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The Interplay of Gender Different: Transformative of Leadership Styles Influence Job Satisfaction of Front Office Personnel within the Hospitality Sector of Malaysia
- Hairunnisa Mohamad Ibrahim
- Azlinda Hakim Lokman Hakim
- 3365-3377
- Jan 18, 2025
- Management
The Interplay of Gender Different: Transformative of Leadership Styles Influence Job Satisfaction of Front Office Personnel within the Hospitality Sector of Malaysia
Hairunnisa Mohamad Ibrahim*1, Azlinda Hakim Lokman Hakim2
1School of Pre-University Studies, Taylor’s College
2School of Hospitality, Tourism & Events, Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Taylor’s University
*Corresponding Author
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.8120280
Received: 17 December 2024; Accepted: 21 December 2024; Published: 18 January 2025
ABSTRACT
The aim of the present research study is to analyze the effects of transformational leadership on job satisfaction among the front office workers employed in Malaysian hotels, paying especial emphasis to the quantifiable modulating function of gender variations. It is a leadership style which encourages change and innovation both in employees’ behavior and one’s organization. The main purpose of this research is to establish the extent to which Front Office employees’ job satisfaction can be explained by the level of transformational leadership adopted in the organization and further, to assess the implications of the gender on the relationship subject. The research approach used in the study is quantitative research which used structured survey questionnaires to administer data. In addition to global questions that are asked in the three previous questionnaires, it contains additional questions that are specific to the company and are aimed at determining the respondent’s impressions of using the measures of transformational leadership and self-assessment of job satisfaction. The implications arising from this study therefore will enhance the literature on transformational leadership and job satisfaction in the context of the hospitality industry, especially amongst front of house workers. Sincerely, it is also the intention of the study to discuss gender differences as moderating variables to establish relationships of transformational leadership and job satisfaction. This study shall expect to find a positive correlation between the level of transformational leadership and level of job satisfaction among front office employees in the Malaysian hotels. Also, acknowledging gender influence in the workplace will allow managers to come up with differential management approaches with the aim of improving satisfaction in different groups of employees in the organization, and hence, organizational productivity.
Keywords— transformational leadership, job satisfaction, front office employees, gender, Malaysia hotels.
INTRODUCTION
Hotel management leadership means the management of a person or a body controlling and directing the activities of others in a hotel in order to maintain organizational objectives and deliver quality service to guest. Namallah et al (2022) described that leaders use different types of leadership and some of them are: democratic leadership, autocratic leadership, strategic leadership, transactional leadership and bureaucratic leadership. Based on the insights stipulated by Guchait et al., 2023, there is an ongoing search for novel features of leadership, styles and contextual factors to improve efficiency of leaders in managing businesses or operations. According to Hilton et al. (2023) it pointed out that the leadership style that is effective, job satisfaction and employee performance have been widely accepted as factors that define organizational success. Similarly, varying types of leadership behaviors might be used by managers to activate organizational performance (Hilton et al., 2021). In my view, any happy hotel employee is going to provide better service to a customer than that dissatisfied employee. This is important as effective leadership practices established in hotel operations may enhance employee satisfaction.
Over the years, transformational leadership has received quite a lot of attention from the hospitality scholars and has become the most explored leadership style. This is according to Huertas-Valdivia et al, (2022). This has also been supported by Mach et al. (2022) stated that transformational leadership (TL) has been identified as effective leadership style within the hospitality industry in the past decades. The use of transformational leadership to influence employee behaviors in the hotel industry has attracted more attention than other leadership styles (Gui et al., 2020). In the past, the execution of transformational Leadership has made them focus on people’s training on embracing more accountability and delivering beyond expectation (HuertasValdivia et al., 2022). In other words, the leaders’ roles are to expand and enhance the follower interests, open their eyes and their hearts to the goals and objectives of the group’s mission, and to help followers rise above personal interests for the sake of the group (Suwanto et al., 2022).
