Unraveling the impact of eco-centric leadership and pro-environment behaviors in healthcare organizations: Role of green consciousness

Purpose: Promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility is highly reliant on workers' pro-environmental behavior. There are several studies on the pro-environmental behavior of service workers. However, some gaps require scholarly attention. First, how does eco-centric leadership impact green knowledge-sharing attitudes among employees? Second, does green climate mediate the relationship between eco-centric leadership and green knowledge sharing? Third, does green consciousness moderate the relationship between green knowledge sharing and the pro-environmental behavior of employees? This study seeks answers to these questions among employees working at the lower cadre (i.e., sweepers and cleaners) in Pakistani hospitals. Method: Survey-based data is collected from cleaners and sweepers working in Pakistani hospitals. The structural equation modeling technique is applied to analyze the data from 251 effective questionnaires. Originality: Green knowledge sharing as an outcome of eco-centric leadership in a mediating role of green climate is positioned for the first time. Moreover, the moderating role of green consciousness to buffer the relationship between green knowledge sharing and pro-environmental employee behavior is another unique product of this study. In the end, the context of dirty work (i.e., stigmatized occupations) is presented uniquely for the first time. Findings: Results revealed a significant positive impact of Eco-centric leadership on pro-environmental behavior, and green knowledge sharing substantially positively mediated the relationship. Moreover, the moderating role of green consciousness was validated in the relationship between green knowledge sharing and pro-environmental behavior. Despite this, drastic disparities between eco-centric leadership and pro-environmental behavior were not attained by the sequential serial mediation of a green climate and green knowledge sharing. © 2023