WHEN MINDFULNESS DRIVES PERFORMANCE: THE MODERATING ROLE OF MINDFULNESS IN EMPOWERING LEADERSHIP AND EMPLOYEE INNOVATIVE BEHAVIOR

Abstract

Empowerment strategies have been widely recognized as effective mechanisms for boosting employee output and creative performance. Nonetheless, the empirical examinations regarding the effect of Empowering Leadership (EL) on Employee Innovative Behavior (EIB) are limited, particularly in the hospitality industry in Pakistan. Moreover, the role of mindfulness as a moderator in this relationship is not explored enough. The current work attempts to describe the relationship between EL and EIB, hypothesizing mindfulness as a moderating construct based on Self Determination Theory.  A structural equation modeling approach was used to analyze survey data collected from 450 frontline employees in Pakistan's hospitality industry. Findings indicate that EL increases the degree of attention among the employees, which combined with mindfulness results in a higher degree of EIB. The positive/negative impact on EIB is further enhanced when the capacities of mindfulness among employees act as a moderator. This investigation is a valuable contribution to the study of leadership as it demonstrates the interplay between leadership practices and wellbeing of employees to achieve organizational performance. Consequently, hospitality executives ought to take up leadership strategies that foster empowerment and spur innovative behavior among their workforce, thereby maximizing workplace effectiveness.