Sustainable Futures (Jun 2024)
Navigating the green path: Unraveling the follower green awareness impact on leader green organizational commitment through moderation and mediation model
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of the study is to explore how the green awareness of followers influences the green organizational commitment of leaders. This investigation took into account the moderating role of followers perceived organizational support and the mediating effect of leaders' green intrinsic motivation. Design/methodology/approach: The quantitative data collected from pharmaceutical companies was analyzed through SEM-PLS and Johnson–Neyman's moderated mediation plot. Findings: The findings reveal the significance of all hypotheses. Follower green awareness emerges as a crucial catalyst for instigating green practices within pharmaceutical companies, concurrently fostering leaders' commitment to environmentally friendly initiatives. Additionally, Leader Green Intrinsic Motivation (LGIM) plays a partial mediating role in the association between Follower Green Awareness (FGA) and Leader Green Organizational Commitment (LGOC). Notably, the indirect relation involving FGA, LGIM, and LGOC is subject to moderation by Follower Perceived Organizational Support (FPOS). Practical implications: These results highlight the pivotal role of Follower Green Awareness (FGA) in promoting eco-friendly practices within companies. Consequently, organizations should prioritize recruiting, retaining, and investing in followers who possess a heightened level of green awareness to reinforce Leader Green Organizational Commitment. The perspective of green followership holds significant importance in advancing sustainability efforts. Originality/value: This research examined Shamir's (2007) ``Reversing the Lens'' viewpoint, asserting that followers hold a crucial position in leadership. The results indicated that followers play an equally significant role as leaders in the context of effective green leadership. Furthermore, the findings expand upon the Leader-Member Exchange theory by proposing that followers contribute valuable resources to leaders, including knowledge, expertise, and support.
