Green inclusive leadership and green creativity in the tourism and hospitality sector: serial mediation of green psychological climate and work engagement

Abstract

Green creativity contributes to green innovation and green sustainability in both the manufacturing and services sectors. However, academic research offering more nuanced insights about the drivers of green creativity (GCRT) is deficient, particularly within the tourism and hospitality sector. The present study thus theorized a model based on the Componential Theory of Creativity (CTC) to examine green inclusive leadership (GIL), green psychological climate (GPC), and green work engagement (GWE) as antecedents of GCRT. The model not only posits the direct associations but also accommodates a more complex interaction of variables by anticipating the mediation effect of GPC and GWE on the association of GIL and GCRT. The data collected through Prolific from 302 employees in the tourism and hospitality sector is analyzed using PROCESS macro. Findings confirmed a positive association of GIL with GPC and GCRT, GPC with GWE, and GWE with GCRT. In addition, the sequential mediation effect of GPC and GWE is supported. These results are useful for the tourism and hospitality sector, where a relational leadership style, such as inclusive leadership, is more relevant for fostering creativity, given the small size of business units, the sector's service-oriented nature, and the power of employees at the point of interface with the customers.