Green Research and Development Experience Congruence at the Apex of the Firm: Boards of Directors, Top Management Teams and Green Innovation

This study examines how board‐top management team (TMT) green research and development (R&D) congruence influences green innovation from the strategic leadership system (SLS) perspective. Specifically, it distinguishes between supplementary congruence, reflecting green R&D experience similarity across the board and the TMT and complementary congruence, reflected in the interaction between green R&D directors and managers. Using panel data from Chinese listed firms, it demonstrates that both forms of congruence promote green innovation. Green strategic attention mediates the effect of complementary congruence. Moreover, the effectiveness of the two forms of congruence varies across ownership type, technological intensity and green investor coverage. By conceptualising the board and the TMT as an integrated leadership system and distinguishing two forms of cross‐level congruence, this study extends the SLS perspective to environmental management and refines its explanation of corporate green innovation.