Employees’ Voluntary Green Behavior: The Role of Environmentally Specific Servant Leadership, Positive Affectivity, and Workplace Anxiety," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-17, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:20:p:14883-:d:1260052
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ones, Deniz S. & Dilchert, Stephan, 2012. "Environmental Sustainability at Work: A Call to Action," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(4), pages 444-466, December.
    2. Junjie Peng & Sarminah Samad & Ubaldo Comite & Naveed Ahmad & Heesup Han & Antonio Ariza-Montes & Alejandro Vega-Muñoz, 2022. "Environmentally Specific Servant Leadership and Employees’ Energy-Specific Pro-Environmental Behavior: Evidence from Healthcare Sector of a Developing Economy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-16, June.
    3. Olivier Boiral & Mario Cayer & Charles Baron, 2009. "The Action Logics of Environmental Leadership: A Developmental Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 85(4), pages 479-499, April.
    4. Olivier Boiral & Charles Baron & Olen Gunnlaugson, 2014. "Environmental Leadership and Consciousness Development: A Case Study Among Canadian SMEs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 363-383, September.
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