Over the past decade, global climate change and environmental degradation have highlighted the need for leadership styles that integrate sustainability into organizational practices. Green Transformational Leadership (GTL) merges transformational leadership principles with environmental responsibility to address these global challenges. Furthermore, it enables organizations to align their strategies with global sustainability goals such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Objective
This study aims to perform a bibliometric analysis of GTL, tracking publication trends, identifying key contributors, and mapping thematic clusters to explore gaps and propose future research directions.
Methods
Using the Web of Science (WoS) database, 284 articles were analyzed with VOSviewer and Biblioshiny. This analysis covered publications from 2006 to 2024, examining trends, key themes, and collaboration networks.
Results
The study reveals an increase in GTL publications since 2016, largely driven by global sustainability initiatives like the UN SDGs. Influential contributors include Faraz Naveed Ahmad journals such as Sustainability and leading countries like China. Thematic clusters highlight key areas such as green innovation; green behavior and sustainable performance were frequently explored, while areas such as radical green innovation, psychological green climate, and green process innovation remain under-researched. Collaboration networks show extensive international partnerships, particularly among scholars from China, Pakistan, and Portugal.
Conclusions
This analysis maps the evolution of GTL research, identifying well-established areas and highlighting underexplored topics. These findings provide a foundation for future studies and practical applications in sustainable leadership.
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