The domestic hair beauty industry, which is steadily growing, is a representative labor-intensive industry centered on customer-customized services. Service quality is directly affected by the technical skills and attitudes of its employees. Therefore...
The domestic hair beauty industry, which is steadily growing, is a representative labor-intensive industry centered on customer-customized services. Service quality is directly affected by the technical skills and attitudes of its employees. Therefore, efficient human resource management is paramount. However, it is considered an industry where human resource management is difficult due to high turnover rates, emotional labor, and a work environment characterized by strong individualism. In this environment, the role of leadership in understanding and motivating organizational members and guiding them to share goals is crucial. In particular, hair beauty organizations are generally small in scale with close interpersonal relationships, meaning the leader's attitude and leadership style directly influence members' job attitudes, job satisfaction, and ultimately, organizational loyalty. Furthermore, recent studies in the service industry overall report that leadership enhances organizational performance by increasing employees' psychological satisfaction and commitment.
Therefore, this study, based on prior research and the characteristics of the hair beauty industry, aims to investigate the relationship between the leadership styles of beauty managers and their effects on organizational members' job attitudes and loyalty. It also seeks to examine the mediating effect of job attitudes in the relationship between beauty managers' leadership styles and loyalty. Its purpose is to propose effective management methods and strategies conducive to growth for beauty managers based on the research findings. Its significance lies in determining store performance and sustainability, and in presenting concrete action plans instead of the abstract concept of a ‘great leader’.
This study established a theoretical background based on relevant prior research and, based on this, designed a research model and established hypotheses to systematically analyze the relationships between variables.
For data collection, a total of 500 questionnaires were distributed to male and female employees aged 20 and over working in beauty enterprises from September 15, 2024, to December 31, 2024. 480 questionnaires were returned, and excluding 11 incomplete responses, 469 questionnaires were used in the statistical analysis.
Data analysis was performed using the SPSS 25.0 statistical program. The analysis methods included frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, independent sample t-test, and one-way ANOVA. Duncan's test was used for post-hoc analysis. Pearson’s correlation analysis and three-stage mediation regression analysis were also conducted.
The analysis results are as follows:
First, regarding the hypothesis, ‘Beauty managers' leadership styles will have a positive (+) influence on organizational members' job attitudes’, the results showed that the leadership styles—transformational, transactional, and emotional leadership—all had a statistically significant positive (+) influence on job satisfaction and organizational commitment, which are sub-factors of job attitude.
Second, regarding the hypothesis, ‘Beauty managers' leadership styles will have a positive (+) influence on organizational members' loyalty’, the results showed that transformational, transactional, and emotional leadership styles all had a statistically significant positive (+) influence on loyalty.
Third, regarding the hypothesis, ‘Organizational members' job attitudes will have a positive (+) influence on loyalty’, the results showed that the sub-factors of job attitude—job satisfaction and organizational commitment—had a statistically significant positive (+) influence on loyalty.
Fourth, regarding the hypothesis, ‘Job attitudes will mediate the influence of beauty managers' leadership styles on loyalty’, the results verified that job satisfaction and organizational commitment, which is sub-factor of job attitude, each had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between the leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and emotional) and loyalty.
These findings verify that the leadership styles of beauty managers influence job attitudes and loyalty. Based on these results, this study empirically confirms that leadership theories (transformational, transactional, and emotional) typically centered on general corporations are also valid in the beauty industry field, which is characterized by emotional labor and an apprenticeship-style education system.
Accordingly, these results theoretically refine the pathway by which leadership forms job attitudes by comparatively analyzing the relative influence of each leadership style on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The study reveals a structural relationship where leadership style not only directly affects loyalty but also exerts influence mediated by job attitude. In other words, the study holds significant academic value in theoretically identifying the mediating effect pathway: positive leadership first enhances members' job satisfaction, and this elevated positive job attitude, in turn, strengthens loyalty to the organization.
Furthermore, it reveals that the core factor in securing employee satisfaction and loyalty in hair salons, which suffer from high turnover rates, is the leader's competency. It particularly demonstrates that leaders must manage employees' emotional exhaustion through emotional leadership and present a vision for growth through transformational leadership. This carries practical significance by specifically proposing effective employee management methods and helpful business strategies for beauty managers. It also suggests an urgent need for systematic leadership education for hair salon directors, who are often technician-focused.