Innovation Mechanism in the Hospitality Industry: A Mediated-Moderated Model

This study examines the relationship between empowered leadership (EL), intrinsic motivation (IM), job complexity (JC), and innovative employee behavior (EIB) in the hospitality industry. The study specifically investigates how EL affects EIB and how IM mediates this connection. Furthermore, this study explores the moderating impact of JC on the direct interconnected linkages between EL, IM, and EIB. Our sample comprises 506 employee-supervisor dyads from 45 five-star hotels in the Middle East, representing a variety of international hotel chains. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the study finds that EL significantly impacts EIB, which IM subsequently influences. Additionally, we discover that IM acts as a mediator for EL and EIB. Moreover, we find that JC has a moderating impact on the strength of these relationships. Our findings have both theoretical and practical implications for hotel managers and researchers interested in fostering their subordinates' IM and promoting their innovation. We also emphasize the importance of JC in positively influencing the strength of these relationships in the hotel industry. Managers can develop strategies to increase their businesses' competitiveness in this dynamic and competitive sector by better understanding the factors that drive EIB.