Green Transformational Leadership, Creativity, and Organizational Culture: A Structural Model of Pro-Environmental Behavior in an Emerging Cosmetics Market

Abstract

Understanding the behavioral foundations of green transformation within firms requires attention to both leadership processesand the motivational mechanisms that shape employee action. Drawing on transformational leadership theory, the resource-based view, and self-determination theory, this study investigates how green transformational leadership (GTL) relates to pro-environmental behavior (PEB) through the creative and contextual conditions that support intrinsic motivation. Survey datafrom 1063 employees in the Turkish cosmetics industry were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicatethat green creativity (GC) transmits the influence of GTL on PEB, whereas green organizational culture (GOC) strengthens theconditions under which this influence is expressed. These findings clarify how leadership, creativity, and cultural support jointlyunderpin employees' environmental engagement. The study contributes to research on organizational greening by highlight-ing the motivational and contextual pathways through which leadership encourages sustainable behavior in emerging marketsettings.