SUPERVISOR LEADERSHIP STYLE AND ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: THE MODERATING ROLE OF TRAIT GRATITUDE

The hospitality industry heavily relies on the performance of frontline employees, and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) plays a crucial role in enhancing service quality and customer satisfaction. This study investigates the impact of supervisor transformational leadership and servant leadership on three dimensions of OCB among frontline employees in the hospitality industry in Da Nang, Vietnam. Additionally, the moderating role of trait gratitude is examined. A theoretical model grounded in social exchange theory, broaden-and-build theory, and experimental studies is developed and empirically tested using data collected from 346 frontline employees of 3-star (or higher) hotels in Da Nang. The findings reveal that both supervisor transformational leadership and servant leadership significantly impact organizational citizenship behavior toward the organization (OCBO) and toward customers (OCBC), with supervisor servant leadership exhibiting a stronger influence. However, the hypothesized relationships between supervisor transformational leadership, supervisor servant leadership, and organizational citizenship behavior toward individuals (OCBI) are found to be nonsignificant. Moreover, trait gratitude moderates the relationship between supervisor transformational leadership and OCBO, as well as the relationship between supervisor servant leadership and both OCBO and OCBC. This research contributes to the understanding the effect of leadership style on OCB dimensions in the hotel industry and highlights the role of personality traits, such as trait gratitude, in shaping OCB.