Understanding the Impact of Empowerment on Employees Innovation Performance: Evidence from the Jordanian Hotel Industry

Abstract

This research aimed to measure the impact of empowerment on employees’ innovation performance at five-star hotels in Jordan. The research applied the two main perspectives of empowerment (i.e., structural empowerment and psychological empowerment). A 35-item questionnaire, measuring empowerment and innovation performance, was distributed to 400 employees working in 12 five-star hotels in Jordan with a 63.5 response rate. Principle component analysis was utilized to determine the factor structure for both empowerment and innovation performance and regression analysis to determine the impact of empowerment on innovation performance. The results reveal that both forms of empowerment have a positive and significant impact on innovation performance. However, structural empowerment has a stronger impact on innovation performance than psychological empowerment. The results also show that integrating the two perspectives of empowerment together has clearly a higher level of impact on innovation performance than structural and psychological empowerment does when both taken separately. This research provides new insights into the existing literature, implications and directions for future research.

Keywords: employee empowerment, structural / psychological empowerment, innovation performance, hotels, and Jordan

DOI: 10.7176/JTHS/44-02

Publication date:October 31^st 2019