Helping hand from spouse and leaders to enhance employee performance: mediating role of constructive deviance and organizational support as moderator

Purpose Drawing on the activation theory, the purpose of this paper is to study the positive influence of moral leadership, workaholism and spousal support at home on employees’ performance at the workplace. It also captures the moderating role of organizational support in the relationship between constructive deviance and employee performance. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected using a survey approach, employing a questionnaire as the primary tool ( n = 416) to gather responses from employees in the hotel industry. The hypotheses were tested through hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings Results indicated that moral leadership and spousal support at home are positively related to employee performance and constructive deviance. Additionally, the association between positive deviance and worker performance was strengthened by organizational support. Practical implications This study contributes in two significant ways. First, it enhances the understanding of activation theory by applying it to employees in the hotel industry, offering a context-specific perspective that can guide future research. Second, it investigates constructive deviations among hotel workers, with a distinct focus on the Indian setting, adding depth to the existing literature. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in expanding the understanding of constructive deviance by introducing moral leadership and spousal support as its key antecedents.