Green Leadership Support as a Catalyst for Innovative Behavior: A Study of Green Absorptive Capacity and Work Climate in UAE Hotels

This study investigated how green absorptive capacity influences employee perceptions of a green work climate and their engagement in green innovative behavior. It also examines the moderating role of green leadership support in shaping these relationships. Guided by the resource‐based view, the research explores how environmental knowledge capabilities and supportive organizational conditions contribute to sustainability‐focused innovation. Survey data were collected from employees at twelve four‐ and five‐star hotels in the United Arab Emirates and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings show that green absorptive capacity significantly enhances perceptions of a green work climate, which in turn leads to increased green innovative behavior. The results further reveal that green leadership support strengthens the effect of green work climate on green innovative behavior. These insights extend the resource‐based view by demonstrating that organizational resources must be integrated with a supportive climate to achieve innovation outcomes. The study offered practical recommendations for firms aiming to embed sustainability into their core operations by investing in environmental knowledge systems, cultivating green workplace values, and reinforcing leadership support for environmental initiatives.