The Effects of Issue Leadership on Hotel Employee Creativity in China and Korea: The Double-Mediating Roles of Psychological Empowerment, Trust in Leader, and Organizational Commitment

Abstract

Purpose - This research focuses on creativity and leadership as key roles of organizational success. While creativity plays a crucial role in the success of companies, leadership is a significant predictor of employee and organizational creativity. The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of issue leadership on hotel employee creativity, with a specific focus on Korea and China, and determine whether issue leadership is effective on the creativity of hotel employees via empowerment, trust in leader, and organizational commitment in both countries. Design/Methodology/Approach - The research model describes psychological empowerment, trust in leader, and organizational commitment as mediators between issue leadership and employee creativity. A questionnaire survey was conducted with hotel employees in Gyeogju and Busan in Korea, and Yunnan province in China. A total of 241 samples from Korea and 235 samples from China were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS.24 to examine the relationships between issue leadership and creativity, which were double-mediated by psychological empowerment, trust in leader, and organization commitment. Findings - The findings indicate that issue leadership has a positive effect on the creativity of hotel employees in both Korea and China. This study also reveals that in the Korean group, issue leadership has a greater impact on creativity in fostering the double-mediating roles of psychological empowerment and organizational commitment, whereas in the Chinese group, issue leadership has a greater impact on creativity in fostering the double-mediating roles of trust in leader and organizational commitment. Research Implications - This research has both academic and practical implications for hotel operations in Korea and China, providing valuable insights into the role of issue leadership in promoting employee creativity.