Environmentally specific transformational leadership and green product development performance: the role of a green HRM system
International Journal of Manpower
ISSN: 0143-7720
Article publication date: 28 July 2021
Issue publication date: 19 July 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Green product development is a pivotal way to achieve environmental sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to theorize and empirically test how environmentally specific leadership enhances the green product development performance from the perspective of the HRM system. In this regard, the authors investigate the mediating role of the strength of the HRM system to change with regard to the relationship between environmentally specific leadership and green product development performance. For a substantial explanation of the boundary condition, the authors investigate the moderating role of the green HRM on the relationship between environmentally specific transformational leadership and the strength of the HRM system.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on climate strength theory, the authors use the three-wave survey data from 362 top or middle managers in the new energy industry of China. This study uses hierarchical linear regression and bootstrapping method to analyze the mediated moderation effect.
Findings
Results confirm a positive effect of environmentally specific leadership and the strength of the HRM system on green product development performance. The authors also found the mediation effect of the strength of the HRM system and the moderation effect of green HRM are all significant.
Originality/value
This study integrates the perspectives of both content-focused HRM and process-focused HRM and demonstrates why leadership and the HRM system could jointly enhance green product development performance in Asia.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Fundings: This research was supported by grants from Natural Science Foundation of China [72002154], The China Ministry of Education Fund Project of Humanities and Social Sciences [20YJC630042, 19YJA630125], and 2021 Postdoctoral Foundation of Northeastern University [20210311].
Citation
Yan, J. and Hu, W. (2022), "Environmentally specific transformational leadership and green product development performance: the role of a green HRM system", International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 43 No. 3, pp. 639-659. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-05-2020-0223
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited