Empowering leadership and frontline employees’ emotional labor: the mediation effects of job passion

InstructionIn order to deliver superior service experience to customers, frontline employees must regulate their emotional expressions during service encounters. This study examines how empowering leadership influences emotional labor (deep acting and surface acting) through the mediating role of jo...

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Main Authors: Pengfei Cheng, Linfei Zhou, Tong Liu, Na Ge
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1437736/full
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author Pengfei Cheng
Linfei Zhou
Tong Liu
Na Ge
author_facet Pengfei Cheng
Linfei Zhou
Tong Liu
Na Ge
author_sort Pengfei Cheng
collection DOAJ
description InstructionIn order to deliver superior service experience to customers, frontline employees must regulate their emotional expressions during service encounters. This study examines how empowering leadership influences emotional labor (deep acting and surface acting) through the mediating role of job passion.MethodsUsing data of 1,040 frontline employees across three service industries, the proposed mediating model was tested.ResultsThe findings revealed that: empowering leadership predicted deep acting and reduced surface acting. Job passion mediated the relationship between empowering leadership and emotional labor. Specifically, empowering leadership influenced surface acting only through obsessive passion. Empowering leadership had a “double-edged” effect on deep acting, operating through both harmonious and obsessive passion simultaneously.DiscussionThis study highlights the mediating role of job passion in translating empowering leadership into emotional labor strategies. The findings help service organizations refine leadership strategies to enhance emotional regulation in frontline service roles.
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spelling doaj-art-fed4997cd5aa4d77b403dc3067c65fe42025-08-20T02:26:05ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-04-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.14377361437736Empowering leadership and frontline employees’ emotional labor: the mediation effects of job passionPengfei ChengLinfei ZhouTong LiuNa GeInstructionIn order to deliver superior service experience to customers, frontline employees must regulate their emotional expressions during service encounters. This study examines how empowering leadership influences emotional labor (deep acting and surface acting) through the mediating role of job passion.MethodsUsing data of 1,040 frontline employees across three service industries, the proposed mediating model was tested.ResultsThe findings revealed that: empowering leadership predicted deep acting and reduced surface acting. Job passion mediated the relationship between empowering leadership and emotional labor. Specifically, empowering leadership influenced surface acting only through obsessive passion. Empowering leadership had a “double-edged” effect on deep acting, operating through both harmonious and obsessive passion simultaneously.DiscussionThis study highlights the mediating role of job passion in translating empowering leadership into emotional labor strategies. The findings help service organizations refine leadership strategies to enhance emotional regulation in frontline service roles.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1437736/fullempowering leadershipjob passionfrontline employeedeep actingsurface acting
spellingShingle Pengfei Cheng
Linfei Zhou
Tong Liu
Na Ge
Empowering leadership and frontline employees’ emotional labor: the mediation effects of job passion
Frontiers in Psychology
empowering leadership
job passion
frontline employee
deep acting
surface acting
title Empowering leadership and frontline employees’ emotional labor: the mediation effects of job passion
title_full Empowering leadership and frontline employees’ emotional labor: the mediation effects of job passion
title_fullStr Empowering leadership and frontline employees’ emotional labor: the mediation effects of job passion
title_full_unstemmed Empowering leadership and frontline employees’ emotional labor: the mediation effects of job passion
title_short Empowering leadership and frontline employees’ emotional labor: the mediation effects of job passion
title_sort empowering leadership and frontline employees emotional labor the mediation effects of job passion
topic empowering leadership
job passion
frontline employee
deep acting
surface acting
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1437736/full
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AT tongliu empoweringleadershipandfrontlineemployeesemotionallaborthemediationeffectsofjobpassion
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