Servant Leadership for Sustainability: A Serial Mediation Model of Empowerment, Creativity, and Pro-Environmental Behavior
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study examines the impact of Environmentally Specific Servant Leadership (ESSL) on employees’ pro-environmental behavior (PEB) by proposing a serial mediation model that incorporates green psychological empowerment and green creativity as central mechanisms. Guided by social exchange theory (SET), survey data from managers in Saudi Arabia were analyzed using PROCESS Model 6 with bootstrapping to test direct, indirect, and serial mediation effects. The results show that ESSL has a significant positive influence on PEB, with both psychological empowerment and green creativity acting as partial mediators. Moreover, the serial mediation analysis confirms that empowerment enhances creativity, which in turn drives employees’ pro-environmental actions. The findings support the social exchange theory, SET, in the contextual environmental settings of the rapidly developing economy of Saudi Arabia. These findings highlight the critical role of psychological empowerment and creativity in translating leadership values into sustainable behaviors. Practically, the study suggests that organizations can advance sustainability goals by fostering servant leadership practices, empowering employees with autonomy and resources, and encouraging innovative solutions for environmental challenges. Within the context of Saudi Vision 2030, the findings provide valuable insights for aligning leadership development with national sustainability objectives.
Source: Administrative Sciences
Authors: Farida Saleem, Sofia Mateou
Institution: Prince Sultan University
Language: English
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,689
Funder: Prince Sultan University
OpenAlex ID: W4414629438