Impact of supervisor identity on hospitality employees’ work intentions: Rethinking of social dominance and intersectionality theory

Abstract

This study employs social dominance theory to investigate the influence of supervisors' group identification, including gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, on hospitality employees' work intentions with supervisors. By including trust in supervisor as a mediator and the need for cognition as a moderator, this study offers insight into the psychological process through which hospitality employees develop their intentions to work with a certain group of supervisors. The results from a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment suggest that the supervisor's gender and sexual orientation affect employees' intentions to work with the supervisor, while ethnicity does not. Results also reveal the mediating effect of trust in supervisor and the moderating effect of the need for cognition on the relationship between supervisors' group identification and intentions to work with the supervisor. Study findings have theoretical and managerial implications for developing diversity management practices in hospitality.