Green Behavior in the Workplace: The Role of Authentic Leadership and Psychological Capital in Shaping Environmental Citizenship in the Sri Lankan Public Sector
Keywords:
Authentic Leadership, Organizational Citizenship Behaviour toward the Environment, Psychological Capital, Public Sector, Sri Lanka
Abstract
This study investigates both the direct and mediated influences of authentic leadership on organizational citizenship behaviour toward the environment (OCBE), with psychological capital serving as an intervening mechanism. Using a quantitative approach, data were gathered from 396 frontline employees across six public sector institutions in Sri Lanka through a survey questionnaire. The findings reveal that psychological capital plays a partial mediating role in the association between authentic leadership and OCBE. This indicates that authentic leadership affects OCBE not only directly but also indirectly by fostering employees’ psychological capital. The observed relationships highlight the pivotal role of authentic leadership in enhancing positive psychological resources and promoting environmentally responsible discretionary behaviours among employees. The proposed research framework offers practical insights for senior management in Sri Lankan public sector organizations, particularly in the development of leadership initiatives aimed at cultivating authentic leaders who can encourage environmental sustainability through employees’ OCBE.
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References
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Bamberg, S., & Möser, G. (2007). Twenty years after Hines, Hungerford, and Tomera: A new meta-analysis of psycho-social determinants of pro-environmental behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27(1), 14–25.
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Boiral, O. (2009). Greening the corporation through organizational citizenship behaviours. Journal of Business Ethics, 87(2), 221–236.
Boiral, O., & Paillé, P. (2012). Organizational citizenship behaviour for the environment: Measurement and validation. Journal of Business Ethics, 109(4), 431–445.
Boiral, O., Talbot, D., & Paillé, P. (2015). Leading by example: A model of organizational citizenship Behaviour for the environment. Business Strategy and the Environment, 24(6), 532–550. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1835
Cheema, S., Afsar, B., & Javed, F. (2020). Employees' corporate social responsibility perceptions and Organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment: The mediating roles of organizational identification and environmental orientation fit. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(1), 9–21.
Christensen R. K., & Whiting S. W. (2009). Employee evaluations in the public sector: Public service motivation, task and citizenship behaviors. The Korean Journal of Policy Studies, 23, 41-56.
Clapp-Smith, R., Vogelgesang, G. R., & Avey, J. B. (2009). Authentic leadership and positive psychological Capital: The mediating role of trust at the group level of analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 15(3), 227–240.
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Dahl, R. A., & Lindblom, C. E. (1953). Politics, economics, and welfare. Harper and Brothers.
Daily, B. F., Bishop, J. W., & Govindarajulu, N. (2009). A conceptual model for organizational citizenship behaviour directed toward the environment. Business & Society, 48(2), 243–256.
De Cuyper, N., Mäkikangas, A., Kinnunen, U., Mauno, S., & Witte, H. D. (2012). Cross-lagged associations between perceived external employability, job insecurity, and exhaustion: Testing gain and loss spirals according to the conservation of resources theory. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(6), 770–788.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226.
Gardner, W. L., Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2005). Authentic leadership theory and practice: Origins, Effects and development. Elsevier.
Handoyo, S. (2024). Public governance and national environmental performance nexus: Evidence from cross-country studies. Heliyon, 10(23), e40637.
Hayes, A. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis. Guilford Press.
Hobfoll, S. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested?self in the stress process: Advancing conservation of resources theory. Applied Psychology, 50(3), 337–421.
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524.
Ilies, R., Morgeson, F. P., & Nahrgang, J. D. (2005). Authentic leadership and eudaimonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 373–394.
Isen, A. M. (2000). Positive affect and decision making. In M. Lewis & J. Haviland-Jones (Eds.), Handbook of emotions(2nd ed., pp. 417–435). Guilford Press.
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Published
2026-02-28
How to Cite
Sri Ramalu, S. (2026). Green Behavior in the Workplace: The Role of Authentic Leadership and Psychological Capital in Shaping Environmental Citizenship in the Sri Lankan Public Sector. Information Management and Business Review, 18(1(J), 40-52. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v18i1(J).4813
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