Qian Ling’s research while affiliated with South China Normal University and other places

Purpose This study aims to investigate the following issues: the mediating mechanisms through which differentiated empowering leadership (DEL) influences group knowledge hiding (GKH), and the moderating effect of task interdependence on the relationship between DEL and trust climate/group cohesion. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 collected data from 263 employees from 33 service departments of 16 star-level hotels in China. Study 2 collected data from 443 employees from 44 service departments of 24 star-level hotels in China. The hypothesized relationships were tested in regression analysis with SPSS. Findings It is found that DEL has a positive impact on GKH, fully mediated by trust climate, group cohesion and group efficacy. Trust climate emerges as a stronger mediator compared to group efficacy. Furthermore, the positive effect of DEL on trust climate is pronounced when task interdependence is low. Originality/value The findings contribute to both DEL and knowledge-hiding literature by identifying and comparing the mediating effect of trust climate, group cohesion and group efficacy connecting DEL with GKH. This study highlights that the impact of DEL on group outcomes depends on task interdependence. The study’s practical implications and cultural limitations are also discussed.

Using a sequential mixed methods approach, we comprehensively explore the influence of manager role overload (MRO) and manager role ambiguity (MRA) on job thriving of both managers and employees. Study 1 was based on a quantitative survey design. We collected nested data from 675 valid employee–department manager pairs from 92 departments in 28 hotels in China. The findings suggest that both MRO and MRA hinder empowering leadership, in turn impairing the job thriving of both managers and employees. However, the negative effect of MRO on empowering leadership disappears when managers have a high level of trust in employees. Study 2 entailed in-depth interviews of 15 middle managers from 11 hotels to further explain why and when MRO and MRA obstruct empowering leadership.

This study differentiates the influences of role overload and role ambiguity on employee service quality from challenge-hindrance stressors, and explores the underlying mechanism regarding how and when such effects occur. Collecting data from 1645 employee-supervisor pairs in 49 tourism firms in China, hierarchical linear modeling results support the challenge-hindrance stressors theory by demonstrating that role overload has no effect and role ambiguity a negative effect on service quality. Analysis suggests that employee psychological empowerment fully mediates the negative effect of role ambiguity on service quality, though no similar mediating was found with role overload. Cross-level moderation analysis suggests that a supportive leadership climate triggers a positive effect of role overload on employee psychological empowerment, but does not buffer the negative effect of role ambiguity on the same.

While internal service quality (ISQ) preconditions organizational service quality management, the tourism and hospitality management literature largely overlooks it. This study developed and tested a comprehensive model to understand the determinants and how they influence ISQ using an exploratory sequential mixed method. In study 1, we conducted 12 focus groups involving 86 hotel employees. ISQ is determined by three primary categories of organizational and personal practice: management systems (i.e., manage process, training and compensation), social systems (i.e., collaborative culture, interdepartmental communication and servant leadership), and personal characteristics (i.e., role stress, empathetic personality and collegial relationships). In study 2, we conducted 332 pairs of employee-supervisor questionnaires and confirmed the effects of these determinants on ISQ through employee's internal service orientation and efficacy. Distinct determinants interrelate to predict employees' internal service orientation and efficacy. This study thus provides hotels with targeted measures to improve their ISQ and competitive advantages.

When employees in a service profit chain receive quality internal services, they provide quality services to external customers, but extant research does not address what connects internal and external services. This study espouses service climate as an integral part of the service profit chain by exploring its role in linking internal service management and external service performance, and the boundary conditions in which it operates. Data collected from 538 employees of 81 department managers in 24 Chinese hotels were examined using hierarchical linear modeling. Results suggest that managers’ commitment to service quality affects service climate through empowering leadership, service climate links empowering leadership and employee service-oriented behaviors, and external departments’ internal service quality strengthens the positive effect of service climate on service-oriented behaviors. This study advances the literature by integrating service climate and internal service quality into the service profit chain, helping hospitality managers understand how to foster service-oriented behaviors.

This study explores and tests the role of top-level supportive leadership on both individual and group members in hospitality and tourism firms, examining the trickle-down model of top-level supportive leadership through not only middle-level supportive leadership, but group cohesion and also moderation of top-level supportive leadership on both middle-level supportive leadership–service quality and group cohesion–service quality relationships, which extend and enrich the trickle-down model of leadership. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to assess a sample of 2009 employee–supervisor pairs across 112 departments in 35 Chinese hospitality and tourism firms. The results suggest that top-level supportive leadership relates positively to employees’ service quality, which trickles down through middle-level supportive leadership, excepting group cohesion; top-level supportive leadership strengthens the positive effect of middle-level supportive leadership on employee service quality, triggering positive effects of group cohesion.

A R T I C L E I N F O Keywords: Managers' commitment to service quality External departments' internal service quality Empowering leadership Employee service-oriented behaviors Employee psychological service climate A B S T R A C T When employees in a service profit chain receive quality internal services, they provide quality services to external customers, but extant research does not address what connects internal and external services. This study espouses service climate as an integral part of the service profit chain by exploring its role in linking internal service management and external service performance, and the boundary conditions in which it operates. Data collected from 538 employees of 81 department managers in 24 Chinese hotels were examined using hierarchical linear modeling. Results suggest that managers' commitment to service quality affects service climate through empowering leadership, service climate links empowering leadership and employee service-oriented behaviors, and external departments' internal service quality strengthens the positive effect of service climate on service-oriented behaviors. This study advances the literature by integrating service climate and internal service quality into the service profit chain, helping hospitality managers understand how to foster service-oriented behaviors.

This study explores and tests the role of top-level supportive leadership on both individual and group members in hospitality and tourism firms, examining the trickle-down model of top-level supportive leadership through not only middle-level supportive leadership, but group cohesion and also moderation of top-level supportive leadership on both middle-level supportive leadership-service quality and group cohesion-service quality relationships , which extend and enrich the trickle-down model of leadership. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to assess a sample of 2009 employee-supervisor pairs across 112 departments in 35 Chinese hospitality and tourism firms. The results suggest that top-level supportive leadership relates positively to employees' service quality, which trickles down through middle-level supportive leadership, excepting group cohesion; top-level supportive leadership strengthens the positive effect of middle-level supportive leadership on employee service quality, triggering positive effects of group cohesion.

To address the question of why empowering leadership occurs and matters, this study develops an integrated model including both antecedents and consequences of empowering leadership in hospitality organizations. Drawing on data from 558 employees and 86 department managers in 24 Chinese hotels, results of hierarchical linear modeling support person–situation interactionist theory by suggesting that top-level empowering leadership and middle-level leaders’ self-efficacy have main and interaction effects on middle-level empowering leadership. Main and mediation effect results support service profit chain theory and motivational and exchange-based models by demonstrating that middle-level empowering leadership has positive effects on employees’ service-oriented behaviors directly and indirectly, and employees’ psychological ownership mediates these indirect effects. This study is among the first to explore antecedents of empowering leadership from both personal and contextual perspectives, and mediation by psychological ownership in the relationship between empowering leadership and employee service-oriented behaviors.