Leadership style and its relationship to work satisfaction of the employees in the hospitality industry: a case study of AVANI Hotel and Convention Centre, Khon Kaen, Thailand

The purpose of this research is to explore the relationships between managers’ leadership styles and employees’ work satisfaction in the hospitality industry, a case study of AVANI Hotel and Convention Centre, Khon Kaen, Thailand. The study focused specially on the Path-Goal leadership theory from House (1971). This theory divides leadership styles into four types, which are directive, participative, achievement-oriented and supportive. The researcher then related these to the work satisfaction of employees in the AVANI Hotel and Convention Centre using secondary and primary researches. The primary research was conducted in two phases, which are quantitative and qualitative. The results of this findings show that the predominant manager leadership style of AVANI Hotel and Convention Centre was participative and it had a direct positive influence on work satisfaction, such as the work environment. However, the employees of the AVANI Hotel and Convention Centre demonstrated less satisfaction with the pay/salaries, the work itself and the promotion as satisfier factors and more satisfaction with factors such as the work environment and the recognition. Some recommendations the researcher made, based on the finding, are improving the employees’ performance and job rotation.