Going Green in SMEs: Unpacking How Innovative Work Behavior Impacts Employee Commitment Through a Mediated–Moderated Model

Previous studies on innovative work behavior (GIWB) have mainly focused on exploring its favorable sustainable consequences and its unseen potential harmful outcomes. To address this gap, this study sought to explore the associations between GIWB and perceived greenwashing, work exhaustion, and environmental commitment among hotel employees. It also assessed managerial support as an alleviator of these negative outcomes. To that end, this research conducted a quantitative approach and used a self-reported questionnaire survey among employees and supervisors in green hotels. Based on valid replies from 419 participants from Small- and Medium-Sized Hotels (SMSH), we conduct Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Smart PLS 4.0. The results revealed that GIWB exerted positive effects on employees perceived greenwashing, green work exhaustion, and environmental commitment. The results also underscored the salient role of management support in alleviating the negative effects of GIWB on these outcomes’ perceived greenwashing and green work exhaustion. This study addressed a notable gap in knowledge and provides some valuable suggestions to avert the paradoxical effects of GIWB, leading to better organizational sustainable performance.