Knowledge and influence mechanism of leader–member exchange on hotel employees’ craftsmanship spirit:An empirical exploration based on SEM and fsQCA

In high-contact service industries, the craftsmanship spirit plays a pivotal role in driving the continuous improvement of service quality and the enrichment of customer experience. Its formation mechanism, however, requires meticulous investigation from the perspective of organisational behaviour. Grounded in the social exchange theory (SET), this study develops a chain-mediated model linking leader–member exchange (LMX), voice behaviour, organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), and craftsmanship spirit, and further incorporates employee trust as a moderating variable to clarify the multiple pathways leading to the craftsmanship spirit. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 393 employees from 12 hotels, and the proposed model was empirically tested using structural equation modelling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results reveal that: (1) LMX serves as a core situational factor in stimulating employees’ craftsmanship spirit; (2) voice behaviour and OCB constitute a chain-mediated pathway through which LMX influences craftsmanship spirit; (3) employee trust plays a significant and differentiated moderating role in the LMX–craftsmanship spirit relationship, with LMX exerting a stronger positive effect under high-trust conditions; (4) fsQCA identifies three equivalent configurations leading to high craftsmanship spirit: trust-based mutual support, empowerment-driven participation, and reciprocity–trust integration, highlighting the complementary roles of institutional resources and relational capital in different contexts. Theoretically, this study extends the application of LMX and SET to the hotel industry, enriching research on the processes and boundary conditions underlying craftsmanship spirit formation. Practically, it offers differentiated managerial strategies for enhancing the craftsmanship spirit by optimising superior–subordinate relationships, promoting employee voice, fostering OCB, and cultivating a high-trust organisational climate.