TDNet Discover

The purpose of this exploratory sequential mixed-methods study is to investigate and describe the impact of a leadership-driven service culture on employee retention and service excellence for frontline employees and direct supervisors at a large, single hospitality organization in the United States. For the utility of this study, the leadership-driven service culture will be generally defined as the set of observable behaviors, values, and shared assumptions actively established and reinforced by management, prioritizing employee well-being and consistent, high-quality customer service delivery. The theories guiding this study are Organizational Culture Theory and Social Exchange Theory. Organizational Culture Theory and Social Exchange Theory will provide a foundational lens to examine how leadership behaviors establish organizational norms and how the resulting reciprocal investment between the organization and employees influences employee commitment and the decision to stay. The primary research question will explore whether a significant statistical relationship exists between employees' perceptions of a leadership-driven service culture and their expressed intent to remain with the organization. This investigation will occur at a single, large hospitality organization, utilizing a sample composed of both frontline employees and direct supervisors. Procedures for the analysis will involve transcription and thematic coding of qualitative data, followed by the use of descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the quantitative findings and determine statistical significance.