A systematic and critical review of leadership styles in contemporary hospitality: a roadmap and a call for future research

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of leadership styles in the hospitality industry. It also demonstrates theories used in hospitality leadership styles research, identifies the main outcomes and highlights gaps for future research. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a comprehensive review of the 79 articles on leadership styles in the hospitality context spanning over 13 years (2008–2020) and extends the scope in distinctive means. Findings This review has demonstrated that leadership styles research in hospitality has made progress in the past 13 years; however, there are conceptual and empirical overlaps among different leadership styles in hospitality. There is a lack of research on antecedents and integrating theories in studies. This review has revealed that several leadership styles have not been rigorously examined in hospitality research with their outcomes. Research limitations/implications The search strategy used to find articles published in Web of Science about leadership styles in hospitality was restricted to title to boost the accuracy of the subsequent literature. Practical implications By following the guidance presented in this review, the authors expect to advance and maintain hospitality leadership research to provide substantive insights into the context of hospitality leadership over the coming years. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to undertake a comprehensive understanding of various leadership styles in the hospitality context. This study provides a comprehensive projected research agenda to demonstrate theoretical discourses and empirical research. Overall, this critical review presents a holistic idea of the focus of the prior studies and what should be highlighted in future studies.

Can developmental culture enhance team service innovation? Quantitative and qualitative analyses in the hospitality industry

“…High task interdependence reflects high levels of interaction among employees (Hon and Chan, 2013), which may increase their commitment to team goals and norms. This is also in line with the social cognitive perspective, indicating that social connection and interaction can influence individuals' commitment (Elkhwesky et al, 2022;Domino et al, 2015). Therefore, such a commitment shaped through task interdependence may urge employees to enact the norms of developmental culture that they espouse by engaging in collective innovative endeavors within their teams.…”

How organizational justice in the hospitality industry influences proactive customer service performance through general self-efficacy

“…Previous research into the hospitality sector has reflected the important role that leaders and managers play in regard to business success and sustainability, through improving individuals’ creativity and proactively behaviors through motivating their efficacy (Bavik, 2020; Elkhwesky et al , 2022; Wang and Xie, 2020). This investigation enriches hospitality literature by highlighting the ability of hospitality sector leaders to encourage individuals’ GSE and PCSP when they implement and present OJ.…”

Fueling the spirit of care to surmount hazing: foregrounding the role of spiritual leadership in inhibiting hazing in the hospitality context

“…There are a few studies in the hospitality context that signify the usefulness of spiritual leadership for employees and organizations (Ali et al , 2020a; Bayighomog and Arasli, 2022; Elkhwesky et al , 2022). Spiritual leadership is an emerging area of research within the wide management, leadership and organizational behavior literature and it conceptually demarcate itself from other leadership concepts by emphasizing dimensions of vision, altruistic love and hope/faith that encourage employees to demonstrate both positive in-role and extra-role performance (Fry, 2003).…”

“…This is an important contribution because the literature on workplace hazing in the hospitality context is essentially scant. Second, we contribute to the nascent IJCHM 34,10 spiritual leadership literature contextualized in hospitality organizations (Ali et al, 2020a;Usman et al, 2021;Elkhwesky et al, 2022). Spiritual leadership with its emphasis on rational and spiritual elements is well aligned with the hospitality context (Usman et al, 2021) and there is considerable scope to research its utility in this context to study both positive and negative employee behaviors.…”