The Relationships Between Thinking Styles, Servant Leadership and Extra-role Service Behaviour: An Empirical Study in the Hotel Industry

Abstract

Drawing from thinking styles theories and servant leadership theories, this study investigates whether thinking styles are the predictors of extra-role service behaviour and which of them mediates the effects of servant leadership on extra-role service behaviours. Data collected from frontline hotel employees in Cappadocia were employed to reveal these relationships. The results from regression analysis and path model propose that employees with certain thinking styles display extra-role service performance and the presence of servant leadership fosters employees’ extra-role service behaviours through thinking styles. In brief, there is support for the fully mediated model that servant leadership enhance extra-role service behaviours through type three thinking styles. Importance of thinking styles to the decision makers in the hotel industry and future researchers are debated.

Keywords: Hotel industry, Thinking styles, Servant leadership, Extra-role