Extraversion, openness and conscientiousness : The route to transformational leadership in the hotel industry

Purpose – The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between leadership styles (Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5X‐Short)) and the “Big Five” personality traits (NEO‐FFI) of neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness and agreeableness among managers currently working in the hotel industry of Cyprus. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a quantitative approach, the MLQ 5X‐Short was utilized to allow research participants to describe their leadership style as they perceive it. In addition, the most widely acknowledged tool for measuring personality traits, NEO‐FFI, was also incorporated in the questionnaire. Findings – Findings suggest that transformational leadership is positively associated with extraversion, openness and conscientiousness; while in contrast, passive/avoidance leadership style is negatively associated with conscientiousness and agreeableness. Research limitations/implications – The small sample size ( n =131) and the homogeneity of the sample, limit the generalizability of the findings to other environments. Practical implications – Hospitality organizations should recruit, promote and invest in developing extrovert individuals who are both open to experience and conscientious, and who also exhibit transformational leadership behaviours. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the scientific literature by investigating the association between the “Big Five” personality traits and transformational leadership behaviours.