How perceived environmental leadership influences employee green behavior in the construction industry: the mediating role of environmental awareness and the moderating role of perceived pro-environmental climate

It is critical to achieve the organization’s sustainability goals by implementing employee green behavior. This study attempts to explore the influencing mechanisms linking perceived environmental leadership and employee green behavior. A mediating effect of environmental awareness and a moderating role of perceived pro-environmental climate were proposed based on social information processing theory. Three hundred fifty-two questionnaires were gathered from the Chinese construction industry. After excluding invalid ones, two hundred ten of them were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling method. The results suggest that perceived environmental leadership has a positive impact on environmental awareness, thus promoting required and voluntary employee green behavior. Perceived pro-environmental climate moderates the positive correlation between environmental awareness and required employee green behavior, while no significant moderating effect is observed on voluntary employee green behavior. By exploring how psychological factors and the work environment affect the relationship between perceived environmental leadership and employee green behavior, the research related to employee green behavior is further enriched. In addition, this study provides valuable advice for construction companies on green project management.