Environmental Leadership and Pro-Environmental Behavior at Work
Adaptation and Openness as Key Conditions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22006338 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Harnida Wahyuni Adda (0000-0003-3283-4969, Tadulako University, corresponding author), Toh Pei Sung (Universiti of Malaysia Sabah), Muhammad Rifaldi Djufri (Tadulako University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | SAGE Open (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2158-2440 • E-ISSN: 2158-2440 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/21582440261457886 |
| OpenAlex | W7164379504 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
In response to increasingly complex work dynamics, organizations must develop leadership practices that prioritize both performance and the well-being and sustainability of human resources. This study examines how environmental leadership (EL) promotes pro-environmental behavior (PEB) through learning mechanisms and individual characteristics. The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from permanent employees in Indonesia and analyzed using the Hayes PROCESS Macro. The results demonstrate that EL serves as both a direct driver of PEB and primarily operates through mechanisms of capability development. Green adaptive ability (GAA) emerged as a key pathway, elucidating how leaders’ values and behavioral examples are translated into consistent work actions. Notably, the influence of openness to experience (OE) varied, suggesting that employees with high levels of openness internalize and process learning into adaptive capabilities before exhibiting pro-environmental work behavior. The cross-sectional design and reliance on self-perception data limit causal inference. However, these findings extend the application of social learning theory and trait activation theory to sustainability research in developing countries, particularly Indonesia. Organizations should develop leaders who explicitly model environmental values and foster employees’ GAA, while considering personality differences when designing interventions. This study presents an integrative model that links leadership, adaptive ability, and personality to explain PEB in developing countries
Openness to experience · Personality · Sustainability · Trait · Transformational leadership · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Sustainability in Higher Education
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| Highly cited | No |
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