Leading the Green Transition: How Authentic Environmental Leaders and HR Practices Drive Organizational Citizenship Behavior for Sustainability

This study examines whether environmentally specific authentic leadership promotes organizational citizenship behavior for the environment and contributes to organizational environmental sustainability. The study employed a three-wave survey design to collect data from 262 full-time employees in Chinese organizations, ensuring the results are both representative and reliable. The results show that environmentally specific authentic leadership is positively associated with employees’ organizational citizenship behavior for the environment. Environmentally specific authentic leadership is also positively related to environmental commitment, highlighting the importance of leadership for sustainable workplace behaviors. Additionally, the study found that environmental commitment partially mediates the relationship between environmentally specific authentic leadership and organizational citizenship behavior, underscoring the vital role of environmental commitment in fostering pro-environmental actions. Taken together, these findings clarify how environmentally specific authentic leadership influences organizational citizenship behavior for the environment through environmental commitment. Practically, the results suggest that organizations can encourage organizational citizenship behavior for the environment by developing leaders’ environmentally specific authentic leadership and implementing green human resource management practices. Consequently, the study offers actionable guidance for achieving environmental sustainability.