Abstract: Currently, environmental issues, such as air pollution, the depletion of natural resources, climate change, and the use of hazardous materials, have become increasingly severe. In response to these challenges, the Chinese government has established ambitious goals, aiming to achieve a carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. This initiative urges enterprises to actively take on the social responsibility of green development, prioritizing environmental protection alongside economic pursuits. However, many enterprises encounter obstacles in the process of green development. One key to overcoming these obstacles is enhancing employee green creativity, the antecedent variables of which have been extensively explored by scholars. Yet, current research on employee green creativity remains fragmented, and a systematic understanding of the inducing factors and models of green creativity in academics is lacking. Therefore, we comprehensively review the concept definition and measurement of green creativity using the literature methodology recommended by PRISMA. We aim to investigate how to stimulate employee green creativity and contribute to enriching the literature on green creativity.
Employee green creativity refers to the development of new ideas about green products, green services, green processes, or green practices that are judged to be original, novel, and useful. This is not only a form of creativity but also a kind of creativity that is focused on addressing stakeholders' environmental concerns. Specifically, both green creativity and traditional creativity commonly emphasize the originality, novelty, and practicality of ideas. However, significant differences exist between these concepts in their manifestation, objectives, antecedent variables, and requirements for employees’ qualities. Some studies regard employee green creativity as the output of their green efforts, while others view it as their ability. We adopt the former perspective, defining employee green creativity more objectively and reasonably. Additionally, we distinguish between green innovation and green creativity. While green innovation involves implementing new ideas, green creativity is primarily concerned with generating these ideas. In other words, green creativity serves as the foundation for green innovation.
Then, we identify that individual factors (motivation, cognition, emotion, attitude, ability, and behavior) and contextual factors (leadership, vision and strategy, management practice, and comprehensive strength) constitute the inducers of employee green creativity. The joint effects of these two factors can be characterized by two models: the “situation → individual” driving path model and the person-situation interaction model. Currently, research primarily focuses on the driving path model while paying little attention to the interaction model. The former emphasizes how contextual factors shape employee green creativity by continually stimulating intrinsic green motivation, influencing green cognition, generating green-related emotions, and altering previous attitudes and behaviors, thereby positively or negatively influencing green creativity. Drawing upon self-determination theory, social cognition theory, affective events theory and attitude change theory, existing studies explain how contextual factors act on individual factors to stimulate employee green creativity. Future studies can further compare the explanatory power of different theories, explore additional theoretical perspectives (such as situational intensity theory), and investigate new driving paths between individual and contextual factors (such as green leadership and workplace status). The latter mode focuses on the interaction between individual and contextual factors, exploring the process of fostering employee green creativity. Due to the lack of research on this interaction model, we introduce the competence activation model and motivated information processing theory as a foundational explanatory framework for inducing employee green creativity. Additionally, it is crucial to recognize the substitution effect of this interaction. When certain factors cannot be satisfied, other alternative factors can also enhance green creativity.
Finally, future research on green creativity should first aim to redefine green creativity and develop a psychological measure to systematically explain how employees generate green ideas through cognitive processes ignored by scholars. Second, traditional workplace culture may prove more effective in fostering green creativity among Chinese employees. Third, the stimulating mechanisms of team green creativity play a pivotal role in addressing environmental protection issues and can effectively guide enterprise green development. Finally, both academia and industry need to not only explore the dynamic attributes of green creativity but also be aware of the moral licensing effect of green creativity that may accompany it. Attention to maintaining this competitive advantage is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of green creativity goals.

Key words: green creativity, individual factors, contextual factors, individual-context interaction perspective, green management