Unlocking Serial Mediation: The Link Between Green HR Management and Green Creativity in Women-owned, Labour-intensive Industries

Green creativity is a key outcome of green HR management (G-HRM), fostering green work engagement and green service innovation in both service and manufacturing sectors. However, its implications in women-intensive industries in emerging markets remain unexplored. This study theorizes a unique blend of social exchange, job demand resources and ability motivation theories to examine the serial mediation of green work engagement and green service innovation between G-HRM and green creativity in women intrapreneurs. It also explores the moderating role of spiritual leadership in this relationship. Using SEM through SMART-PLS modelling, we analysed the sample of 250 women intrapreneurs from the five largest metropolitan cities in Punjab province. The results confirmed that green work engagement and green service innovation mediate the relationship between G-HRM and green creativity among women intrapreneurs, although the direct relationship was insignificant. Additionally, spiritual leadership significantly moderated the effect of G-HRM on green work engagement, enhancing the impact with greater support. These findings are particularly relevant for women-intensive industries, which comprise 20% of the workforce in Pakistan, and highlight the importance of fostering female employees’ creative potential at the intersection of employers and customers.