Nevertheless, it must be admitted that research has pointed out several benefits of transformational leadership in the hotel front office department which might be threatened by its deficiency. Specifically, the following remarks substantially problematize the preliminary observations and feedback evaluated by the staff points regarding employee morale, job satisfaction, and service quality and gender dynamics within the work context. There is therefore a growing concern in an understanding of the factors that may hamper the realization of this type of leadership particularly in the front office department, with reference to gender. Prior research on gender and leadership invariably reveals that when male and female leaders are placed in the same roles, they have similar patterns of behaviour than otherwise (Eagly & Johnson, 1990; Othman et al., 2023). In addition, several researchers have also evidenced that, controlling for performance, Female leaders are more negatively evaluated than male leaders (Chakraborty & Serra, 2024).
Nevertheless, it must be admitted that research has pointed out several benefits of transformational leadership in the hotel front office department which might be threatened by its deficiency. Specifically, the following remarks substantially problematize the preliminary observations and feedback evaluated by the staff points regarding employee morale, job satisfaction, and service quality and gender dynamics within the work context. There is therefore a growing concern in an understanding of the factors that may hamper the realization of this type of leadership particularly in the front office department, with reference to gender. Prior research on gender and leadership invariably reveals that when male and female leaders are placed in the same roles, they have similar patterns of behavior than otherwise (Eagly & Johnson, 1990; Othman et al., 2023). In addition, several researchers have also evidenced that, controlling for performance, Female leaders are more negatively evaluated than male leaders (Chakraborty & Serra, 2024).
LITERATURE REVIEW
Transformational Leadership
It is therefore evident that all the characteristics of transformational leadership practiced in the hotel industry do encourage employee productivity and does create a healthy workplace environment for the employees. Transformational leadership is a leadership approach that specifies a compelling vision and vigorous objectives and encourages people (Lin, 2023). Organizational leaders are expected to direct followers’ attention to a higher set of values and goals and mobilize them to achieve the organizational objectives and purposes (Suwanto et al, 2022). Research has also pointed out that while green Leader efforts to raise the standards that are expected of the employees, try to promote vision and mission, and help the workers focus on rational solutions, as a way that seeks to foster creation and innovative work environment (Li et al., 2021). In their work of Alrowwad et al., 2020 they establish that high levels of transformational leadership enhance positive innovation resulting in better performance. It is possible that with the help of introducing transformational leadership in hotels, employee satisfaction can be achieved, the quality of services can be enhanced, encourage more innovations and develop a good organizational culture. In the hotel industry, the results identified are appreciable to show how leaders need to develop idealized influence for a favorable organizational climate and outstanding services to customers.
Transformational leaders inspire creativity and innovation and increase employees’ interest in their work by employing a visionary and creative leadership style (Bakker et al, 2022). Transformational leadership was initially introduced by James MacGregor Burns, who used it to describe how followers’ values can be influenced and changed by their leaders (Abolnasser et al., 2023). Transformational leaders are known for their ability to inspire, motivate, and empower their employees. Transformational leadership can have a positive impact on job satisfaction in the hotel industry, especially to front office employees as they are required to work as a team to provide excellent service to guests. The organizational culture, especially the hotel industry, plays a crucial role in shaping leadership dynamics and employee satisfaction. Consistent service quality in frontline services, particularly in the front office department, is crucial, as it necessitates commitment and collaboration from various departments to provide excellent service to guests.
Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction can be defined as the overall feelings and attitudes of employees towards a range of job aspects, encompassing both intrinsic and extrinsic factors (Puni et al., 2018). Understanding the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic aspects of job satisfaction can provide insights into what contributes to employees’ overall satisfaction in the workplace. According to Prami et al (2022) Employees are a very valuable company asset that must be managed properly to make an optimal contribution. According to Subagja & Safrianto (2020), employees who are satisfied with their jobs will have satisfaction and loyalty to the company as well as high work participation so that they will continue to improve their performance.
Few research has indicated that employees who are allowed to share their perspectives and ideas and contribute to improving the organization’s performance, feel they are part of the organization and develop a bond with the organization (Oja et al, 2020; Lin et al, 2022). Kalleberg (1977) suggests that job satisfaction can be broken down into two components: intrinsic, which pertains to the nature of the work itself, and extrinsic, which encompasses elements external to the actual tasks of the job. Hotel industry such as front office department that actively promote diversity, inclusivity, and equitable opportunities for leadership development contribute to a positive work environment and job satisfaction for all employees, regardless of gender. Thus, it’s crucial to emphasize that while transformational leadership plays a significant role in influencing job satisfaction, addressing other factors that impact job satisfaction within the hotel industry is equally important.
