Unpacking the complex effect of authoritarian leadership on employee service performance: a self-regulation perspective

Purpose Based on the self-regulation perspective, the current research examines how authoritarian leadership behaviors influence employee service performance via work engagement. Design/methodology/approach We collected multi-source data from 820 service employees and 211 supervisors in star-rated hotels. Findings We found a U-shaped effect of authoritarian leadership on employee work engagement, and that work engagement transmitted the curvilinear effects of authoritarian leadership to service performance indicators (i.e. service quality and customer-oriented organizational citizenship behavior). Furthermore, employee proactive personality mitigated the U-shaped effect of authoritarian leadership on work engagement and the indirect U-shaped effects of authoritarian leadership on service performance indicators through work engagement. Originality/value This study highlights the potential detrimental effect of moderate authoritarian leadership in service contexts and enriches the understanding of the nonlinear effects of authoritarian leadership.