Fostering Sustainable Work Behavior in Hotel and Tourism Enterprises

This study examines the impact of adaptive leadership on sustainable work behavior among employees in Egypt’s hotel and tourism sector, drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. The study aims to explain how leadership-driven resource-building mechanisms enhance employees’ environmentally sustainable behaviors in tourism service-oriented context. Data were collected from 430 employees working in five-star hotels and category-A travel agencies in Egypt. The proposed research model was tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with WarpPLS software. The results indicate that adaptive leadership has a significant positive effect on sustainable work behavior. Psychological resilience was found to mediate this relationship, suggesting that adaptive leaders help employees develop valuable personal resources that support sustained environmental actions. Furthermore, green self-efficacy moderates the relationship between psychological resilience and sustainable work behavior, such that the relationship is stronger for employees with higher green self-efficacy. These findings highlight the critical role of adaptive leadership in fostering resource-building processes that promote sustainability. Practical implications for leadership development and employee support are discussed, along with recommendations for future research

Psychological resilience · Structural equation modeling · Sustainable tourism · Tourism · Unpacking · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior · Workplace Spirituality and Leadership