Job Satisfaction
Transformational leadership has been classified into four categories and dimensions as follows, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. The idealized influence of leaders occurs when they choose to act ethically rather than expediently, commit to their followers morally, and put the organization’s interests ahead of their self-interest (Abolnasser et al., 2023). This has been supported by Mell and Somech (2023) indicate that Idealized influence behavior is the demonstration by leaders of high standards, a sense of mission, and altruism, even at the expense of self-interests, as perceived by their followers. The idealized influence behavior can be conceptualized as a job demand, as it is related to increasing workloads at the expense of the team members’ time, energy, and self-needs, and can lead to exhaustion among employees (Balducci et al., 2021).
In the hotel industry, idealized influence is particularly important for leaders to cultivate a positive organizational culture and provide exceptional service to guests. According to Hilton et al. (2023) leaders who implement this dimension become exemplary role models, earning high levels of admiration, respect, and trust from their followers. In the Front Office operation, this implementation creates a sense of admiration and respect among employees who are inspired to emulate the leader’s positive qualities. The key lies in the leader’s ability to inspire and serve as a positive role model, regardless of gender. By aligning the vision with the ideals and values of the employees, front office leaders or managers will enhance their idealized influence. The employees are more likely to respect and follow a leader who shares a vision that reflects their own values with leads to job satisfaction.
Idealized influence
Transformational leadership has thus been ranked into four categories and dimensions; idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. Positive role modelling is a form of idealized influence because leaders make decisions based on ethical reasons out of self-interest, commit to their followers in a moral manner, and place the company ahead of personal gains (Abolnasser et al., 2023). This has been supplemented by Mell and Somech (2023) who defined Idealized influence behavior as the act where leaders portray qualities such as inspiring standards, mission and selflessness including compromising own self-interest as per the follower’s view. The idealized influence behavior could be well categorized as a job demand since it is associated with increased workloads from the team members’ time, energy, and self-needs using pressure from the top leaders; the use of idealized influence leadership can lead to exhaustion among employees.
In the context of hotels, mainly through idealized influence leaders need to ensure that organization members create a favorable climate of work and deliver outstanding services to customers. Hilton et al. (2023) opined that leaders who champion this dimension end up being perfect examples that their subordinates emulated and thus receive plenty of admiration, respect as well as trust. In Front Office operation, this implementation increases employee perception of respect and emulation wherein the employees want to become like the role model of the leaders. The strategy is built around instances when a leader can be an example of positive encouragement based on gender. Therefore, when matching the vision with the organizational ideals and values of the employees, the front office leaders or managers will improve their idealized influence. It appears that the employees are more likely to respect and listen to the leader who espouses a vision that is true to the employees’ self-organizational value which would yield job satisfaction.
Inspirational motivation
Inspiration is another of the features of transformational leadership that may also have a highly valuable effect on the development of hotel business. This dimension of inspirational motivation may be regarded to the extent that leaders encourage their followers to manage their commitment to the visions of the organizations (Hilton et al, 2023). The skills to mobilize the follower will bring in the right vision and set high standards. Positiveness and energy make followers believe that the leader as well as themselves will deliver the job successfully (Bakker et al, 2023). In other words, modeling behavior by hotel leaders will imply the highest levels of service delivery, staff etiquette and ethical standards. However, considering gender, that plays a certain role in forming the perception of leadership, including the ability to provide inspirational motivation, it is necessary to highlight the differences within gender and the impact of individual differences.
Therefore, for both sexes, the key leadership skills are the ability to share clear and appealing vision, to motivate people and to create a aggregates vision. Kehr et al. (2023) argue that to the extent that a leader employs inspirational motivation, this is the kind of incentive that rewards a specific type of follower: the power motive, but neither the affiliation nor the achievement motive. In hotel operations, for example, leadership is a process where leaders engage their organizations, changing their visions and making the organization more enjoyable to work for by making it the ‘‘center of excitement. Rewarding subordinates is one of the best strategies to encourage employees to improve their operations within the hospitality industry (Gabriel et al., 2022). Self-directed workforce leaders in the hotel industry support and recognize the efforts and achievements of the workforce. They commemorate essential events and events of success, such as customer satisfaction and high achievers, to offer incentives to their groups.
