How leadership behaviors affect employee satisfaction and job commitment - A study in tourism industry in Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the direct and indirect effects of leadership behaviours on employees’ job satisfaction and job commitment in tourism industry in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. A conceptual research framework was developed and several hypotheses were postulated and examined. The thesis applied a survey methodology to collect quantitative data from employees of four and five star hotels, middle-high class restaurants, tourist attractions, travel agencies and tourist transportation companies. The sample consisted of a total of 748 employees from various job positions. The questionnaire survey distributed directly and sent via emails comprised of Task - oriented Leadership Behaviour Questionnaire, Relation - oriented Leadership Behaviour Questionnaire, Change - oriented Leadership Behaviour Questionnaire, Ethical Leadership Behaviour Questionnaire, Participative Leadership Behaviour Questionnaire, and Despotic Leadership Behaviour Questionnaire. The thesis concluded several findings. Firstly, the research found that job satisfaction had the strongest positive impact on job commitment of employees. Secondly, change - oriented leadership behaviour was the only factor of leadership behaviours having positive direct impact on job commitment and had the second strongest total positive causal effect including direct and indirect on job commitment. Thirdly, ethical leadership behaviour is the third strongest factor positively impacting on job commitment following its indirect impact through job satisfaction. Fourthly, task-oriented leadership was the fourth strongest impactor indicating its positive relationship with job commitment mediated by employee satisfaction. Lastly, x participative leadership behaviour was found the last factor having positive impact on employee job commitment through employee job satisfaction. The thesis proposed several theoretical and managerial implications. Firstly, the study helped extend our understanding of the direct effects of leadership behaviours in explaining employee satisfaction and job commitment. Secondly, the study gave confirmation to our theoretical understanding of the mediator employee satisfaction in the explanation of the effectiveness of leadership behaviours on job commitment. Lastly, the study embraced the importance of developing leadership behaviours in the workplace to gain the job commitment of employees.