2.1. Entrepreneurial Leadership and Green Innovative Work Behavior
Entrepreneurial leadership marks a transformative approach where leaders harness strategic resources, forge a shared vision, and identify market opportunities to drive organizational success [
51]. At the intersection of leadership and entrepreneurship [
52,
53], entrepreneurial leadership encompasses critical behaviors that significantly influence employees’ innovative capabilities. Entrepreneurial leaders communicate a visionary outlook, articulating an idealized future and inspiring team members to contribute meaningfully to the organization [
54]. They adeptly craft compelling visions and highlight entrepreneurial opportunities amidst competitive landscapes, motivating their teams to adopt innovative approaches and transform their task-completion methods to realize these visions [
47,
55]. These leaders cultivate a culture of innovation and creativity by instilling confidence in their team’s entrepreneurial skills and abilities [
56]. Scholars suggest entrepreneurial leadership as a guiding force where leaders inspire their teams to enhance organizational performance by identifying and seizing entrepreneurial opportunities [
54].
Researchers have increasingly acknowledged entrepreneurial leadership as a people-focused leadership style [
57] and highlighted its significance in the management literature [
54,
58]. Renko [
59] (p. 388) emphasized that entrepreneurial leadership acts as both an “entrepreneurial accelerator” and an “entrepreneurial doer”. As entrepreneurial accelerators, entrepreneurial leaders inspire their subordinates to embrace creative thinking, challenge the status quo, and seize business opportunities. As entrepreneurial doers, entrepreneurial leaders set an example by actively participating in entrepreneurial activities. This approach fosters vicarious learning and motivates subordinates to adopt entrepreneurial behavior. Given this, we anticipate that entrepreneurial leadership in the hospitality sector will encourage innovative behavior by empowering employees to take the initiative, experiment with new ideas, and make decisions that enhance customer experiences. This leadership style fosters creativity and agility, enabling employees to adapt to changes and contribute to the organization’s competitive advantage.
Previous research has consistently shown that leadership style significantly influences employees’ green innovative work behavior [
5,
16,
20]. In particular, entrepreneurial leadership has notably stimulated and enhanced employees’ innovative work behavior [
47,
60]. Entrepreneurial leaders excel at identifying market opportunities for new products and services, and they empower their members with the necessary resources to capitalize on these opportunities [
57,
58]. This aligns with prior findings suggesting that embracing GIWB necessitates leaders with entrepreneurial traits as they view environmental challenges as opportunities to gain competitive advantage rather than as resource drains [
20]. Entrepreneurial leadership fosters an encouraging atmosphere that allows employees to experiment and propose new green ideas without fear of failure [
61].
Based on upper echelons theory, we justify that entrepreneurial leadership enables organizations to seamlessly integrate innovation into their product portfolio and operational activities, enhancing organizational performance and fostering growth [
62]. Additionally, entrepreneurial leaders inspire team members to generate fresh insights and cultivate creativity across various knowledge domains, aiming to offer innovative solutions to current challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities [
59]. This indicates that organizations’ decisions are significantly influenced by the attributes of their corporate leaders [
37]. This theory underscores the pivotal role of leadership in shaping employee behaviors and outcomes. According to the upper echelons theory, a leader’s education, age, traits, and values are critical factors that mold their strategic preferences and decisions [
20].
Based on the upper echelons theory, entrepreneurial leadership is characterized by distinct attributes such as innovation, supportiveness, visionary thinking, risk-taking propensity, and a drive for opportunities [
51], which are anticipated to impact individuals’ choices regarding GIWB. Leaders possessing these attributes will likely guide employees in identifying new opportunities and overcoming external challenges related to green practices, thereby influencing strategic processes and decisions in interaction with the external environment. Entrepreneurial leadership plays a vital role in fostering employee adoption of GIWB by aligning these initiatives with their entrepreneurial vision and personal values. Therefore, upper echelons theory provides a robust theoretical framework for understanding how entrepreneurial leadership can effectively steer employees towards embracing environmentally friendly practices such as GIWB. Thus, we propose the following hypothesis:
H1: Entrepreneurial leadership is positively related to green innovative work behavior.
