Navigating contradictions for performance: a resource-based perspective on paradoxical leadership, role-breadth self-efficacy, and employee work behaviors

Purpose In resource-constrained and fast-paced hospitality businesses, successful leadership demands skillful management of paradoxical tensions to foster creativity, innovation, and performance. Thus, drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, the main aim of this study is to explore how paradoxical leadership (PL) fosters employees’ innovative behaviors and job performance, focusing on role-breadth self-efficacy (RBSE), a key cognitive mechanism mediating this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Snowball sampling was used to collect data from 354 hotel employees working in 4-, 5-, and 5-star deluxe hotels in India using structured, self-administered questionnaire. Further, analysis was performed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and PLSpredict to examine the hypothesized relationships and assess the model’s predictive accuracy. Findings The findings confirm that PL is a significant predictor of employees’ RBSE, IWB and job performance. Further, it suggests that employees’ RBSE functions as a vital mediating mechanism linking PL with employee work behaviors, namely IWB and job performance. Practical implications Findings highlight the need to develop paradox-resilient leaders and cognitively capable employees to drive sustained innovation and performance in hospitality firms. Organizations should prioritize developing paradoxical leadership capabilities through targeted training and leadership development programs. Additionally, fostering employees’ RBSE via empowerment initiatives, job enrichment, and psychological safety can amplify innovative behaviors and performance. Originality/value This study is the first in both hospitality and general management research to empirically link paradoxical leadership with employees’ innovative behavior and job performance through RBSE. It offers a novel dual resource perspective by framing paradoxical leadership as a contextual resource that nurtures essential cognitive resources like RBSE.