From Green Human Resource Management to Perceived Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role of Green Intellectual Capital and the Moderating Effects of Conscientiousness and GHRM Awareness — Oak Academic Publishing
Research ArticleOpen AccessGoogle Scholar indexed
From Green Human Resource Management to Perceived Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role of Green Intellectual Capital and the Moderating Effects of Conscientiousness and GHRM Awareness
Department of HRM, Faculty of Economics and Administration, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
1 Department of HRM, Faculty of Economics and Administration, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
This study investigates the impact of Green Human Resources Practices (GHRM) on Perceived Organizational Performance (POP), where Green Intellectual Capital (GIC) acts as mediating, with a focus on the moderating role of Personality Trait Conscientiousness and employees’ awareness of GHRM and in the healthcare sector in Saudi Arabia. The aim is to understand the relationship between independent variable (GHRM) on Dependent variable Perceived Organizational Performance (POP), and it’s mediating (GIC) and moderating effects (Personality Trait Conscientiousness and employees’ awareness of GHRM). A quantitative approach is adopted, and data is collected using Google Forms distributed via email and WhatsApp to healthcare workers in Makkah, Jeddah, Medinah, Riyadh, and Dammam. A simple random sampling technique is employed, ensuring equal probability of selection for each member of the population. 365 questionnaires were distributed from March 2025 to August 2025. The study population comprises hospitals and medical cities providing healthcare services under the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Saudi Arabia. Data collected through Google Forms is analyzed using SPSS-24. Results indicate a significant positive relationship between GHRM and both OP and Green Intellectual Capital (GIC). Moreover, Green Intellectual Capital is found to mediate the relationship between GHRM and OP. However, individual awareness of GHRM practices and individuals’ conscientiousness personality do not moderate the relationship between GHRM and Perceived Organizational Performance (POP). In light of these findings, it is recommended that healthcare organizations in Saudi Arabia prioritize the implementation of Green Human Resource Management practices to enhance both Perceived Organizational Performance (POP) and green intellectual capital. Additionally, organizations should focus on fostering a culture of sustainability and environmental awareness among employees, which can further strengthen the positive impact of GHRM initiatives on organizational outcomes.
KeywordsGreen Human Resources PracticesPerceived Organizational Performance Healthcare SectorEmployees’ AwarenessKingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ababneh, O. M. A. (2021). How Do Green HRM Practices Affect Employees’ Green Behaviors? The Role of Employee Engagement and Personality Attributes. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 64, 1204-1226. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2020.1814708
Aburahma, I. A., Amuna, Y. M. A., & Aqel, A. M. (2020). The Relationship between GHRM Practices and Perceived Organziational Performance (POP) “Case study: Gaza University”. International Journal of Academic Management Science Research, 4 , 1-8. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341043666
Ahmad, S. (2015). Green Human Resource Management: Policies and Practices. Cogent Business & Management, 2, Article ID: 1030817. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2015.1030817
Ahmad, S., Javed, U., Sharma, C., & Siddiqui, M. S. (2025). Green Human Resource Management: Analyzing Sustainable Practices and Organizational Impact through a Word2Vec Approach. Green Technologies and Sustainability, 3, 100224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.grets.2025.100224
Alam, S. S., Alam, N., & Noor, A. (2018). Green Human Resource Management, Corporate Environmental Performance and Environmental Management Capability: A Proposed Framework. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 25, 2082-2103.
AlTurki, R. (2023). Green Human Resource Management Practices and Its Relationship to the Green Behavior of Employees of Government Agencies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Prospective Study. Arab Journal of Administration, 46 , 159-178.
Álvarez Jaramillo, J., Zartha Sossa, J. W., & Orozco Mendoza, G. L. (2019). Barriers to Sustainability for Small and Medium Enterprises in the Framework of Sustainable Development—Literature Review. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28, 512-524. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2261
Amjad, F., Abbas, W., Zia-UR-Rehman, M., Baig, S. A., Hashim, M., Khan, A. et al. (2021). Effect of Green Human Resource Management Practices on Organizational Sustainability: The Mediating Role of Environmental and Employee Performance. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 28191-28206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11307-9
Anwar, N., Nik Mahmood, N. H., Yusliza, M. Y., Ramayah, T., Noor Faezah, J., & Khalid, W. (2020). Green Human Resource Management for Organisational Citizenship Behaviour towards the Environment and Environmental Performance on a University Campus. Journal of Cleaner Production, 256, Article ID: 120401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120401
Appelbaum, E. (2000). Manufacturing Advantage: Why High-Performance Work Systems Pay Off . Cornell University Press.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action . Prentice Hall.
