Empowerment in the Hospitality Industry in the United States

Abstract

This study explores the impact of organizational antecedents (i.e., self-managed teams, career advancement, work environment, and leadership, and of individual antecedents (e.g., gender, age, job level, and tenure) on employee empowerment in the hospitality industry. A total of 532 valid responses from a survey conducted in 60 hotels in the United States were received. Data were analyzed using factor analysis and correlation analysis. Findings suggest that self-management, work environment, and leadership are reliable predictors of employee empowerment in the hotel sector. Empowerment makes employees feel better about their jobs and themselves. Organizations need to learn that empowering employees to improve their performance requires a fundamental shift in the entire organizational culture—a much bigger job than it was initially perceived to be.

KEYWORDS:

• employee empowerment
• hospitality industry
• individual-level antecedents
• leadership
• organizational antecedents
• USA