2.2. Green Talent Management as a Mediator
Green soft talent management represents a human-centered approach to talent management that prioritizes proactive support for cultivating green talent. This strategy emphasizes fostering open communication, training, involving talent in decision-making, supporting well-being, and implementing empowering leadership practices. These efforts empower green talent to champion environmental sustainability and drive ecological initiatives [
33,
63]. GSTM fosters a climate change based on initiatives, such as ensuring the effective provision of important resources, promoting an agile organizational culture, and creating a supportive work environment [
34]. On the other hand, green hard talent management refers to a mechanistic, market-focused approach to managing green talent as a critical resource, which involves bureaucratic work structures, hierarchical organizational cultures, and strict performance appraisal systems to leverage sustainability initiatives and foster a competitive advantage [
34,
63]. While past research has explored the relationship between green talent management and innovative work behavior [
45], it has primarily produced insightful results without fully elucidating how green talent management functions as a mediating mechanism to predict GIWB. Moreover, there remains a significant gap in empirical investigations concerning the specific dimensions of green talent management, such as GSTM and GHTM [
39], in terms of their ability to anticipate GIWB.
Previous studies have shown that green soft talent management practices can directly influence innovative work behavior by providing employees with the necessary skills, knowledge, and motivation to engage in environmentally friendly innovations [
45]. For example, training programs focused on green skills can enhance employees’ ability to identify and implement green innovations [
64]. Green soft talent management practices can empower employees to contribute to green initiatives and innovate in sustainable practices [
65]. Organizations that implement these practices effectively will likely see an increase in employee engagement with green initiatives, leading to higher levels of innovation in sustainability efforts. The research by Nwosu and Ward [
66] revealed that values demonstrated under GSTM are primarily positive indicators of increased commitment, higher job satisfaction, and greater job engagement, which in turn foster innovative behavior among employees.
Alternatively, green hard talent management practices often impose high bureaucracy levels that can limit employees’ autonomy and flexibility [
39]. This rigidity may discourage innovative thinking and experimentation, which are essential components of innovative work behavior. Employees may feel constrained by the rules, reducing their willingness to engage in creative problem-solving related to sustainability. The emphasis on compliance and performance metrics in GHTM practices can shift the focus away from innovative approaches to environmental challenges [
39]. When employees are primarily evaluated on their adherence to established procedures rather than their creative contributions to sustainability, their motivation to innovate may diminish [
67], thus negatively impacting GIWB. Green hard talent management practices often prioritize organizational goals over employee well-being. When employees perceive that their personal development and welfare are not supported, their engagement with and commitment to green initiatives can decline [
39]. This lack of support can lead to lower levels of GIWB, as employees may feel less inclined to invest effort into innovative environmental solutions.
The resource-based view suggests that a firm’s competitive edge arises from its distinctive collection of valuable, inimitable, rare, and non-substitutable resources and capabilities [
36]. In this context, green soft talent management practices can be seen as organizational capabilities that foster human capital development focused on environmental sustainability [
45]. By investing in green soft talent management practices, such as providing environmental sustainability support and training, participating in decision-making, and fostering a culture of open communication, organizations can develop a workforce that is more inclined towards green innovative work behavior, which finally becomes a source of sustained competitive advantage for the organization [
35]. Employees with sustainability knowledge, empowered to make decisions, and operating in an open communication culture are more likely to engage in GIWB. Similarly, green hard talent management practices like strict hierarchies and bureaucratic structures often fail to align with the key resources needed for green innovation [
39,
68]. Green innovation requires flexibility, creativity, and employee empowerment qualities often stifled by rigid structures [
69]. Based on the ongoing discussion, we propose the following hypotheses.
H2: Green soft talent management has a positive and significant influence on GIWB.
H3: Green hard talent management has a negative and significant influence on GIWB.
Entrepreneurial leadership is proactive, supports innovation, and takes risks in response to environmental changes [
70]. Such leaders inspire staff to act creatively and challenge the status quo [
56]. Unlike their counterparts, entrepreneurial leaders focus on mobilizing followers towards shared organizational objectives, facilitating exploring and exploiting new opportunities [
55,
71]. By envisioning a prosperous future for their organizations, entrepreneurial leaders leverage their teams’ competencies to stimulate innovation in fiercely competitive environments [
47,
51]. They guide individuals towards achieving organizational success through innovative and risky activities, providing new solutions to current challenges, and seizing opportunities beyond traditional market boundaries [
54]. Research indicates that leadership styles significantly drive green innovative work behavior in contemporary hospitality organizations [
1,
5].
Leadership greatly influences organizational strategies, including talent management practices [
72]. In this context, entrepreneurial leadership stands out as a distinctive approach that fosters creativity and innovation within diverse, talented teams. Entrepreneurial leadership enables teams to adapt to unpredictable business environments and develop cohesive strategies, leading to new and impactful outcomes [
73]. Leaders who practice entrepreneurial leadership often strongly emphasize managing talent [
74]. According to Ready and Conger [
75], entrepreneurial leadership involves initiating, managing, and perpetuating the firm’s talent development processes. Consequently, past studies have shown that leadership plays a more significant role in organizations characterized by soft talent management practices, which prioritize participation in decision-making and fostering communication, compared to those with hard talent management practices, which are known for their rigidity and centralized authority in decision-making [
76].
