۱- Introduction

۲- Theoretical background

۳- Methodology

۴- Results

۵- Discussion and conclusion

References

Abstract

Despite the important contribution made by green human resource management (GHRM) towards organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE), few published studies have investigated this significant contemporary topic in the hospitality industry, which constitutes a major gap in the literature on the greening of the hospitality industry. Drawing on Ability-Motivation-Opportunity theory, this study develops and tests direct and interactive effects of GHRM practices on OCBE. A mixed methodology is applied, with a survey of 203 employees working in 4–۵ star hotels being conducted first to test six hypotheses, followed by qualitative research into two specific cases. The results indicate a mixture of expected and unexpected findings, including: (i) the direct effects of GHRM practices on OCBE; (ii) the interaction of three GHRM practices (training, performance management and employee involvement), which can enhance employees’ voluntary green behavior, dependent on the level of green performance management and green employee involvement; and (iii) that green training is seen as a key mechanism to boost employees’ voluntary green behavior. The originality of this manuscript is based on its status as one of the first mixed-methodology works on GHRM in the hospitality industry in an emerging economy.

Introduction

Anchored in Ability-Motivation-Opportunity theory (Appelbaum, Bailey, Berg, & Kalleberg, 2000), this study aims to explain the relationships between GHRM practices and OCBE. Additionally, the interactive effects of the GHRM practices of green training, green performance management, and green employee involvement on OCBE are investigated through a mixed-methodology approach applied to hotels located in an emerging, yet so far under-studied context: Vietnam. Therefore, this work creates a bridge between two important topics in tourism management: environmental management (Martinez-Martinez, Cegarra-Navarro, Garcia-Perez, & Wensley, 2019) and human resource management (Baum, 2015), applied to the hospitality industry. Environmental impact has come to be seen as a significant concern by both organizations and governments over the last few decades (Rhead, Elliot, & Upham, 2015; Robertson & Barling, 2017). Increased environmental pressures from the market and consumers in recent times, as well as modern regulations and laws, have enhanced organizations’ awareness and experience of handling environmental issues, including hotels and the wider hospitality sector (Chan & Hawkins, 2012; Chan & Hsu, 2016). Therefore, environmental concern has recently become an emerging topic in management scholarship (Masri & Jaaron, 2017; Renwick, Redman, & Maguire, 2013), with an emphasis on integrating environmental management strategies with human resource management, a synthesis termed “green human resource management” (GHRM) (Renwick, Redman, & Maguire, 2008). In addition, in order to enhance environmental performance, employees’ involvement in green behavior is necessary, especially organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment (Robertson & Barling, 2017), because such behavior contributes to tackling environmental problems and enhancing organizations’ sustainable development (De Groot & Steg, 2010). In the hotel industry, management strategies for environmental sustainability have become important to improving environmental performance and maintaining competitive advantage (Chan & Hsu, 2016; Molina-Azorín, Tarí, Pereira-Moliner, LópezGamero, & Pertusa-Ortega, 2015).