Group diversity and employee service innovative behavior in the hospitality industry: a multilevel model
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
ISSN: 0959-6119
Article publication date: 7 December 2021
Issue publication date: 21 January 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Service innovative behavior from employees helps hospitality organizations gain a competitive advantage and sustain business flourishment. Although group diversity has been demonstrated as a predictor of employee outcomes, whether group diversity in terms of extraversion and openness enhances employee service innovative behavior remains a gap. This study aims to fill this gap by developing a multilevel model of the direct relationship between group diversity in terms of extraversion and openness and employee service innovative behavior and also the mediations and moderations behind the relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collectd data from 44 Chinese hospitality teams. The research model was validated by multilevel structural equation modeling.
Findings
Results showed that both group extraversion diversity and group openness diversity fostered employee service innovative behavior via creative self-efficacy. Developmental culture strengthened the effectiveness of group openness diversity on creative self-efficacy and the effectiveness of creative self-efficacy on employee service innovative behavior. Nevertheless, developmental culture did not strengthen the effectiveness of group extraversion diversity on creative self-efficacy.
Practical implications
Findings suggest that managers and team leaders from hospitality organizations can elicit employee service innovative behavior through increasing group diversity in terms of extraversion and openness. Hospitality practitioners also should understand that employees’ confidence for creativity is able to channel group diversity into employee service innovative endeavors. Moreover, building developmental culture is essential for hospitality teams to strengthen the effect of group diversity on innovating services.
Originality/value
This study expands the diversity-innovation research through unfolding both the mediations and the moderations behind the link between group diversity in terms of extraversion and openness and employee service innovative behavior.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
We thank Dr Shenshen Cai, Swinburne University of Technology, for her helpful comments and suggestions.
We would like to express our heartful thanks to the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. Special appreciation also goes to the Editor-in-chief and Associate Editor, Professor Fevzi Okumus, for his valuable guidance and support in improving the quality of this paper.
Conflicts of interest:
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Funding:
This study did not receive funding.
Citation
Yang, M., Luu, T.T. and Qian, D. (2022), "Group diversity and employee service innovative behavior in the hospitality industry: a multilevel model", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 808-835. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-06-2021-0822
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited