Linking Leadership Styles and Environmental Performance: A Systematic Literature Review

Purpose: This paper aims to synthesize and critically analyze the linkage between leadership styles and environmental performance (EP) through a systematic literature review (SLR). Methodology/Approach: A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA framework, complemented by a bibliometric analysis. Scopus and Web of Science were selected as main databases, with predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A search string incorporating “leadership” and “environmental performance,” along with synonyms such as “corporate environmental performance,” “sustainability performance,” and “green performance,” was used to retrieve relevant studies. Findings: The final sample consisted of 42 peer-reviewed empirical studies. Pakistan emerged as the most productive country, contributing seven publications, while Technological Forecasting and Social Change was the most cited journal, accounting for 1,061 citations (67.45% of the total citations in the sample). Content analysis identified 15 leadership styles, with green transformational leadership being the most studied (26.19%). Additionally, the Natural Resource-Based View (RBV) was the dominant theoretical framework, applied in 30% of the studies. Practical Implications: The insights presented in this review contribute to the existing body of literature and offer practical guidelines for managers in decision-making processes and environmental policy development. Originality/Value: This paper advances the Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) and environmental performance literature by examining moderating and mediating variables that influence the leadership-EP relationship.