The influence of transformational and authentic leadership on the satisfaction of hotel customers in the Canary Islands

Abstract

Leadership provides a strategy to deal with intense competition and high customer expectations in the hotel industry. This paper analyses the ability of managers’ transformational and authentic leadership to predict customer satisfaction. A sample of 18,944 customers and managers of eight hotels in the Canary Islands was used for the analysis. The data were collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire-6s, the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire and ReviewPro management software. The data were analysed to confirm the ability of transformational and authentic leadership to predict overall customer satisfaction. The results indicate that the transformational subscales of idealised influence and intellectual stimulation and the authentic subscales of relational transparency and balanced processing predict overall customer satisfaction. However, there are discrepancies between the results for self-managed service departments and outsourced service departments. This study provides a novel approach to scientific research, building upon previous studies of the effectiveness of both types of leadership, especially in relation to their impact on guest satisfaction and differences between departments. The evidence provides insight into the leadership qualities that increase customer satisfaction, which is essential in the hotel industry.