The Goldilocks effect in hospitality teams: an investigation of the curvilinear relationship between shared leadership and service innovation

Scholars in hospitality management have endorsed the positive effects of shared leadership (SL). However, this assumption has recently been challenged, raising questions about whether increases in SL are always linearly beneficial. Drawing on the Goldilocks effect, we propose that SL is most effective at moderate rather than at excessively low or high levels. To advance this debate, our study develops and validates a conceptual model considering a potential curvilinear relationship between SL and service innovation. It also explores the mediating role of collective strengths use and the moderating role of perceived faultline strength. Two distinct, multi-source, time-lagged studies were conducted. The results of Study 1 (62 hospitality teams; 310 employees) reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between SL and service innovation. Study 2 (90 hospitality teams; 507 employees) replicates this pattern and additionally shows that collective strengths use mediates and perceived faultline strength moderates the curvilinear effects of SL on service innovation.