Barrick, M. R., Mount, M. K., & Li, N. (2013). The Theory of Purposeful Work Behavior: The Role of Personality, Higher-Order Goals, and Job Characteristics. Academy of Management Review, 38, 132-153. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2010.0479
Benevene, P., & Buonomo, I. (2020). Green Human Resource Management: An Evidence-Based Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability, 12, Article No. 5974. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12155974
Bissing‐Olson, M. J., Iyer, A., Fielding, K. S., & Zacher, H. (2013). Relationships between Daily Affect and Pro‐Environmental Behavior at Work: The Moderating Role of Pro‐environmental Attitude. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34, 156-175. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1788
Carballo-Penela, A., Ruzo-Sanmartín, E., Álvarez-González, P., & Saifulina, N. (2022). A Systematic Literature Review of Green Human Resource Management Practices and Individual and Organizational Outcomes: The Case of Pro-Environmental Behaviour at Work. In P. Paillé (Ed.), Green Human Resource Management Research (pp. 79-115). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06558-3_5
Chang, C., & Chen, Y. (2012). The Determinants of Green Intellectual Capital. Management Decision, 50, 74-94. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741211194886
Chen, Y. (2008). The Positive Effect of Green Intellectual Capital on Competitive Advantages of Firms. Journal of Business Ethics, 77, 271-286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9349-1
Delmas, M. A., & Burbano, V. C. (2011). The Drivers of Greenwashing. California Management Review, 54, 64-87. https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2011.54.1.64
Delmas, M. A., & Toffel, M. W. (2008). Organizational Responses to Environmental Demands: Opening the Black Box. Strategic Management Journal, 29, 1027-1055. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.701
Dumont, J., Shen, J., & Deng, X. (2017). Effects of Green HRM Practices on Employee Workplace Green Behavior: The Role of Psychological Green Climate and Employee Green Values. Human Resource Management, 56, 613-627. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21792
El Dessouky, N. F., & Alquaiti, H. O. (2020). Impact of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) Practices on Organizational Performance. In 2020 Second International Sustainability and Resilience Conference: Technology and Innovation in Building Designs (pp. 1-4). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ieeeconf51154.2020.9319956
El-Kassar, A., & Singh, S. K. (2019). Green Innovation and Organizational Performance: The Influence of Big Data and the Moderating Role of Management Commitment and HR Practices. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 144, 483-498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2017.12.016
Ercantan, O., & Eyupoglu, S. (2022). How Do Green Human Resource Management Practices Encourage Employees to Engage in Green Behavior? Perceptions of University Students as Prospective Employees. Sustainability, 14, Article No. 1718. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031718
Fawehinmi, O., Yusliza, M., & Farooq, K. (2022). Green Human Resource Management and Employee Green Behavior: Trends, Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward. In P. Paillé (Ed.), Green Human Resource Management Research: Issues, Trends, and Challenges (pp. 167-201). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06558-3_8
Grobelna, A. (2019). Effects of Individual and Job Characteristics on Hotel Contact Employees’ Work Engagement and Their Performance Outcomes: A Case Study from Poland. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31, 349-369. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-08-2017-0501
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of Resources: A New Attempt at Conceptualizing Stress. American Psychologist, 44, 513-524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.44.3.513
Howard-Grenville, J., Buckle, S. J., Hoskins, B. J., & George, G. (2014). Climate Change and Management. Academy of Management Journal, 57, 615-623. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2014.4003
Hussain, A. (2018). Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) Practices in Organizations: A Comprehensive Literature Survey . Journal of Management Research and Analysis (JMRA), 2 , 112.
Jabbour, C. J. C., de Sousa Jabbour, A. B. L., Govindan, K., Teixeira, A. A., & de Souza Freitas, W. R. (2013). Environmental Management and Operational Performance in Automotive Companies in Brazil: The Role of Human Resource Management and Lean Manufacturing. Journal of Cleaner Production, 47, 129-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.07.010
Jackson, S. E., Renwick, D. W. S., Jabbour, C. J. C., & Muller-Camen, M. (2011). State-of-the-Art and Future Directions for Green Human Resource Management: Introduction to the Special Issue. German Journal of Human Resource Management: Zeitschrift für Personalforschung , 25, 99-116. https://doi.org/10.1177/239700221102500203
John, O. P., & Srivastava, S. (1999). The Big-Five Trait Taxonomy: History, Measurement, and Theoretical Perspectives. In L. A. Pervin, & O. P. John (Eds.), Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research (Vol. 2, pp. 102-138). Guilford Press.
