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Purpose This study aims to examine the mediated effect of ethical leadership between trust based on commitment and compliance-based practices and green behavior intention in tourism sector organizations. Design/methodology/approach The existing research in sustainability lacks the effects of leadership types on green management practices. This study uses a quantitative method through survey to determine this effect. Data collection is undertaken on the questionnaire formulated from existing studies. The collected data is analyzed with SmartPLS through measurement and structural model assessment for hypothesis confirmation. Findings The findings of the study reveal that ethical leadership does strengthen the relationship between trust and green behavior intention when trust is formed on commitment-based practices in comparison to compliance-based practices. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to the attribution theory and its application in sustainability studies by showing that both commitment-based and compliance-based practices help shape the individual trust in an organization which resonates with the assumption that an organization’s seriousness to respond to sustainability issues forms the employee’s trust in the organization. On the practical side, this study provides guidelines for the organizations in tourism industry to demarcate the environmental management activities between compliance and commitment-based practices for better outcomes. Originality/value A gap is found in sustainability literature where leadership-type effects are rarely explored in green behavior intention formation. To determine the impact of ethical leadership on the relationship between green management practices and green intention behavior, attribution theory is used as a basis combining social responsibility and tourism organizations. The relationship between green management practices and ethical leadership is a novelty by evaluating the compliance-based and commitment-based practices individually to determine their effect on green behavior intention.
Ali et al. (Wed,) studied this question.