Leader member exchange organizational embeddedness and boundary spanning behaviour among frontline employess in Chinese Hotel Industry

The study aimed to examine the effect of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) on Boundary-Spanning Behavior (BSB) among frontline employees in China_s hotel industry and to test the mediating role of Organizational Embeddedness (OE) in this relationship.This study applied a quantitative research approach. The questionnaires were used for data collection. Using a stratified random sampling technique, 410 frontline employees from star-rated hotels in China were selected to participate in the study. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), with the aid of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software. The findings showed the R2 of 0.619, indicating that 61.9% of the variation in BSB is explained by LMX and OE. The findings also revealed that LMX has a significant and positive effect on OE (_=0.751, p=0.000) while both the LMX (_=0.499, p=0.000) and OE (_=0.339, p=0.000) have a significant and positive effect on BSB. Furthermore, the findings indicated that OE partially mediate the relationships between LMX and BSB. In conclusion, the findings provide strong empirical support for the impact of LMX and OE on BSB, highlighting the mediating role of OE. In implication, to enhance BSB among frontline employees, the hotel industry should focus on strengthening LMX and OE, as this will promote proactive service behaviors, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and competitive advantage.