Authentic Leadership and Service Recovery Performance Through Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Thai Food and Beverage SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food and beverage industry often struggle with service recovery due to changing customer expectations and behaviors. This study investigates the influence of authentic leadership on service recovery performance, emphasizing the mediating role of organizational citizenship behavior. Guided by Social Exchange Theory, the research draws on data from 334 employees working in Thai food and beverage SMEs. A structured questionnaire was used to collect responses, and the relationships among key variables were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings reveal that authentic leadership positively affects service recovery performance, with organizational citizenship behavior playing a partial mediating role. These results underscore the importance of leadership practices that foster trust and employee engagement. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how leadership and organizational behavior can enhance service recovery efforts, offering practical implications for SME management in the highly competitive food and beverage sector.