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Promoting employees’ pro‐environmental behaviour through empowering leadership: The roles of psychological ownership, empowerment role identity, and environmental self‐identity

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  • Zhihui Cheng
  • Wenxing Liu
  • Kong Zhou
  • Yujie Che
  • Yi Han

Abstract

This study develops a theoretical model to investigate when and why empowering leadership promotes employees’ pro‐environmental behaviour (PEB). Synthesising psychological ownership theory and role identity theory, we propose that empowering leadership positively affects the employees’ PEB and that this relationship is mediated by psychological ownership. Furthermore, we examine the moderating roles of empowerment role identity and environmental self‐identity in this relationship. By employing 203 leader–follower dyads as a sample, we find that empowering leadership is positively related to employees’ PEB and that employees’ psychological ownership mediates this relationship. Besides, we find that empowerment role identity plays a moderating role in the relationship between empowering leadership and employees’ psychological ownership such that the relationship is positive and significant when empowerment role identity is high but not significant when it is low. Finally, we observe that environmental self‐identity moderates the relationship between employees’ psychological ownership and PEB such that the relationship is positive and significant when environmental self‐identity is high, but not significant when it is low. Practically, we offer new insight into how and when organisations can leverage the positive effect of empowering leadership in the pursuit of promoting employees’ PEB.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhihui Cheng & Wenxing Liu & Kong Zhou & Yujie Che & Yi Han, 2021. "Promoting employees’ pro‐environmental behaviour through empowering leadership: The roles of psychological ownership, empowerment role identity, and environmental self‐identity," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(4), pages 604-618, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:30:y:2021:i:4:p:604-618
    DOI: 10.1111/beer.12366
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Eric Lamm & Jennifer Tosti-Kharas & Cynthia King, 2015. "Empowering Employee Sustainability: Perceived Organizational Support Toward the Environment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 128(1), pages 207-220, April.
    2. Olivier Boiral, 2003. "ISO 9000: Outside the Iron Cage," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(6), pages 720-737, December.
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    4. Catherine A. Ramus & Annette B. C. Killmer, 2007. "Corporate greening through prosocial extrarole behaviours – a conceptual framework for employee motivation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(8), pages 554-570, December.
    5. Bilal Afsar & Ahsen Maqsoom & Asad Shahjehan & Sajjad Ahmad Afridi & Adnan Nawaz & Hassan Fazliani, 2020. "Responsible leadership and employee's proenvironmental behavior: The role of organizational commitment, green shared vision, and internal environmental locus of control," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1), pages 297-312, January.
    6. Daryanto, Ahmad & Song, Zening, 2021. "A meta-analysis of the relationship between place attachment and pro-environmental behaviour," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 208-219.
    7. Olivier Boiral, 2007. "Corporate Greening Through ISO 14001: A Rational Myth?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(1), pages 127-146, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Chiyem Lucky Nwanzu & Sunday Samson Babalola, 2025. "Impact of ethical leadership and psychological ownership on employees' voluntary pro-environmental behaviour: a case study of selected organisations in Delta State Nigeria," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(7), pages 16371-16391, July.
    2. Vathsala Wickramasinghe & D.G. Gardner, 2023. "Relationships between Leadership Styles and Prosocial Motivation Depend on Cultural Values: A Case Study in Sri Lanka," Post-Print hal-05548408, HAL.

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