Modeling innovative work behavior through leadership behaviors in the hospitality industry; the role of work–family enrichment

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to examine authentic leadership behavior (ALB) and empowering leadership behavior (ELB) as predictors of innovative work behavior (IWB) while assessing the mediating role of work-family enrichment (WFE).Design/methodology/approachThrough the explanatory research design, data was retrieved from 303 respondents from 16 small-sized hotels in Ghana and analyzed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistics (hierarchical component analysis within PLS-SEM).FindingsThe study’s findings revealed that both ALB and ELB positively and significantly relate to IWB. Additionally, our study found that WFE partially mediated the nexus between ALB and IWB as well as ELB and IWB.Practical implicationsThe findings of our study imply that in the pursuit of excellence, ALB and ELB in the hospitality industry are crucial, as they not only nurture employee potential but also help employees to thrive both at home and at the workplace.Originality/valueThe hospitality literature lacks a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanism by which ALB and ELB influence IWB. To the best of the authors' knowledge, our study is the first empirical study conducted on ALB, ELB, WFE, and IWB in the hospitality industry.