Individualized consideration
Individual consideration in the hotel industry is vital for building a healthy organizational climate, building an efficient and motivated team of employees and enhancing the quality of services for the guests. As stated by Noviana & Priyanto (2023) the transition in an organization is crucial because organizational transition is a giant progress procedure. This will affect delivery and bring about a better direction of organization. It may encompass a situation whereby leaders observe and meet specific needs, skills, and growth of the employee. It is realised in a situation where the employer gives special attention to the needs and perception of that employee. This includes empowering the next generation through training and motivating them through coaching to succeed. (Gabriel et al., 2022). Nevertheless, any manager who is applying individual consideration must consider gender disparities in the workplace and prevent discrimination.
An effective leader, whether male or female, excel in providing individualized consideration by recognizing and addressing the unique needs and strengths of their employees. At the same time, it’s crucial to recognize that communication styles vary widely among individuals, and effective leaders, regardless of gender, can adapt their communication to meet the unique needs of their employees especially in the hotel industry where it involves in providing services to their hotel guest. This allows and promotes an equal workspace where leaders get to know them better and listen and pay attention to their ideas and concerns that reflects and creates interest and incentives for long term retention (Ogola,2017).
Intellect simulation
Promoting intellect simulation and recognizing the diverse intellectual talents of employees, regardless of gender, can contribute to a dynamic and innovative work environment in the front office department. It involves challenging employees to be innovative, creative, and to question assumptions, fostering an environment that encourages intellectual growth and exploration in their career which leads to job promotion and satisfaction in hotel operation. They enhance one’s cognitive development in the workplace by fostering a heightened sense of responsibility and an in-dept connection to their job tasks. (Anjali,2015). It may involve fostering a culture of open communication and idea exchange. A transformational leader must be able to optimally transform organizational resources to achieve meaningful goals in accordance with predetermined targets (Dasmadi, 2023). An effective hotel leader encourages diverse perspectives and ideas, regardless of gender, and feel empowered to contribute their thoughts and opinions. By promoting intellect simulation in the hotel industry, leaders create an environment where employees feel intellectually challenged, engaged, and motivated. It’s essential for organizations to promote inclusive leadership practices and address any biases that may hinder the recognition of leadership contributions based on gender.
Transformational leadership and gender have also been a subject of debate in leadership literature. There are some behaviors that are related to this kind of leadership. Some of the writing on transformational leadership suggest that there may be gender differences in the expression and recognition of men and women as transformational leaders. This might be true not only for hotel businesses, but for all kinds of businesses. Its focus on understanding, cooperation, and motivation may spark requests to reconsider the binary understanding of gender. Leadership and employee relationships may be impacted by personality characteristics and gender differences. (Betz & Fitzgerald, 1987). While it remains a fact that competent leadership is highly individual and there is much conformity and diversity of leadership styles between males and female. It is just as possible for a man or woman to be a transformational leader, and the level of effectiveness often varies with other factors.
Gender as moderator
It was found out that gender biases may impact the acceptance of leadership effectiveness by employees. Alan et al. (2020) pointed out that there are differences in the results of gender preferences for various characteristics of leadership, for example, the desire for power or authority in making decisions. Goleman (2020) identifies that males and females have been assumed to have a set of abilities and limitations when it comes to their emotional intelligence skills. To ensure all people who are interested in leadership positions have equal chances of being hired, organizations should encourage rejection of feminine and masculine stereotype (Chikwe et al, 2024). In terms of gender differences, the study established that effective leadership can improve job satisfaction within the hotel industry, more so to the front office employees who need to work together in order to satisfactorily attend to the needs of guests. Considering the gender aspect present in the process of evaluating leadership and the fact that the character aspect takes a central place in leadership (Mohan et al, 2023). It is, therefore, evident that male and female leaders bear the potential of emitting the transformational leadership behaviors asexual and organizations will be in a position to gain from embracing diverse leadership culture that appreciates variety in leadership styles.
H1: There is a positive significant relationship between idealized influence on job satisfaction.
H2: There is a positive significant relationship between inspirational motivation on job satisfaction.
H3: There is a positive significant relationship between individualized consideration on job satisfaction.
H4: There is a positive significant relationship between intellect simulation on job satisfaction.
H5: Gender moderates’ relationship between transformational leadership on job satisfaction.
