The role of CSR and ethical leadership to shape employees’ pro-environmental behavior in the era of industry 4.0. a case of the banking sector

Abstract

The phenomenon of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an ever-evolving concept due to its multidimensionality. However, a plethora of studies have investigated CSR to achieve different organizational-related objectives, and its potential link to shape employee’s extra-role behavior, especially employee pro-environmental behavior (EB) in the era of Industry 4.0, is underexplored in the literature. To bridge this gap, the current study aims to explain the relationship between CSR and EB with the mediating role of ethical leadership (EL) in the banking sector of Pakistan. The data of the current survey were collected (n = 459) from different banking employees within the city of Lahore through a self-administered questionnaire (paper–pencil technique). The hypotheses were validated through the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique in AMOS. The empirical results of the current study confirmed that CSR positively relates to EB, and EL partially mediates this relationship. These findings are helpful for professionals to realize the significance of CSR and EL to shape EB in order to mitigate the environmental footprint of an organization. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords CSR, Ethical leadership, Extra-role behavior, Industry 4.0 bank, Pro-environmental behavior