Eco-centric leadership as a catalyst for environmental performance in hospitality SMEs: a serial mediation of green culture and green innovation

Introduction Environmental sustainability has become a strategic priority for hospitality small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in emerging economies where environmental challenges and resource constraints are increasingly pronounced. Drawing on the Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV), this study investigates the role of eco-centric leadership in enhancing environmental performance through the sequential mediating effects of green culture and green innovation. Methods Data were collected from 329 employees working in environmentally oriented hotels in Greater Cairo, Egypt. The proposed conceptual model was tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine both direct and indirect relationships among eco-centric leadership, green culture, green innovation, and environmental performance. Results The findings reveal that eco-centric leadership has a significant positive effect on environmental performance, green culture, and green innovation. Green culture positively influences both green innovation and environmental performance, while green innovation significantly enhances environmental performance. Furthermore, green culture and green innovation individually and sequentially mediate the relationship between eco-centric leadership and environmental performance, indicating that leadershipdriven environmental values become embedded within organizational culture and are subsequently translated into tangible environmental outcomes through innovation. Discussion The results highlight the strategic importance of eco-centric leadership in fostering sustainability-oriented organizational capabilities. By cultivating a strong green culture and promoting green innovation, hospitality SMEs can achieve superior environmental performance and strengthen their long-term ecological competitiveness. This study contributes to the sustainability literature by empirically integrating leadership, culture, and innovation within the NRBV framework and providing evidence from the underexplored context of hospitality SMEs in an emerging economy.