Guiding hands and peer bonds: Impact of supervisory mentoring and peer coaching on hotel newcomers’ job crafting

Abstract

The value of job crafting in hospitality research is growing, yet few studies explore it from varied career-learning perspectives among hotel newcomers. Drawing upon the conservation of resources theory, the current study integrated two differentiated career-learning approaches (i.e., supervisory mentoring and peer coaching) and investigated their impact on hotel newcomers' job crafting. We used a mixed-methods design that included two scenario-based experimental studies and a two-wave survey study to evaluate the proposed theoretical model. Results indicated that supervisory mentoring and peer coaching positively affected hotel newcomers' job crafting. Furthermore, hotel newcomers’ perceived insider status and elevation mediated the effects of supervisory mentoring and peer coaching on their job crafting. Additionally, the promotion focus of the hotel newcomers amplified the positive effects of elevation and PIS on job crafting, whereas the prevention focus mitigated these positive effects. We discussed the implications of hotels tailoring differentiated onboarding programs to facilitate newcomers in proactively crafting their jobs.