Research indicates that GSTM practices can increase employee retention and reduce turnover intentions as they align with employees’ values and well-being [
39]. When leaders demonstrate benevolence and provide autonomy, team members are more likely to remain committed to the organization and its green objectives [
45]. In contrast, an emphasis on strict performance appraisals and bureaucratic processes can create a disconnect between management and employees, potentially resulting in decreased job satisfaction and higher turnover intentions [
39,
77]. Employees may feel that their personal development is secondary to achieving organizational green targets, which can diminish their engagement and commitment to the organization [
77]. Such practices prioritize organizational goals over employee welfare, leading to a more rigid and less adaptive work environment. Based on the ongoing discussion, we propose the following hypotheses.
H4: Entrepreneurial leadership has a positive and significant influence on GSTM.
H5: Entrepreneurial leadership has a negative and significant influence on GHTM.
For sustainable development, green innovative work behavior is critical in enhancing employee engagement, gaining a competitive edge, and fostering sustainable organizational performance [
35]. Attracting and utilizing the capabilities of talented employees are recognized as pivotal for enhancing an organization’s competitive edge. Consequently, managers and leaders face the challenge of attracting the most suitable talent [
78]. Ongoing research and its projections on the future of work contribute to uncertainty, highlighting the necessity for deeper insights into how leadership can shape the effects of green talent management on employee outcomes [
74,
79].
Previous research has identified that leadership positively and indirectly enhances business performance through talent management [
80]. From this perspective, entrepreneurial leadership, known for its ability to inspire and motivate individuals toward green innovative ideas [
20], is expected to foster an environment that supports innovative work behavior among employees, which is crucial for achieving sustainable competitive advantages in today’s market. This leadership style can promote green soft talent management practices, which focus on developing employees’ skills, knowledge, and engagement in environmentally friendly practices [
45]. Studies suggest that when organizations implement rigid talent management practices, they may undermine leadership’s positive effects in helping employees engage in GIWB [
35]. Specifically, while entrepreneurial leadership seeks to empower employees to put forward green innovations [
20], the constraints imposed by GHTM can stifle creativity and reduce employees’ willingness to engage in sustainable, innovative behaviors [
39]. In essence, individuals tend to prefer work environments that are moderate and flexible rather than rigid and centralized. They seek leaders who actively develop and guide them towards overall success.
According to resource-based view theory, a firm gains a competitive edge through its distinctive resources and capabilities that are valuable, inimitable, rare, and not easily substitutable [
36]. In this context, green soft talent management practices can be considered valuable resources that help to develop employees’ green competencies, aligning their skills and behaviors with the organization’s green objectives [
81]. Through GSTM practices, firms can develop a highly skilled workforce in green initiatives, which becomes a source of competitive advantage. These practices help to nurture employees’ green mindsets and innovative capabilities [
45]. Through GSTM practices, entrepreneurial leaders cultivate a culture that supports and rewards green innovation. This culture encourages employees to engage in GIWB, as they feel supported and recognized for their contributions to sustainability. In contrast, the green hard talent management practices can be seen as a strategic resource to enhance the firm’s green capabilities. When GHTM practices become overly rigid, focusing too much on compliance and standardization [
39], this can limit employees’ autonomy and flexibility to experiment and explore new green initiatives. Entrepreneurial leaders, who thrive on agility and risk-taking, may find operating effectively under such structured systems challenging. As a result, the potential for green innovation can be hindered, as employees may feel constrained by the formalized processes and metrics, reducing their inclination to engage in innovative behaviors. Therefore, we propose the following hypotheses:
H6: Green soft talent management mediates the link of entrepreneurial leadership with GIWB.
H7: Green hard talent management mediates the link of entrepreneurial leadership with GIWB.
Based on the preceding discussion and hypothesis development, this study presents the theoretical model shown in
Figure 1. The model visually depicts the key constructs and their relationships, offering a comprehensive framework for exploring the underlying dynamics of the study’s variables and testing the proposed hypotheses. Thus,
Figure 1 represents the theoretical model central to this study.
Figure 1.
Theoretical model. Notes: [+] indicates positive relationships and [−] indicates negative relationships; [
] indicates direct relationships, and [
] indicates indirect relationships.
Figure 1.
Theoretical model. Notes: [+] indicates positive relationships and [−] indicates negative relationships; [
] indicates direct relationships, and [
] indicates indirect relationships.