Climate-Conscious Management: Exploring the Role of Green Leadership and Green Organizational Climate in Driving Pro-Environmental Employee Behavior

Abstract

The growing urgency of environmental challenges necessitates a deeper understanding of how organizations can foster pro-environmental employee behavior (PEB). Drawing on transformational leadership theory, organizational climate theory, and person–organization fit perspectives, this study examines a moderated mediation model linking green transformational leadership (GTL) to PEB via green organizational climate (GOC), with green value congruence (GVC) as a boundary condition. Data were collected from 392 employees across six firms in Pakistan’s production sector, a context where sustainability imperatives are mounting amid industrial growth and regulatory pressures. Using the PROCESS Macro in SPSS, results reveal that GTL significantly enhances PEB both directly and indirectly through GOC. The mediation is partial, suggesting that leaders not only model environmental responsibility but also shape collective perceptions that guide behavior. Furthermore, GVC strengthens the effect of GOC on PEB, indicating that climate perceptions are most influential when employees’ personal environmental values align with organizational priorities. The moderated mediation analysis confirms that the indirect effect of GTL on PEB via GOC is amplified under conditions of high value congruence. These findings contribute to theory by integrating leadership, climate, and fit literatures into a unified framework and extend knowledge on the mechanisms and contingencies driving sustainability-oriented behaviors. Practically, the study underscores the need for production-sector organizations to develop green leaders, institutionalize sustainability within organizational climates, and align values through recruitment, training, and communication strategies. Together, the results provide actionable pathways for embedding environmental responsibility into everyday organizational life.