This study investigates how sustainable leadership fosters innovative approaches to environmental management by promoting green innovative work behavior (GIWB) among employees in five-star hotels, with a focus on the mediating roles of green psychological empowerment (GPE) and green self-efficacy (GSE). Grounded in Ability–Motivation–Opportunity (AMO) theory, the research examines how sustainability-oriented leadership practices enhance employees’ motivation, confidence, and sense of impact, enabling them to generate, promote, and implement novel environmentally friendly solutions in hotel operations. Data were collected from 396 full-time hotel employees using a structured questionnaire and analyzed through PLS-SEM with WarpPLS software. The results indicate that sustainable leadership positively influences GPE, GSE, and GIWB. Furthermore, both GPE and GSE partially mediate the effect of sustainable leadership on GIWB, demonstrating the psychological pathways through which leadership translates sustainability values into innovative employee-driven practices. These findings advance theoretical understanding of how leadership can drive innovation in sustainability management within the hospitality sector and offer practical, context-specific guidance for hotel managers aiming to foster creative, environmentally responsible solutions.
Khairy et al. (2026) studied this question.