AI Insight
This study examined how servant leadership affects job satisfaction among 200 tourism industry employees, finding that leaders who prioritize employee development and wellbeing significantly improve worker satisfaction. The research demonstrates that psychological capital—comprising hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism—partially mediates this relationship, meaning servant leadership both directly increases satisfaction and indirectly does so by building employees' psychological resources. The findings support Conservation of Resources theory, showing that supportive leadership helps employees accumulate personal resources that enhance workplace satisfaction.
Why it matters
The results provide tourism organizations with evidence-based guidance for leadership training programs, suggesting that developing servant leadership behaviors can improve employee retention and service quality. By identifying psychological capital as a key mechanism, the study offers specific pathways through which management practices can enhance workforce sustainability in the high-turnover tourism sector.
Understand the Science
IntroductionIn the service-intensive tourism industry, employee wellbeing is a critical determinant of service quality and organizational performance. Drawing on Positive Organizational Behavior and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study examines the mechanism linking perceived servant leadership to job satisfaction among tourism employees, specifically investigating the mediating role of psychological capital.Design/Methodology/ApproachEmpirical data were collected via an anonymous questionnaire survey of 200 frontline employees from tourism enterprises (travel agencies, scenic spots, and hotels). Hierarchical regression analysis and Bootstrap mediation analysis were employed to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate that: (1) Perceived servant leadership is significantly positively associated with job satisfaction (p < 0.001); (2) Employee-perceived servant leadership is significantly positively associated with employees’ psychological capital; and (3) Psychological capital partially mediates the relationship between employee-perceived servant leadership and job satisfaction.Originality/ValueThese findings extend the theoretical understanding of leadership and wellbeing in the tourism context and offer practical insights for fostering a sustainable workforce through leadership development.