TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of empowering leadership on work engagement via psychological empowerment
T2 - Moderation of cultural orientation
AU - Wen, Jun
AU - Huang, Songshan (Sam)
AU - Teo, Stephen
N1 - Funding information: This study was financially supported by Centre for Work and Organisational Performance, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University.
PY - 2023/3/1
Y1 - 2023/3/1
N2 - Employee empowerment can lead to work engagement; however, this process may be influenced by employees' cultural values and beliefs. This quantitative study focused on the efficacy of employee empowerment in organisational management practices and performance within the Chinese cultural setting. Specifically, we examined the impacts of empowering leadership on work engagement, with psychological empowerment functioning as a mediator and cultural orientation as a moderator. Based on a sample of 498 frontline employees in five upscale or luxury hotels in Beijing, China, findings revealed that empowering leadership was positively correlated with work engagement and psychological empowerment. Psychological empowerment partially mediated the relationship between empowering leadership and work engagement. Chinese hotel frontline employees generally perceived a low power distance orientation and high collectivist orientation in the workplace. Power distance orientation was the only moderator of the effect of empowering leadership on psychological empowerment. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed.
AB - Employee empowerment can lead to work engagement; however, this process may be influenced by employees' cultural values and beliefs. This quantitative study focused on the efficacy of employee empowerment in organisational management practices and performance within the Chinese cultural setting. Specifically, we examined the impacts of empowering leadership on work engagement, with psychological empowerment functioning as a mediator and cultural orientation as a moderator. Based on a sample of 498 frontline employees in five upscale or luxury hotels in Beijing, China, findings revealed that empowering leadership was positively correlated with work engagement and psychological empowerment. Psychological empowerment partially mediated the relationship between empowering leadership and work engagement. Chinese hotel frontline employees generally perceived a low power distance orientation and high collectivist orientation in the workplace. Power distance orientation was the only moderator of the effect of empowering leadership on psychological empowerment. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed.
KW - Chinese cultural orientations
KW - Power distance orientation
KW - Collectivist orientation
KW - Psychological empowerment
KW - Empowering leadership
KW - Work engagement
U2 - 10.1016/j.jhtm.2022.12.012
DO - 10.1016/j.jhtm.2022.12.012
M3 - Article
SN - 1447-6770
VL - 54
SP - 88
EP - 97
JO - Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management
JF - Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management
ER -
