From virtue to value: humility as a strategic imperative in tourism organizations

Purpose This article examines humility-based leadership as a strategic organizational virtue and an enabler of improved organizational performance in tourism enterprises. It explores how humility fosters psychological safety, ethical conduct, innovation, and servant leadership – creating environments that strengthen engagement, responsible behavior, and long term success among managers and employees. While humility is not presented as a standalone initiative, it functions as a critical lever within a broader constellation of leadership virtues, consistent with frameworks such as the Leader Character Framework. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a mixed method design combining surveys and interviews. Using a validated two phase questionnaire administered to hotel managers and employees, it analyzes both the direct and indirect effects of humility-based leadership on psychological safety, ethics, innovation, servant leadership, and overall organizational performance. Detailed information on measurement instruments, sample characteristics, and analytical procedures ensures methodological transparency and supports assessment of the validity and reliability of the findings. Findings Results show that humility-based leadership influences managers primarily through enhanced psychological safety, whereas for employees it operates through a combination of direct and mediated effects involving safety, innovation, and ethical culture. Together, these mechanisms cultivate trust, engagement, creativity, resilience, and improved organizational performance across hierarchical levels. Comparative findings reveal nuanced differences: managers view humility as enhancing decision making effectiveness and leadership credibility, while employees associate humility mainly with relational benefits such as trust and psychological safety. Originality/value By integrating virtue ethics with contemporary management research, this study positions humility not only as a moral virtue but also as a powerful strategic asset in leadership. The comparison between managers and employees uncovers distinct yet complementary pathways through which humility strengthens performance, innovation, ethical culture, and psychological safety—offering tourism organizations practical insights for sustainable success. The study also situates humility within a multidimensional leadership character framework, emphasizing that its strategic effects depend on complementary leadership traits such as integrity, accountability, and courage.