Improving internal branding outcomes through employees ? self-leadership

Internal branding is considered as a top priority for hospitality organizations to gain a competitive advantage. This study aims to investigate the effect of self-leadership on internal branding outcomes, as well as the mediation effect of role identity on this relationship. A self-administered survey was used to collect data from employees at five-star hotels in Sanya, China, and structure equation modeling was used to examine the hypothesized model. The results show that brand knowledge and brand commitment positively affect brand citizenship behavior. Self-leadership has a positive effect on brand knowledge, brand commitment, and brand citizenship behavior. Role identity mediates the effects on self-leadership on brand knowledge and brand commitment. Management implications and limitations are discussed.