Green Talent Management Strategies, Leadership Support and Employees’ Job Performance in Public Hospitals, Kenya

Employee job performance is essential in healthcare settings as it directly impacts patient outcomes, safety protocols and overall quality of care delivery. While green talent management strategies have demonstrated effectiveness in addressing employee job performance problems across healthcare, their implementation remains limited in developing countries. This study explored the influence of green talent management strategies and leadership support on employee job performance in public hospitals in Kenya. Using a mixed-methods approach combining structural equation modeling with thematic analysis, the study examined how four key dimensions of green talent workforce planning, attraction, development and retention influence employee performance outcomes. The study was guided by three theoretical frameworks: Green Human Resource Management Theory, Transformational Leadership Theory and Human Capital Theory. Data was collected from 345 employees across 12 Level 5 public hospitals from a target population of 6,626 employees using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Primary data collection utilizes structured questionnaires with Likert scales and open-ended prompt questions to gather both quantitative and qualitative responses. Study instruments demonstrated strong reliability with Cronbach alpha coefficients ranging from 0.858 to 0.884, while convergent validity was established through Average Variance Extracted values ranging from 0.608 to 0. 635.Results revealed significant positive relationships between all green talent management strategies and employee job performance. Green talent development showed the strongest direct effect (β=0.392, p<0.001), followed by workforce planning (β=0.385, p<0.001), attraction (β=0.378, p<0.001) and retention (β=0.372, p<0.001). Leadership support emerged as a critical moderating factor, significantly enhancing the effectiveness of all strategies with interaction effects ranging from β=0.224 to β=0.239, all statistically significant at p<0.001. The combined model explained 88.4% of variance in employee performance (R²=0.884) with excellent fit indices including Comparative Fit Index of 0.969, Tucker-Lewis Index of 0.964 and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation of 0. 043.Qualitative findings corroborated these quantitative relationships, revealing enhanced professional development, improved resource management, strengthened team collaboration and comprehensive organizational transformation. For industry practitioners, the research provides evidence-based strategies for implementing sustainable human resource practices, demonstrates return on investment for green talent initiatives and offers practical frameworks for integrating environmental considerations into workforce planning processes. Policy makers gain insight into developing environmental standards in healthcare human resource management, allocating resources for sustainability initiatives and creating regulatory frameworks that promote green healthcare practices. The research contributes to academic knowledge by extending theoretical understanding of green talent management in healthcare contexts, validating measurement tools for assessing environmental human resource practices and demonstrating the crucial moderating role of leadership in sustainability initiatives. The study concluded that integrating Green Talent Management Strategies with strong leadership support creates synergistic effects on employee performance in healthcare settings. The study recommends developing comprehensive national policy frameworks for sustainable human resource management in healthcare, investing in leadership development programs focused on environmental sustainability and implementing performance management systems that incorporate sustainability metrics to enhance both organizational performance and environmental stewardship in public healthcare institutions.