The tourism sector's economic contribution is rising, but its environmental impact is increasingly concerning. Hotels are particularly energy-intensive and contribute significantly to carbon footprints. While there's growing research on sustainability in hospitality, understanding how to motivate employees toward green practices remains under-explored. This study addresses this gap by investigating the organizational antecedents of employee green behavior in the hotel industry. The research focuses on the relationship between green human resource management (GHRM), green transformational leadership (GTL), green self-efficacy (GSE), and green creativity (GC). The study draws on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), which posits that behavior is influenced by personal factors, environmental influences, and outcomes. The researchers hypothesize that GHRM will positively influence both GSE and GC, that GSE will mediate the relationship between GHRM and GC, and that GTL will moderate the indirect effect of GHRM on GC through GSE. The study aims to provide insights into how organizations can leverage their practices and leadership to enhance employees' green creativity, ultimately contributing to more sustainable practices within the hospitality sector. The lack of research explicitly examining the interplay between these organizational and individual factors in the hotel context necessitates this investigation. By understanding these relationships, hotels can develop more effective strategies to promote environmentally responsible employee behaviour and achieve their sustainability goals.

The literature review examines existing research on green human resource management (GHRM), green transformational leadership (GTL), green self-efficacy (GSE), and green creativity (GC) within the context of the hospitality industry and broader organizational settings. It highlights the fragmented nature of previous studies and the need for a more integrated approach. The review emphasizes the importance of employee involvement in implementing successful sustainability initiatives and the limited research exploring the specific relationships among GHRM, GTL, GSE, and GC in the hotel sector. The existing literature shows a partial understanding of these concepts in isolation, but a cohesive model integrating these variables and their interrelationships is lacking, especially within the hospitality industry. The review supports the use of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) as a suitable framework to understand the dynamics between personal factors (GSE), environmental factors (GHRM, GTL), and behavioral outcomes (GC).

The study employed a multi-wave, multi-source data collection approach to minimize common method bias. Data were gathered from 235 employees across 45 luxury hotels and resorts in Morocco using a three-part questionnaire administered over two time points, one month apart. At Time 1 (T1), subordinates reported on green transformational leadership (GTL) behavior, and their supervisors rated their green creativity (GC). At Time 2 (T2), employees reported on GHRM practices, and supervisors rated employee GSE. All scales used a 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was translated into Arabic and included social desirability checks. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data and test the hypothesized relationships. Harman's one-factor test and a latent marker variable test (blue attitude) were conducted to assess common method bias. Variance inflation factors (VIFs) were checked to detect multicollinearity issues. The sample comprised employees from luxury resorts in Morocco, who were selected randomly after securing top management, senior management, and HR management consent. Pen-and-pencil questionnaires were administered to ensure anonymity and confidentiality. The authors ensured high quality data by having three bilingual experts to help in translation, and included checks to mitigate issues such as social desirability bias. The authors took numerous measures to manage potential confounding effects, such as conducting analyses to rule out multicollinearity and common method bias and including controls for age, gender, education, total experience, and tenure in the current firm. The two-wave design of the survey was implemented to accurately test the mediation effect, in consonance with earlier studies. The data analysis was conducted using SEM and SPSS to perform correlation analysis and hypothesis testing.

The results confirmed several hypotheses. First, GHRM initiatives were positively associated with GC (β = 0.33, p < 0.001) and GSE (β = 0.80, p < 0.001). Second, GSE was positively associated with GC (β = 0.51, p < 0.001). Third, GSE partially mediated the positive relationship between GHRM and GC. The model fit indices for both the measurement and structural models were satisfactory, further bolstering the reliability and validity of the findings. A partial mediation effect of GSE on the association between GHRM and GC was also confirmed. Regarding the moderation effect of GTL, the results indicated that GTL positively moderated the relationship between GHRM and GSE, suggesting that the impact of GHRM on GSE is stronger under high GTL. However, the hypothesized moderating effect of GTL on the relationship between GSE and GC was not supported. The variance explained for GSE was 64.60%, and for GC, it was 63.50%. None of the control variables (age, gender, education, tenure, and experience) showed a significant effect on either GSE or GC. This suggests the robustness of the core relationships between the main variables under investigation.

The findings support the study's hypotheses, indicating that GHRM practices positively influence both GSE and GC in luxury hotels. The mediating role of GSE highlights the importance of employees' self-belief in their ability to implement green initiatives. The positive association between GHRM and GC suggests that green training programs and performance management systems focusing on green behaviors can effectively promote employees’ creativity in developing and implementing sustainable solutions. The partial mediation of GSE shows that building employee confidence in their green capabilities strengthens the link between GHRM and GC. The unexpected lack of a moderating effect of GTL on the relationship between GSE and GC warrants further investigation. The study's results highlight the need for tourism organizations to focus on both GHRM initiatives and leadership styles to foster a green organizational culture that enhances employee green creativity. The study's findings underscore the importance of an integrated approach, combining robust HR policies and effective leadership, to drive environmentally sustainable practices.

This study contributes to the literature by integrating organizational and employee perspectives to explain how hotels can increase employee involvement in achieving environmental goals. It reveals that GHRM significantly influences employees' GC and that GSE mediates this relationship. The results highlight the importance of integrating GHRM practices with a supportive leadership style to boost employee green creativity. Future research should examine these relationships in diverse cultural and economic contexts and consider other leadership styles and multi-dimensional measures of GHRM to enhance the generalizability of the findings. Further research can explore additional correlates such as green psychological climate and green work engagement to build a more comprehensive model.

The study's findings are limited to luxury hotels and resorts in Morocco, which may not be generalizable to other sectors, types of hotels, or cultural contexts. The use of a unidimensional measure for GHRM may limit the depth of understanding of this construct's influence on GC and GSE. The lack of support for the moderating effect of GTL in the overall indirect effect requires further exploration. Future research is needed to explore the dynamics of this relationship in more detail.