METHODOLOGY
The questions were adopted from a study done by Avolio & Chandler (1994) to establish the effect of transformational leadership on job satisfaction. All constructs were measured on a 5-liked Likert scale, with possible responses being: Strongly Disagree (SD) = 1; Disagree (D) = 2; Neutral (N) = 3; Agree (A) = 4; Strongly Agree (SA) = 5. In a study to measure the four dimensions, 29 items from the existing transformational leadership literature were employed: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and cognitive stimulation. In addition to that there are other factors such as general job satisfaction in which we have the research objective.
The pilot test involved 40 front-desk employees from a particular hotel. Data validity analysis showed that all constructs had Cronbach’s alpha values of more than 0.70 as deemed acceptable by Nunnally (1978). Survey forms were filled out and given to the respondents. Data for the current study was gathered from front desk staff of 4- and 5-star hotels consistently in Bukit Bintang. To fill out the survey, purposive sampling was applied, awarding each respondent with the sum of 250 questions. However, only 243 actual survey forms were returned, and the response rate was 97.2% of the form.
RESULTS
Measurement Model Analysis
The internal consistency reliability of the measurement model was established using composite reliability, outer loading, convergent validity and discriminant validity (Hair et al., 2011; Sekaran 2006). The common feature of Internal consistency constructs is that their indicators are highly correlated with one another. Table 1 shows that all the constructs possess very high reliability as indicated by Cronbach’s alpha values which range from 0.783 to 0.930. Besides, by employing the composite reliability method, the results revealed that the constructs possess satisfactory CR that ranged from 0.849 to 0.975. Hair et al. (2017) indicates that to show that a latent variable accounts for the variance of its indicators, the AVE should be 0.5 and the outer loadings 0.60. According to the table, the AVE checked at satisfactory level of over 0.5 which ranging from 0.533 to 0.645. All the new outer loadings were above 0.6 as from Table 1 while some items which did not standard hit the value were pulled off from the construct.
Table 1: The measurement model results.
Constructs | Items | Loading | AVE | Cronbach’s Alpha | CR |
Idealized Influence (I) | I1
I2 I3 I5 I6 I7 I8 I9 I10 |
0.820
0.658 0.795 0.808 0.851 0.824 0.847 0.840 0.766 |
0.645
|
0.930
|
0.942
|
Inspirational Motivation (IN) | IN1
IN2 IN3 IN4 |
0.827
0.721 0.863 0.692 |
0.607
|
0.783
|
0.906
|
Individualized Consideration (ID) | ID1
ID4 ID5 ID6 ID7 ID8 |
0.714
0.832 0.771 0.841 0.819 0.730 |
0.618
|
0.876
|
0.860
|
Intellectual Stimulation (IT) | IT1
IT2 IT3 IT5 IT6 |
0.746
0.843 0.771 0.808 0.766 |
0.620
|
0.847
|
0.891
|
Job Satisfaction (S) | S1
S2 S5 S6 S7 |
0.821
0.847 0.641 0.674 0.640 |
0.533 | 0.811 | 0.849 |
In testing discriminant validity, two approaches were employed that include the Fornell and Larcker (1981) criterion, and the cross-loading criterion. The square root of each construct’s AVE should be higher than the highest level of correlation that the constructs in the model have with each other according to Fornell and Larcker criteria. The Fornell and Larcker criterion assessment was presented in Table 2 by placing the square root of the AVE of the reflective constructs on the diagonal and the correlations between the constructs in the lower left triangle. The researchers also saw that to assess HTMT criterion according to table 3 in case with other, all values in the matrix were below the thresholds of both with values of 0.90Kline (2016).
