Green Leadership and Employee Commitment to Environmental Sustainability: Analytical Study
Dr. Vaishali Gohil Professor, Department of Management, University of Technology, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India Abstract Organizations around the world are increasingly prioritizing environmental sustainability as a core strategic imperative. However, the critical human-centric link—specifically how leaders’ behaviors drive employees to genuinely identify with and implement an organization’s environmental goals—has not been thoroughly examined in existing theoretical research. This article systematically sorts out the relationship between Green Leadership and Employee Commitment to Environmental Sustainability. All research materials used in this review are sourced from recent relevant literature published in Scopus-indexed journals. Based on the consolidation of these documents, this article integrates existing theoretical frameworks, maps the core transmission pathways through which green leadership influences employee commitment, and proposes an integrative conceptual model that connects scattered research findings into a complete logical chain. Specific analysis results show that green leadership encompasses three dimensions: transformational, servant, and ethical. It does not directly act on employees’ environmental willingness; instead, it ultimately exerts a significant impact on employees’ environmental commitment through psychological transmission factors such as green self-efficacy, organizational identity, and perceived organizational support. The article concludes with a discussion of the value of this research for theoretical development and corporate practice, while proposing future research directions for further exploration. Keywords: Green Leadership, Employee Commitment, Environmental Sustainability, Green Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior. Introduction As the climate crisis grows increasingly severe year by year, stakeholders closely tied to enterprises—including upstream and downstream clients, consumers, and regulators—are raising ever-higher environmental requirements. These dual pressures force all enterprises to integrate environmental sustainability into their core strategies and embed it into daily operations (Robertson & Barling, 2026; Alrifae, 2026). While technological upgrades and policy adjustments may seem critical to advancing this goal, the core factor that determines long-term success is people—specifically, whether organizational leaders can take the initiative to make employees genuinely willing to participate in environmental work. This is the core of achieving long-term environmental goals (Chen & Wu, 2022; Mishra, 2017). The concept of “green leadership”, commonly discussed in academic circles, refers to a category of leadership behaviors specifically designed to drive employees to engage in environmental protection: leaders first articulate the organization’s environmental goals in clear, accessible terms, outline a distinct environmental vision for employees, then back employees’ environmental actions with tangible support such as resources and space, stimulating employees’ motivation to collectively meet the enterprise’s set environmental targets. This concept has gained increasing attention in recent years, generating extensive discussion both in the academic field of internal organizational behavior and in sustainable development research (Chen & Chang, 2013; Robertson & Barling, 2026). What, then, defines “employee commitment to environmental sustainability”? It does not refer to employees’ superficial compliance with an organization’s environmental projects, but to their heartfelt identification with these projects, their adoption of the projects as their own responsibilities, and the development of genuine a sense of belonging. This commitment translates beyond ideas into concrete actions—such as proactively taking environmentally friendly actions and consistently participating in the organization’s various environmental activities without abandoning them after only a few attempts (K, 2024; Beck-Krala, 2020). Numerous empirical studies have already confirmed that green leadership does generate multiple positive impacts for employees. However, one key question has remained unresolved: exactly how does green leadership progressively drive employees to develop the commitment to follow the organization’s environmental efforts? Existing studies are fragmented, and no research has connected this process into a complete system, leaving the academic community lacking a systematic understanding. This article aims to fill this gap by integrating various existing theoretical perspectives, clarifying which factors act as mediating variables that transmit influence, and which act as moderating variables that alter the strength of influence, throughout the impact process. Finally, it proposes a unified research framework that integrates all elements, providing clear guidance for future scholars conducting related research and managers seeking to implement environmental protection in enterprises. Conceptualizing Green Leadership Green leadership is not a single leadership style, but an umbrella term for a whole category of leadership styles that share a common core: all styles classified under this concept explicitly integrate environmental values into three core management processes. First, the vision planning process that sets the direction for the team; Second, the role modeling process in which leaders set an example through their own actions; and Third, the empowerment process that delegates authority to employees and supports their autonomous work. Relevant academic support is drawn from Robertson & Barling, 2026; Chen & Wu, 2022. In existing research literature, several distinct branches of green leadership have been clearly defined: Green Transformational Leadership, Environmentally Specific Transformational Leadership (ESTL), Green Servant Leadership, Ecocentric Leadership, Responsible Leadership, and Ethical Leadership. Relevant classification basis is sourced from Robertson & Barling, 2026. Green Transformational Leadership Green Transformational Leadership (GTFL) is a sub-type derived from the broader transformational leadership framework. Its core characteristic is the explicit integration of environmental protection values into the organization’s overall development vision; it not only motivates employees to proactively launch various environmental initiatives, but also delegates authority to employees, enabling them to advance sustainable development goals that exceed the formal requirements of their core job responsibilities (Chen & Chang, 2013; Robertson & Barling, 2026).Leaders who practice this Green Transformational Leadership specifically undertake the following actions: first, they communicate the organization’s green vision in a clear, compelling manner that all employees can understand and support; second, they consistently implement environmental behaviors in their daily work to set an example for employees; third, they inspire employees to brainstorm innovative solutions to achieve sustainable development; and at the same time, they provide tailored, demand-aligned support for the specific environmental actions of individual employees or small teams (Chen & Wu, 2022). Environmentally Specific Transformational Leadership A more focused green leadership style is Environmentally specific transformational leadership, abbreviated as ESTL. Unlike general Green Transformational Leadership, which covers a wide range of management scenarios, ESTL centers all management actions exclusively around environmental sustainability—whether communicating the organization’s development vision to the team, setting an example through personal conduct, or delegating authority to empower
