Resonant Leadership as a Relational HR Practice for Sustainable Tourism Development: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction in Fostering Organizational Citizenship

Sustainable tourism development requires more than well-designed human resource systems; it also relies on how leadership is demonstrated in daily interactions with employees, especially in high-contact service environments. While high-performance work systems (HPWSs) are widely recognized for enhancing employee performance and service quality, their effectiveness may depend on relational processes that occur at the supervisory level. This study examines resonant leadership as a relational mechanism that complements structural HR practices. Instead of viewing leadership as a background condition, we focus on how emotionally intelligent leader behaviors influence employees’ job satisfaction and, consequently, their organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Based on Social Exchange Theory and Affective Events Theory, we propose that job satisfaction acts as a mediator linking resonant leadership to discretionary service behaviors. Survey data were gathered from hotel employees in Cyprus, with 337 valid questionnaires included in the final analysis. The results show that resonant leadership is positively related to job satisfaction and OCB. Additionally, job satisfaction partially mediates this relationship, suggesting that emotionally attuned leadership fosters stronger affective bonds and encourages voluntary behaviors that support service delivery. By including relational leadership in the sustainability discussion, this study expands the mostly system-focused HPWS literature. The findings imply that sustainable tourism outcomes are driven not only by formal HR structures but also by leadership practices that stabilize human capital and reinforce service consistency over time.