TRANSLATING SUSTAINABLE MARKETING INTO ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT IN THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR

Abstract

The growing global emphasis on sustainability compels businesses, particularly the high-impact hospitality sector, to adopt Sustainable Marketing Strategies (SMS). However, effectively translating these organizational-level strategies into proactive, discretionary employee behaviors, specifically Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), presents a significant challenge. This study empirically investigates how SMS influence OCB among hotel employees, exploring the mediating role of Employee Involvement (EI) and the moderating role of Employee Socialization (ES) within this "translation" process in hotels in Beirut, Lebanon. Utilizing a quantitative approach, data were collected from 218 hotel employees and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).

The findings consistently support all proposed hypotheses. Results reveal a significant direct positive effect of SMS on both Employee Involvement (β = 0.294, p < 0.001) and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (β = 0.186, p < 0.01). Crucially, Employee Involvement was found to significantly mediate the relationship between SMS and OCB (β = 0.118, p < 0.01), confirming the central "translation" mechanism. Furthermore, Employee Socialization positively moderated the relationship between SMS and Employee Involvement (β = 0.142, p < 0.05), and also strengthened the mediating effect of EI on OCB (β = 0.175, p < 0.01).

This research confirms that Sustainable Marketing Strategies are effectively "translated" into desired employee discretionary behaviors, facilitated by Employee Involvement and enhanced by Employee Socialization. Theoretically, the study develops an integrated model, enriching existing theories by elucidating the human-strategy interaction in sustainability. Practically, it offers actionable insights for hospitality managers to foster OCB through strategic SMS implementation, employee engagement initiatives, and robust socialization programs, especially within the under-researched Middle Eastern context.