Table 2 Discriminant validity – Fornell-Larcker criterion
I | IN | ID | IT | S | |
Idealized Influence (I) | 0.803 | ||||
Inspirational Motivation (IN) | 0.797 | 0.786 | |||
Individualized Consideration (ID) | 0.754 | 0.775 | 0.779 | ||
Intellectual Stimulation (IT) | 0.550 | 0.673 | 0.558 | 0.788 | |
Job Satisfaction (S) | 0.672 | 0.698 | 0.603 | 0.551 | 0.730 |
Table 3 Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio (HTMT)
I | IN | ID | IT | |
Idealized Influence (I) | ||||
Inspirational Motivation (IN) | 0.880 | |||
Individualized Consideration (ID) | 0.867 | 0.824 | ||
Intellectual Stimulation (IT) | 0.612 | 0.770 | 0.667 | |
Job Satisfaction (S) | 0.644 | 0.677 | 0.611 | 0.550 |
Structural Model Analysis
The partial least square analysis provides the path coefficient for the intended relationship in the model. To evaluate the significance of these coefficients, the bootstrap method was applied and consequently, t-values for each path estimate were obtained. By using the R-squared predictive power and the predictive relevance, it was possible to assess the capacity of the model in explaining the outcome variables (Hair et al., 2014). Chin (1998) identifies that R-squared values of 0.67, 0.33 and 0.19 are significant, reasonable and poor respectively. The proposed endogenous latent variable of Job Satisfaction has an R-square of 53.6%, which means moderate fitness for the model. The result of the path estimates and t-values derived from the PLS analysis of the structural model are provided in the form of Figure 1 and Table 4, respectively. Direction of path coefficients as well as ‘t’ values could be employed to infer support for the study hypothesis placed on the respective paths in Figure 1.
Fig. 1 PLS Algorithm Path Model
Using PLS regression analyses the research framework was examined and the hypotheses of the structure model were compared. Table 4 summaries all the path coefficients and explained variances for the model. According to the findings of the study, we found facilitating effect of Idealized Influence (I) on Job Satisfaction (S) by regression co-efficient of β = 0.300, t = 3.398, p value < 0.05 where the significant level was 0.05, thus accepting H1. However, there was no significant, crucial support for H2: Inspirational Motivation (IN) towards Job Satisfaction (S) (β= 0.039, t= 0.542, p value > 0.05). The results for Hypotheses 3 and 4: The path coefficients of Individualized Consideration (ID) Impacting Job Satisfaction (S) were 0.335 and the path coefficients of Intellectual Stimulation (IT) Impacting Job Satisfaction (S) were 0.135 Thus Hypotheses 3 and 4 are supported at significant level of 0.05.
Table 4 Measurement Model
Path | Path coefficient (β) | T-statistic | P-value | Decision | |
H1 | Idealized Influence (I) -> Job Satisfaction (S) | 0.3 | 3.398** | 0.001 | Supported |
H2 | Inspirational Motivation (IN) -> Job Satisfaction (S) | 0.039 | 0.542 | 0.588 | Not Supported |
H3 | Individualized Consideration (ID) -> Job Satisfaction (S) | 0.335 | 4.025** | 0 | Supported |
H4 | Intellectual Stimulation (IT) -> Job Satisfaction (S) | 0.135 | 0.062 | 0.03 | Supported |
** Significant at 0.01 level (2 tailed) * Significant at 0.05 level (2 tailed)
Moderation Analysis
Moderation hypothesis:
H5a: Gender moderates’ relationship between Idealized Influence on job satisfaction.
H5b: Gender moderates’ relationship between Inspirational Motivation on job satisfaction.
H5c: Gender moderates’ relationship between Individualized Consideration on job satisfaction.
H5d: Gender moderates’ relationship between Intellectual Stimulation on job satisfaction.
To test the hypothesis that gender acts as a moderator of job satisfaction, SmartPLS 3.2.1 software was used to obtain results with a two-tailed bias corrected accelerated bootstrap of 5000 samples at 95 percent significance level (Faizan Ali et al., 2017; Ringle et al., 2015). Hypothesis 2 posited that there would be moderating effects of gender on the relationship between Idealized Influence and job satisfaction. The result from table 5 therefore showed that there were moderating effects of gender between Idealized Influence and job satisfaction (β = 0.422, t = 3.768, p = 0.002). Therefore, H5a is supported which posits that the relationship between Idealized Influence and job satisfaction is enhanced through the moderation of the organizational frequency of use. Moreover, Gender has a moderating role on the relationship between Inspirational Motivation and job satisfaction (ρ =0.234, Z=4.123, p<0.05) therefore, H5b is accepted. However, gender did not demonstrate any moderating influence between Individualized Consideration and Intellectual Stimulation on job satisfaction (β = 0.069, t = 1.124, p = 0.225 and β = 0.129, t = 1.197, p = 0.234, respectively), which negated H5c and H5d.
