PLoS ONE (Jan 2024)

Influence of Green Human Resource Management on firm's environmental performance: Green Employee Empowerment as a mediating factor.

  • Philip Adu Sarfo,
  • Jianhua Zhang,
  • George Nyantakyi,
  • Francis Ako Lassey,
  • Emmanuel Bruce,
  • Ophelia Amankwah

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293957
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 4
p. e0293957

Abstract

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This research aimed to investigate the mediating function of Green Employee Empowerment (GEE) in the relationship between Green Human Resource Management practices (GHRM) and the environmental performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana, drawing on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory. This study assessed the hypotheses in the established research model using structural equation modeling based on data collected from 320 participants from small and medium-sized firms in Ghana. The study's results revealed that GHRM practices were significantly correlated with the firm's environmental performance. The study found significant GHRM's indirect consequences on environmental performance through GEE in all models examined. These findings suggest that GEE plays a crucial role in translating the impact of GHRM practices into improved environmental performance. The study overlooked other potential mediators or moderators in the relationship between GHRM practices and environmental performance, focusing on GEE. To better understand the complex dynamics behind GHRM techniques' environmental performance, future research might examine business culture, leadership style, and employee sustainability attitudes.