Kapoor, K., & Solomon, N. (2011). Understanding the Green Dilemma: From Green Criminology to Green Human Resource Management. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 8, 1-12.
Kim, A., Kim, Y., Han, K., Jackson, S. E., & Ployhart, R. E. (2017). Multilevel Influences on Voluntary Workplace Green Behavior: Individual Differences, Leader Behavior, and Coworker Advocacy. Journal of Management, 43, 1335-1358. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314547386
Kim, Y. J., Kim, W. G., Choi, H., & Phetvaroon, K. (2019). The Effect of Green Human Resource Management on Hotel Employees’ Eco-Friendly Behavior and Environmental Performance. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 76, 83-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.04.007
Kordab, M., Raudeliūnienė, J., & Meidutė-Kavaliauskienė, I. (2020). Mediating Role of Knowledge Management in the Relationship between Organizational Learning and Sustainable Organizational Performance. Sustainability, 12, Article No. 10061. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310061
Kramar, R. (2014). Beyond Strategic Human Resource Management: Is Sustainable Human Resource Management the Next Approach? The International Journal of Human Resource M anagement, 25, 1069-1089. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2013.816863
Kristof-Brown, A. L., Zimmerman, R. D., & Johnson, E. C. (2005). Consequences of Individuals’ Fit at Work: A Meta-Analysis of Person-Job, Person-Organization, Person-Group, and Person-Supervisor Fit. Personnel Psychology, 58, 281-342. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.00672.x
Liao, C., Hu, D., & Chung, Y. (2019). Green Human Resource Management and Green Innovation Performance: The Roles of Green Creativity and Green Organizational Identity. Sustainability, 11, Article No. 144.
Ma, Y., Chen, S., & Ruangkanjanases, A. (2021). Understanding the Antecedents and Consequences of Green Human Capital. Sage Open, 11, 2158244020988867. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020988867
Maniu, I., Costache, C., & Dumitraşcu, D. (2021). Adoption of Green Environmental Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Entrepreneur and Business Policies Patterns in Romania. Sustainability, 13, Article No. 4968. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094968
Masri, H. A., & Jaaron, A. A. M. (2017). Assessing Green Human Resources Management Practices in Palestinian Manufacturing Context: An Empirical Study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 474-489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.087
Molina-Azorín, J. F., Claver-Cortés, E., Pereira-Moliner, J., & Tarí, J. J. (2009). Environmental Practices and Firm Performance: An Empirical Analysis in the Spanish Hotel Industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 17, 516-524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.09.001
Nikolaou, I., Evangelinos, K., & Leal Filho, W. (2015). A System Dynamic Approach for Exploring the Effects of Climate Change Risks on Firms’ Economic Performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 103, 499-506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.086
Nisar, Q. A., Haider, S., Ali, F., Jamshed, S., Ryu, K., & Gill, S. S. (2021). Green Human Resource Management Practices and Environmental Performance in Malaysian Green Hotels: The Role of Green Intellectual Capital and Pro-Environmental Behavior. Journal of Cleaner Production, 311, Article ID: 127504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127504
Opatha, H. H., & Arulrajah, A. A. (2014). Green Human Resource Management: Simplified General Reflections. International Business Research, 7, 101-112. https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v7n8p101
Paillé, P., & Valéau, P. (2022). Green Human Resource Practices for Individual Environmental Performance: A Meta-Review. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 39, 433-449
Paillé, P., Boiral, O., & Chen, Y. (2013). Linking Environmental Management Practices and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour for the Environment: A Social Exchange Perspective. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24, 3552-3575. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2013.777934
Paillé, P., Chen, Y., Boiral, O., & Jin, J. (2014). The Impact of Human Resource Management on Environmental Performance: An Employee-Level Study. Journal of Business Ethics, 121, 451-466. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1732-0
Pinzone, M., Guerci, M., Lettieri, E., & Huisingh, D. (2019). Effects of “Green” Training on Pro-Environmental Behaviors and Job Satisfaction: Evidence from the Italian Healthcare Sector. Journal of Cleaner Production, 226, 221-232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.048
Raineri, N., & Paillé, P. (2016). Linking Corporate Policy and Supervisory Support with Environmental Citizenship Behaviors: The Role of Employee Environmental Beliefs and Commitment. Journal of Business Ethics, 137, 129-148. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2548-x
Ratnasari, A., Kahpi, H. S., & Wulandari, S. S. (2023). Green Human and Operational Capital on Operational Efficiency: The Role of Green Intellectual Capital. International Jour nal of Current Science Research and Review, 6, 4957-4967. https://doi.org/10.47191/IJCSRR/V6-i7-112
