Empowerment in Hospitality: Does Leader–Follower Congruence in Family-Supportive Supervisor Behaviors Empower Follower Creativity?

Despite the burgeoning literature on family-supportive supervisor behaviors (FSSB), FSSB congruence remains underexplored. Drawing on the person-environment fit perspective and data collection from the hospitality industry, we examine the congruence of FSSB supplied and needed for employees’ psychological empowerment and creativity. Performing a polynomial regression analysis of 102 supervisor and 339 employee dyads indicated that employees’ psychological empowerment was highest when FSSB supplied provided aligned with their specific needs, rather than being deficient or excessive. In addition, psychological empowerment was most pronounced when absolute levels of FSSB congruence were high. Psychological empowerment was positively related to creativity and mediated the congruence effects of FSSB supplied and needed on employees’ creativity. Provision of the right amount of FSSB has positive consequences and benefits both organizations and employees. The study expands the FSSB literature by revealing that FSSB supplied interact with FSSB needed to account for employees’ psychological empowerment and creativity.