Authentic Leadership and Job Satisfaction: A Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

Abstract

The relationship between leadership and job satisfaction has attracted considerable scientific interest, especially in relation to the quality of tourism businesses. This study investigated this relationship within the framework of authentic leadership. The study also explored differences between outsourced workers and internal hotel employees in terms of the influence of authentic leadership on job satisfaction. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) offered valuable new insight. This study was based on a sample of 58 heads of department of four/five star hotels in the Canary Islands, Spain. The results suggest that high levels of leadership in the four subscales of authentic leadership (balanced processing, relational transparency, self-awareness, and internalized moral perspective) are sufficient to increase job satisfaction. The same outcome is achieved with high levels of balanced processing, even though it is accompanied by low transparency and low levels of internalized moral perspective. There are no major differences between outsourced workers and internal employees, except in terms of the importance of self-awareness. These results can help hotel managers reflect upon leadership and can provide new approaches for scientific research in this area.

Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction in Hospitality Industry

“…A directive management style clearly prevails. This finding supports the important referenced literature (Baquero et al, 2019;Lundberg et al, 2009;Rothfelder et al, 2012). Thus, H5 is supported.…”

“…Transformational leadership behavior has a positive effect on job satisfaction (Rothfelder et al, 2012). Furthermore, the ability of managers to communicate objectives, thoughtful decisions, openness to others, self-confidence, and loyalty to personal principles is important for increasing satisfaction (Baquero et al, 2019). Empowerment appears to be another key factor in job satisfaction; if employees are given the opportunity to use their personal skills at work, to be creative, to make their own decisions, and to take responsibility for their actions, this enhances their job satisfaction (Glaveli et al, 2019;McPhail et al, 2015).…”

The Impact of Leadership Styles on Job Satisfaction: A Study of The Hospitality Industry

“…Social, political and economic transformations resulting from globalization have changed the hospitality industry significantly and increased its footprint across the world (Baquero et al, 2019). In this context, competition among hotels is increasing and hotel managers are focused on increasing service quality in order to gain a competitive advantage (Min & Min, 1997).…”

The influence of transformational and authentic leadership on the satisfaction of hotel customers in the Canary Islands

“…Authentic leaders are able to create and develop favourable environments of trust in organisations (Ling et al., 2017). Additionally, this leadership style relates positively to employees’ commitment to the organisation (Leroy et al., 2012), greater work engagement (Giallonardo et al., 2010; Walumbwa et al., 2010) and reduced employee burnout (Spence-Laschinger et al., 2012), in addition to influencing the increase of job satisfaction in the hotel industry (Baquero et al., 2019).…”

“…Studies have also shown that hygiene and cleanliness are the main service characteristics that ensure customer satisfaction (Campos and Marodin, 2013). A high level of authentic leadership by hotel managers is sufficient to increase job satisfaction in both outsourced workers and internal employees of different departments (Baquero et al., 2019). H 4 : Authentic leadership of hotel managers is a positive predictor of customer satisfaction with each hotel service department (reception, bar-restaurant, kitchen, housekeeping and entertainment).…”