Unpacking the Black Box: A Systematic Review of Psychological and Behavioural Mediators between Perceived Green Human Resource Management and Employee Engagement between the Years 2021 and 2026

Abstract

This systematic review, titled "Unpacking the Black Box: A Systematic Review of Psychological and Behavioral Mediators Between Perceived Green HRM and Employee Engagement (2021–2026)," addresses the lack of an integrated, multi-stage framework mapping how individual cognitive and behavioral mechanisms interact when translating Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) policies into workforce engagement. Adopting a narrative literature synthesis methodology across five electronic databases, the study narrowed down 1,245 retrieved and screened articles into 46 rigorous empirical studies via the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The findings reveal a dual-stage sequential mediation cascade in which perceived GHRM serves as a macro-signal that constructs a Green Psychological Climate (24 studies) and fosters Organisational Identification (19 studies), thereby driving employee vigour and dedication. These cognitive paths sequentially fuel behavioural mediators, such as Green Organisational Citizenship Behaviours (15 studies), that anchor deep task absorption. However, these pathways are heavily contingent upon boundary conditions, where green transformational leadership (16 studies) amplifies positive signal transmission, whereas corporate greenwashing (9 studies) completely violates the psychological contract and triggers systemic detachment. Ultimately, it is recommended that modern organizations reject superficial compliance checklists in favor of authentic GHRM architectures that delegate green autonomy and leverage sustainable leadership to cultivate a genuinely invested workforce.