Unpacking the Linkage Between Green Volunteering and Ethical Leadership Behavior in Managers

Green volunteering has gained significant attention in recent years, with research focusing on pro-environmental behaviors and the preservation of natural ecosystems. While much has been written about its societal benefits, such as community engagement, social responsibility, and sustainable development, there is less research into its impact on the professional growth of volunteers. As a result, we know surprisingly little about how participants can harness the skills they develop through green volunteering to enhance their performance in the workplace. Using self-determination theory, we propose a serial mediation model in which managers’ participation in green volunteering fosters ethical leadership behavior in the workplace. Our analysis of time-lagged dyadic data from 798 managers and their direct reports reveal that green volunteering enhances ethical leadership by increasing managers’ sense of felt obligation and moral ownership. Furthermore, we find that the organization’s ethical climate plays a key moderating role, amplifying the positive effects of green volunteering in environments that emphasize ethical values. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.