Background and Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of green transformational leadership on employees' green creativity by explaining the mediating roles of green organizational identity, green organizational culture, and green mindfulness in the hospitality industry of Isfahan Province.
Methodology: This study is applied in terms of purpose and employs a descriptive-correlational survey design with a cross-sectional approach. The statistical population consisted of employees working in hotels and accommodation establishments across Isfahan Province (approximately 500 individuals). Based on the Krejcie and Morgan table, a sample of 217 participants was selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected through standardized questionnaires measured on a five-point Likert scale. The validity of the measurement instrument was confirmed through expert judgment as well as convergent and discriminant validity, while its reliability was established using Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability. Data analysis and hypothesis testing were conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS software.
Results:The results revealed that green transformational leadership has a positive and significant effect on employees' green creativity, green organizational identity, green organizational culture, and green mindfulness. In addition, green organizational culture and green mindfulness were found to have positive and significant effects on green creativity, while green organizational culture also significantly enhanced employees' green mindfulness. The mediation analysis indicated that the mediating role of green organizational culture in the relationship between green transformational leadership and green creativity, as well as between green transformational leadership and green mindfulness, was supported. Likewise, the mediating role of green mindfulness in the relationship between green transformational leadership and green creativity, and between green organizational culture and green creativity, was confirmed. However, the mediating role of green organizational identity in the relationship between green transformational leadership and green creativity was not supported, as green organizational identity, despite being positively influenced by green transformational leadership, did not exhibit a significant effect on green creativity. Overall, twelve out of the thirteen proposed hypotheses were supported, while only one hypothesis was rejected.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that green transformational leadership is a key driver of employees' green creativity in the hospitality industry by fostering green organizational culture and green mindfulness. Furthermore, the unsupported mediating role of green organizational identity indicates that employees' identification with environmental values alone is insufficient to enhance green creativity unless it is accompanied by managerial support, adequate resources, empowerment, and opportunities to implement innovative environmental ideas. Therefore, organizations should simultaneously promote green transformational leadership, institutionalize a green organizational culture, and strengthen employees' green mindfulness to enhance environmental innovation and facilitate the achievement of sustainable development goals in service organizations.