Fueling the spirit of care to surmount hazing: foregrounding the role of spiritual leadership in inhibiting hazing in the hospitality context

Purpose: This study aims to investigate direct and indirect (via perceived caring climate) links between spiritual leadership and hazing at work in the hospitality context. The authors also test the role of employee interpersonal justice values as a boundary condition. Design/methodology/approach: The authors collected time-lagged data from 441 newcomers and their 441 peers (existing hotel employees) and analyzed the data using structural modeling equation in Mplus (8.6). Findings: The authors found a negative relationship between spiritual leadership and hazing behaviors. Further, perceived caring climate mediated the relationship between spiritual leadership and hazing behaviors. The results also provided support for employee interpersonal justice values as the boundary condition on both the direct relationship between spiritual leadership and perceived caring climate and the indirect relationship between spiritual leadership and workplace hazing. Practical implications: The authors suggest that there is a value in having organizational leaders who demonstrate spiritual leadership behaviors. This will enhance hospitality employees’ perceptions of a caring climate and undermine their engagement in hazing behaviors. Originality/value: This study makes an important contribution to the nascent literature on workplace hazing behaviors and spiritual leadership in the hospitality context. The study is also noteworthy because it provides important insights into the antecedents and outcomes of perceived caring climate, an important contextual resource that has imperative implications for hospitality employees’ hazing behaviors.