What Makes Employees Innovate Green? A Multi-Source Examination of HRM, Leadership, and Psychological Mechanisms

Organizations increasingly invest in sustainability, yet limited knowledge exists regarding the psychological and leadership mechanisms through which Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) fosters employees’ green innovative behavior. This study addresses this scientific problem by examining how GHRM relates to green innovation through sequential psychological processes and under which leadership conditions these relationships become stronger. Using multi-source data from 300 employee–supervisor dyads across three industries in the Greek private sector, the study tests a serial mediation model linking GHRM to green innovative behavior through psychological safety and work engagement, as well as the moderating role of Green Transformational Leadership (GTL). Structural equation modelling supports all hypothesized associations: GHRM is positively related to psychological safety, which predicts work engagement, which in turn strongly predicts green innovative behavior. GTL strengthens the relationship between GHRM and psychological safety, resulting in a stronger indirect effect on green innovation. The findings provide an integrative understanding of how HR systems, psychological conditions, and leadership jointly support employee-driven environmental innovation.