How does empowering leadership shape employee service innovation behavior? The roles of employee adaptability and job crafting

Based on conservation of resources theory, this paper examines how empowering leadership (EL) predicts service innovation behavior (SIB) through employee adaptability. The present paper also investigates job crafting (JCR) as a moderator between EL and employee adaptability. The proposed moderated mediation model was tested with multiple sources of data in the hotel industry. The results based on partial least squares structural equation modeling suggest that EL boosts employee adaptability that in turn engenders heightened SIB. The positive effect of EL on adaptability is stronger among employees high on JCR. More importantly, the positive indirect impact of EL on SIB via employee adaptability is stronger among employees who craft their jobs and optimize the work environment. The originality of this study is evident in its focus on employee adaptability and JCR as critical factors that shape the relationship between EL and SIB. Furthermore, it offers significant theoretical and practical implications.