Table 5 Moderating Effect
Hypothesised Relationship | Path Coefficient ( β> 0.10) | Standard Deviation (STDEV) | T Statistics t >1.96 | Sig (p <0.05) | |
H5a | I*Gender -> JS | 0.422 | 0.036 | 3.768 | Supported |
H5b | IN*Gender -> JS | 0.234 | 0.057 | 4.123 | Supported |
H5c | ID*Gender -> JS | 0.069 | 0.038 | 1.124 | Not Supported |
H5d | IT*Gender -> JS | 0.129 | 0.076 | 1.197 | Not Supported |
** Significant at 0.01 level (2 tailed) * Significant at 0.05 level (2 tailed)
DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Correlation and regression analysis were employed to analyze the results, and they were found to measure the research objectives successfully. The research study supports the investigation into the effects of the transformational leadership in increasing job satisfaction among front office employees showed in the Malaysian sample of the hotels. The study shows that TL has a significant positive effect on the front office staff job satisfaction. Consequently, there is an expectation that embracing the effective leadership style that is transformational leadership as embraced on the four key areas of idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individual consideration, and intellectual stimulation leadership will endeavor to make a positive impact on the job satisfaction of the employees that may lead to better commitment and loyalty towards the organization.
The present study also examined the mediating influence of gender on the correlation between transformational leadership and job satisfaction of front office staff. The outcome found that gender is an influential mediator for these research variables. Besides, result also indicated female staff are more satisfied compared to man staff in the organization. For the establishment of influences of employee work satisfaction in the hotel business, particularly on the front office department, it becomes suitable to adopt an acceptable leadership style. The improvement in overall job satisfaction and the reduction in turnover of the front office staff will be explained by the analysis of the best leadership style to be applied in the department. From the previous studies and literature reviews, it is recommended that transformational leadership should be applied in the hospitality business.
From leadership theories, transformational leadership is labeled as the most appropriate and efficient approach in the delicate structure within the hospitality industry, specifically in the front office. Therefore, there is a critical need to cultivate increased employee commitment as a way of going further in observing the expectations of guests. Managers are encouraged to focus on guests’ satisfaction and pay much attention to the corresponding indicator proving the level of staff satisfaction with the hotel. In other words, it focuses on the correlation between staff satisfaction and the quality of services offered in the hotel.
As a result, management and leaders will have the opportunity to focus on the best approach that will enhance and maintain the overall job satisfaction of front-office employees through understanding the ways of how transformational leadership impacts the mentioned variables. This might help management and leaders to some extent with how they could use the best transformational leadership strategy. A potential expansion of this study is appropriately recognized as a significant contribution towards the knowledge of leadership types within the fluid context of the hospitality industry with specific reference to the hotel industry. Therefore, both the author of the primary study and any future researchers who may take up this study of the matter have the potential of prolonging this line of research in the hope of finding other directions that an organization may take to enhance management effectiveness. Regarding the measures, it is suggested that similar data collection efforts should be conducted over a longer period to produce more effective outcomes.
In addition, an increase in methodological density is suggested, including qualitative approaches such as, for example, in depth interviews. In this context, this qualitative approach is all about seeking to gain an incredible understanding of the research outcome. It is expansion that is recommended as the means of adding new options to the identified set of conceptual weaknesses in order to provide greater breadth and greater depth to the analysis; thus, new dimensions, such as self-development, commitment, and motivational levels.
CONCLUSION
As the research has also indicated, transformational leadership is the most suitable and efficient approach. Subordinate commitment is highly desirable within the hospitality industry; majorly the front office department to satisfy the guests. Besides, the leaders must think about their guests’ satisfaction, but more importantly about the satisfaction of the personnel since it can influence the level of satisfaction of the hotel’s guests.
The contribution of leadership style in the hospitality industry, especially the hotel industry, was acknowledged while admitting the need for future improvement in this study. Thus, a new researcher may be able to do this and in addition, explore some possible areas for improvement to assist the targeted organization with its managerial systems. Owing to time limitations it is recommended that data collecting be done over a longer period to achieve better results. Conversely, whereas a quantitative approach has been used in the data collections, a more elaborative approach, such as the in-depth interview can be employed to explore the studies’ findings. There is a possibility of including such additional components into the conceptual model as self-actualization, as well as level of dedication and motivation.
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