From Organizational Policy to Employees: Enhancing Intrinsic Motivation for Sustainability through Green Inclusive Leadership and Green Creativity

Abstract Book of the 2nd International Academic Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities

Year: 2025

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From Organizational Policy to Employees: Enhancing Intrinsic Motivation for Sustainability through Green Inclusive Leadership and Green Creativity

Irmak Aksoy

ABSTRACT:

Organizational structures, policies, and regulations have traditionally been prioritized to ensure business sustainability. Nevertheless, it is ultimately the employees who play a pivotal role in actualizing sustainable outcomes. In this context, psychological determinants must be taken into account to facilitate the exhibition of sustainable behaviors among employees. This study, accordingly, emphasizes the significance of green inclusive leadership, intrinsic motivation and green creativity to promote sustainable development within organizations. These constructs—green inclusive leadership and green creativity—are relatively nascent within the sustainability and organizational behavior literature and remain underexplored. Fostering employees’ intrinsic motivation, as opposed to extrinsic incentives, becomes essential. Green inclusive leaders play an important role in the formation of this intrinsic motivation. Green inclusive leadership, a relational and contemporary leadership paradigm, is characterized by openness to environmentally innovative ideas, willingness to engage in dialogue concerning ecological goals, and proactive guidance on environmental challenges confronting the organization. Leaders demonstrating such behaviors are approachable, responsive, and actively involved in advancing environmentally responsible processes and services. This increases employees’ intrinsic motivation and their desire to demonstrate green creativity. Green creativity refers to employees’ propensity to generate novel approaches for attaining environmental objectives, advocate for eco-conscious initiatives, reimagine sustainable practices, and devise innovative solutions to ecological challenges. Green inclusive leadership significantly enhances followers’ capacity to contribute to environmental objectives by endorsing their eco-centric ideas, maintaining regular communication, valuing their beliefs and expectations. This enhances employees’ intrinsic motivation and enables them to realize their green creative potential. Overall, the openness and accessibility inherent in green inclusive leadership are expected to foster collaborative environments wherein employees are motivated to engage in the exploration of original and innovative solutions to pressing environmental issues.

Keywords: Green creativity, green inclusive leadership, intrinsic motivation, sustainability