Ambidextrous leadership and sustainability performance: serial mediation effects of employees' green creativity and green product innovation

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between ambidextrous leadership and sustainability performance. In addition, this study also discusses how ambidextrous leadership affects sustainability performance through employees' green creativity and green product innovation.Design/methodology/approachThis study obtained research data from a questionnaire survey of 307 manufacturing enterprise leaders in China and used regression and bootstrap analysis to test the research hypotheses.Findings(1) Ambidextrous leadership positively influences sustainability performance. (2) Employees' green creativity mediates the relationship between ambidextrous leadership and sustainability performance. (3) Green product innovation also mediates the relationship between ambidextrous leadership and sustainability performance. (4) The intermediary chain constructed by employees' green creativity and green product innovation has serial mediation effects on the relationship between ambidextrous leadership and sustainability performance.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on leadership and corporate sustainability by clarifying the relationship between ambidextrous leadership and sustainability performance. Meanwhile, this study reveals the influence mechanism of ambidextrous leadership on sustainability performance by analyzing the serial mediation effects of employees' green creativity and green product innovation.