Dependency relationships between critical factors of quality and employee satisfaction

The literature has paid very little attention to the effects of the critical factors of quality on employee satisfaction in the tourism context. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine these relationships among tourist accommodation enterprises considering the perception of quality managers. A theoretical model together with the hypotheses to be contrasted is proposed and it is validated by the technique of structural equation models. The target population of the study is made up of tourist accommodations certified with Q for Quality' in Spain. The structural equation model provides evidence that the critical factor antecedents of employee satisfaction are process management and quality policy and planning; the latter criterion has a greater influence. The study also found that leadership is an important factor for obtaining results from employees through the rest of the variables that make up the model and employee satisfaction promotes learning within the organisation.