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The effects of employee empowerment on employee job satisfaction: A study on hotels in Turkey

Elbeyi Pelit (School of Tourism and Hotel Management, Afyon Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey)
Yüksel Öztürk (Faculty of Tourism, Gazi University, Gölbaşı‐Ankara, Turkey)
Yalçın Arslantürk (Faculty of Commerce and Tourism Education, Gazi University, Gölbaşı‐Ankara, Turkey)

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

ISSN: 0959-6119

Article publication date: 23 August 2011

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Abstract

Purpose

The main objective of this study is to determine the impact of employee empowerment on job satisfaction. To serve this purpose, empowerment is taken into consideration as two dimensions – i.e. behavioral and psychological – and the effect of employee empowerment on the level of job satisfaction was examined by taking these two dimensions into consideration as a whole and separately.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was employed in order to collect data on job satisfaction as well as behavioral and psychological empowerment. The data collected were analyzed through correlation and regression analyses. The study covered 1,854 participants employed at five‐star hotels in Turkey.

Findings

The findings suggest that the most positive aspects related to job satisfaction are relations with the colleagues and physical conditions, while the most negative aspect is the wage issue, i.e. unfair payment. Furthermore, correlation and regression analyses indicate that psychological and behavioral empowerment has a significant effect on job satisfaction, and the effect is much greater when psychological and behavioral empowerment are taken as a whole.

Research limitations/implications

The major limitation of this study is that it covers the employees of five‐star hotels only. Another important limitation of the study is the exclusion of variables mentioned in the literature. This apart, it is thought that the study will provide some insights for managers in terms of enhancing job satisfaction and the effect of empowerment on job satisfaction as well as making a contribution to the literature.

Originality/value

Studies into the relation between employee empowerment and job satisfaction on the whole focus on only one aspect of empowerment, i.e. either behavioral empowerment or psychological empowerment. This study incorporates behavioral and psychological empowerment together as the components of empowerment, unlike previous studies in the literature, in determining their effect on job satisfaction.

Keywords

Citation

Pelit, E., Öztürk, Y. and Arslantürk, Y. (2011), "The effects of employee empowerment on employee job satisfaction: A study on hotels in Turkey", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 23 No. 6, pp. 784-802. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111111153475

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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