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Understanding the role of exploitative leadership in inhibiting service innovative behavior: a moderated mediation model

Lijing Zhao (International Business School, Hainan University, Haikou, China)
Shashan Bao (School of Hospitality Administration, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA)
Phillip M. Jolly (School of Hospitality Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Malvern, Pennsylvania, USA)
Yi Su (School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China)

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

ISSN: 0959-6119

Article publication date: 24 September 2024

193

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate how and when exploitative leadership hinders hospitality employees’ service innovative behavior. Based on the conservation of resource theory, the authors examined the mediating role of relational energy and the moderating impact of sensitivity to interpersonal mistreatment on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Two-wave data collection from 54 hotel leaders and 266 subordinates in China resulted in 266 supervisor–subordinate matched data sets. Structural equation modeling analyses were used for data analysis.

Findings

Exploitative leadership is negatively related to hospitality employees’ service innovative behavior via diminished employee relational energy. Furthermore, employees with high sensitivity to interpersonal mistreatment experience intensified negative impact of exploitative leadership on relational energy and subsequent service innovation behavior.

Research limitations/implications

Hotel management must recognize and mitigate the effects of exploitative leadership to foster an environment conducive to service innovation. In addition, hotel managers should be attuned to the employees’ relational energy, recognizing its essential role in driving innovative behavior.

Originality/value

This research contributes insights into how exploitative leadership style impedes employee service innovation behavior. It further illuminates the role of relational energy as a critical mediator in this relationship.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding: This research is partially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (72402049), The Humanity and Social Science Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (23XJC630013), Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (724QN234), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (72342027).

Compliance with ethical standards: This paper and all authors’ compliance with ethical standards, we are willing to accept all responsibility for any violation of ethical standards in the study.

Conflict of interest: We declare that we have no conflicts of interest.

Author contribution: Lijing Zhao and Shashan Bao contribute equally to this paper.

Citation

Zhao, L., Bao, S., Jolly, P.M. and Su, Y. (2024), "Understanding the role of exploitative leadership in inhibiting service innovative behavior: a moderated mediation model", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-02-2024-0241

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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