Intellectual Capital as a Mediator Between Green Human Resource Management and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Study of Star-Class Hotels in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Though sustainability is gaining more strategic attention in the Sri Lankan hospitality industry, little is known about how internal HRM practices translate into voluntary pro-environmental behaviour of employees. Thus, this study examines the effect of Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices on Organisational Citizenship Behaviour for the Environment (OCBE) in star-rated hotels in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Drawing on the resource-based view and intellectual capital theory, the study investigates how four key GHRM dimensions; green recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, and rewards and compensation affect OCBE, with the effect of green intellectual capital as a mediating variable. A standard questionnaire was distributed among 213 non managerial employees across 3-star to 5-star hotels, and data were analysed using correlation and regression analysis using SPSS. Results indicate that green performance management and green rewards are the strongest predictors of intellectual capital, which in turn significantly mediates the relationship between GHRM practices and OCBE. The findings suggest that when employees acquire environmentally aligned knowledge, skills, and values, they are more likely to engage in discretionary behaviours that support organisational sustainability goals. This research offers practical insights for hotel managers aiming to foster a sustainability oriented organisational culture.