When can empowering leadership foster intrinsic motivation and proactive performance in the tourism and hospitality industry? A moderated mediation model

Integrating the model of proactive motivation and self-verification theory, this study investigates the conditional indirect effect of internal locus of control (ILC) and general self-efficacy (GSE) on the association between empowering leadership (EL) and proactive customer service performance (PCSP) via intrinsic motivation (IM). Using two samples of 860 employees from two separate studies, the findings show that service employees are empowered unequally. Further, the levels of IM and PCSP differ when dealing with EL, which depends on GSE and ILC. EL training for service leaders is not the only way to boost frontline employee empowerment and improve their IM and performance. This study offers novel and practical applications to address these challenges in the service industry.