Work engagement or job burnout? Psychological ownership amongst the employees of international tourist hotels

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of psychological ownership on work engagement and job burnout within international tourist hotel employees, and simultaneously examine the moderating role of regulatory foci. Design/methodology/approach This research collected questionnaire samples from the employees of international tourist hotels in the cities of Taiwan (Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung) and China (Xiamen and Quanzhou). Purposive sampling was adopted. In total, 300 questionnaires were distributed to each hotel, and the total number of questionnaires finally distributed reached 1,500. Findings This research applies social identity theory and regulatory theory to develop a new research framework with the sample of the employees in the five-star international tourism hotel. This study found that psychological ownership has a significant and positive effect on work engagement and has a negative effect on job burnout. In addition, regulatory foci moderate the relationship between psychological ownership and work engagement as well as the relationship between psychological ownership and job burnout respectively. These analytic results fill the research gap within the literature in relation to the moderating effects of a regulatory focus on psychological ownership’s relationships to work engagement and job burnout. Originality/value This study explains how employees with high psychological ownership will develop higher work engagement and lower job burnout. In addition, this research also includes regulatory foci as a situational variable to examine the moderating relationship with psychological ownership, work engagement, and job burnout.