This study, underpinned by social exchange theory and social identity theory, investigates whether employee ecological identity (EEI) and exchange ideology function as stage-specific psychological amplifiers at different stages of the green HRM→GPOS→eco-friendly behaviors (EFBs) pathway in Pakistani public universities, explaining why identical green HRM practices produce differential employee responses.
A quantitative three-wave longitudinal design was employed. Data from 311 academic and administrative personnel at six public universities in Pakistan were analyzed via PLS-SEM. Time 1 measured the distal organizational input (green HRM practices) and stable individual-level moderators (EEI and exchange ideology), Time 2 (+4 weeks) measured GPOS as the perceptual mediator, and Time 3 (+8 weeks) measured EFBs as behavioral outcomes.
GPOS mediates the relationship between green HRM and EFBs. EEI amplifies the green HRM–GPOS link through identity congruence, and exchange ideology amplifies the GPOS–EFBs link through reciprocity intensification, with high-moderator conditions yielding indirect effects 2.7–2.9 times stronger than low-moderator conditions.
Universities should implement green HRM strategies that account for employees' psychological profiles, offering voluntary opt-in engagement rather than prescriptive targeting, thereby improving institutional effectiveness while maintaining equity and aligning with national and international HE sustainability frameworks.
This study is the first to empirically resolve the amplification–attenuation debate in green HRM by jointly testing competing identity and exchange theories within a unified sequential framework. It advances stage-specific moderation theory and addresses a critical gap in the underexplored Global South HEI sustainability literature, offering evidence directly relevant to Pakistan's HEC sustainability agenda and international sustainability rankings.
