An Expectancy Theory Model for Hotel Employee Motivation: Examining the Moderating Role of Communication Satisfaction

The study investigated the role of communication satisfaction as a moderator strengthening the effect of three components of the expectancy theory (expectancy, instrumentality, valence) on work motivation in a hotel setting. High and low communication satisfaction groups respond differently to expectancy, instrumentality, valence, and work motivation. Employees who are highly satisfied with communication respond more positively toward motivation components, and they are more likely to perform well in their job when they are motivated. However, a series of confirmatory factor analyses of metric invariance indicated that there is no significant difference in the moderating effect between high and low communication satisfaction groups. Communication should be managed collectively to motivate employees. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided to better explain the process of decision-making when hotel employees are motivated.