Challenge-hindrance stressors and service innovation among hotel staff: roles of psychological empowerment and attributional style

Drawing on the lens of expectancy theory, this research examines the impact of challenge and hindrance stressors on service innovation among hotel employees, mediated by psychological empowerment and moderated by controllability attributional style. The results of two studies consistently showed that challenge stressors increased employees’ service innovation by enhancing psychological empowerment, whereas hindrance stressors decreased employees’ service innovation via psychological empowerment. In study 2, we found that controllability attributional style played a moderating role in how hindrance stressors indirectly influence service innovation-a relationship not observed with challenge stressors. Specifically, hindrance stressors had a negative effect on psychological empowerment for those with a low rather than high controllability attributional style. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.