Rawashdeh, A. M. (2018). The Impact of Green Human Resource Management on Organizational Environmental Performance in Jordanian Health Service Organizations. Management Science Letters, 8, 1049-1058. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2018.7.006
Rehman, J., Hawryszkiewycz, I., Sohaib, O., & Soomro, A. (2020). Developing Intellectual Capital in Professional Service Firms Using High Performance Work Practices as Toolkit. In Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 4983-4992). Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. https://doi.org/10.24251/hicss.2020.613
Ren, S., Tang, G., & E. Jackson, S. (2018). Green Human Resource Management Research in Emergence: A Review and Future Directions. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 35, 769-803. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-017-9532-1
Renwick, D. W. S., Redman, T., & Maguire, S. (2013). Green Human Resource Management: A Review and Research Agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 15, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2011.00328.x
Roscoe, S., Subramanian, N., Jabbour, C. J. C., & Chong, T. (2019). Green Human Resource Management and the Enablers of Green Organisational Culture: Enhancing a Firm’s Environmental Performance for Sustainable Development. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28, 737-749. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2277
Saeed, B. B., Afsar, B., Hafeez, S., Khan, I., Tahir, M., & Afridi, M. A. (2019). Promoting Employee’s Proenvironmental Behavior through Green Human Resource Management Practices. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26, 424-438. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1694
Shaban, S. (2019). Reviewing the Concept of Green HRM (GHRM) and Its Application Practices (Green Staffing) with Suggested Research Agenda: A Review from Literature Background and Testing Construction Perspective. International Business Research, 12, 86-94. https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v12n5p86
Shah, M. (2019). Green Human Resource Management: Development of a Valid Measurement Scale. Business Strategy and the Environment, 28, 771-785. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2279
Shen, J., & Benson, J. (2016). When CSR Is a Social Norm: How Socially Responsible Human Resource Management Affects Employee Work Behavior. Journal of Management, 42, 1723-1746. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314522300
Suharti, L., & Sugiarto, A. (2020). A Qualitative Study of Green HRM Practices and Their Benefits in the Organization: An Indonesian Company Experience. Business: Theory and Practice, 21, 200-211. https://doi.org/10.3846/btp.2020.11386
Tang, G., Chen, Y., Jiang, Y., Paillé, P., & Jia, J. (2018). Green Human Resource Management Practices: Scale Development and Validity. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 56, 31-55. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12147
Troth, A. C., & Guest, D. E. (2020). The Case for Psychology in Human Resource Management Research. Human Resource Management Journal, 30, 34-48. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12237
Yen, C. H., Chen, C. Y., & Teng, H. Y. (2013). Perceptions of Environmental Management and Employee Job Attitudes in Hotel Firms. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 12, 155-174. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332845.2013.752709
Yong, J. Y., Yusliza, M., Ramayah, T., & Fawehinmi, O. (2019). Nexus between Green Intellectual Capital and Green Human Resource Management. Journal of Cleaner Produc tion, 215, 364-374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.306
Yu, W., Chavez, R., Feng, M., Wong, C. Y., & Fynes, B. (2020). Green Human Resource Management and Environmental Cooperation: An Ability-Motivation-Opportunity and Contingency Perspective. International Journal of Production Economics, 219, 224-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2019.06.013
Yusliza, M. Y., Norazmi, N. A., Jabbour, C. J. C., Fernando, Y., Fawehinmi, O., & Seles, B. M. R. P. (2019). Top Management Commitment, Corporate Social Responsibility and Green Human Resource Management: A Malaysian Study. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 26, 2051-2078. https://doi.org/10.1108/bij-09-2018-0283
Yusliza, M., Yong, J. Y., Tanveer, M. I., Ramayah, T., Noor Faezah, J., & Muhammad, Z. (2020). A Structural Model of the Impact of Green Intellectual Capital on Sustainable Performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 249, Article ID: 119334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119334
Zaid, A. A., Jaaron, A. A. M., & Talib Bon, A. (2018). The Impact of Green Human Resource Management and Green Supply Chain Management Practices on Sustainable Performance: An Empirical Study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 204, 965-979. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.09.062
Zhu, J., Tang, W., Wang, H., & Chen, Y. (2021). The Influence of Green Human Resource Management on Employee Green Behavior—A Study on the Mediating Effect of Environmental Belief and Green Organizational Identity. Sustainability, 13, Article No. 4544. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084544
Zhu, Q., Liu, J., & Lai, K. (2017). Green Human Resource Management, Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment and Environmental Performance: The Role of Environmental Training. Human Resource Management, 56, 613-627. (In Chinese)