Greenwashing from Within: The Moderating Role of Employee Dark Triad Traits on Ethical Climate and Employee Green Behavior

Sustainability has taken the center stage in the institutional agenda of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), and Ethical Climate (EC) is presumed to encourage Employee Green Behavior (EGB). Nevertheless, the lack of consistency in the use of EGB across ethically sound settings indicates that this relationship can be moderated by the set of personality characteristics possessed by an individual. It is related to elements of strategic behavior that the Employee Dark Triad (EDT) which consists of Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy can be used to comprehend this variation. This research aims to examine moderating effects of Employee Dark Triad on the association of Ethical Climate and Employee Green. Mixed-methods study was used. Quantitative research was conducted by carrying out a survey form (in = 700) employees and data was analyzed using PLS of HEI, and it was analyzed by applying Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The qualitative stage consisted in thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (n = 12) with the employees of different departments to express reasons and explanations of the quantitative findings. The developed hypotheses were partially proved with the help of the study consequences. Hypothesis 1 was rejected because the relationship between Ethical Climate (EC) and the Employee Green Behavior (EGB) is not significant at statistical level ( p = 0.198). This implies that EC itself does not quite produce positive direct influence on the induction of green behavior in the employees. Conversely, Hypothesis 2, where the notion behind is that the relationship between EC and EGB is mediated by the Employee Dark Triad (EDT), had been accepted due to a statistically difference of p value < 0.001. This implies that the effects of ethical climate on green behavior are varied by dark personality attributes, that is, Machiavellianism, Narcissism and Psychopathy, in line with the fact that the individual differences are important factors to determine the results of sustainability. Qualitative findings revealed that the themes of strategic conformity, green spotlighting, and sustainability apathy were identified, which proves the assumption that the dark traits tend to lead to the performing instead of authentic green actions. The results indicate that Ethical Climate is not enough in ensuring Employee Green Behavior. Such personality backgrounds as Employee Dark Triad had to be put in perspective to separate between legitimate and manipulative green behavior. Psychologically conscious ethical climates should be created in the institutions to align individual desires with the sustainability objectives.