Gastronomic Creativity in Tourism Destinations: The Mediating Role of Professional Self-Efficacy in the Relationship Between Kitchen Staff's Job Motivation and Innovative Work Behavior

Abstract

This study examines the mediating role of professional self-efficacy in the effect of work motivation on innovative work behavior. Data was collected through surveys from 398 kitchen staff working in hotels, restaurants, and catering businesses in İzmir. The data was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4 software. The findings indicate that self-actualization and managerial approach positively influence professional self-efficacy. Professional self-efficacy was found to have significant and strong effects on both the research and development dimensions. While managerial approach had a direct effect on the development dimension, self-actualization did not have a significant direct effect on the research dimension. A full mediation relationship was found between self-actualization and the research dimension, and a partial mediation relationship between managerial approach and the development dimension. The results demonstrate that professional self-efficacy is a crucial element in transforming employee motivation into innovative behaviors. These findings support the explanations of social cognitive theory and self-determination theory in the field of gastronomy. The study also shows that practices aimed at improving the self-efficacy levels of employees in tourism businesses can increase innovative behaviors.

Keywords

• Gastronomic experience
• Tourism destination
• Job motivation
• Innovative work behavior
• Professional self-efficacy

Ethical Statement

The data collection process was ethically approved by the decision of Düzce University Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee dated 05.05.2026, meeting number 07, and decision number 2026/225.

Turizm Destinasyonlarında Mutfak Çalışanlarının İş Motivasyonu ile Yenilikçi İş Davranışı İlişkisinde Mesleki Öz-Yeterliliğin Aracı Rolü

Abstract

Bu çalışma, iş motivasyonunun yenilikçi iş davranışı üzerindeki etkisinde mesleki öz-yeterliliğin aracılık rolünü incelemektir. Araştırma kapsamında İzmir’de faaliyet gösteren otel, restoran ve catering işletmelerinde çalışan 398 mutfak personelinden anket yoluyla veri toplanmıştır. Veriler, kısmi en küçük kareler yapısal eşitlik modellemesi (PLS-YEM) ile SmartPLS 4 yazılımı kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Bulgulara göre, kendini gerçekleştirme ve yönetici yaklaşımı mesleki öz-yeterliliği pozitif yönde etkilemektedir. Mesleki öz-yeterliliğin hem araştırma hem de geliştirme boyutları üzerinde anlamlı ve güçlü etkiler oluşturduğu belirlenmiştir. Yönetici yaklaşımının geliştirme boyutu üzerinde doğrudan etkisi bulunurken, kendini gerçekleştirmenin araştırma boyutu üzerindeki doğrudan etkisi anlamlı bulunmamıştır. Kendini gerçekleştirme ile araştırma boyutu arasında tam aracılık, yönetici yaklaşımı ile geliştirme boyutu arasında ise kısmi aracılık ilişkisi olduğunu tespit edilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlar, mesleki öz-yeterliliğin çalışanların motivasyonunu yenilikçi davranışlara dönüştüren önemli bir unsur olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Sonuçlar, sosyal bilişsel kuram ve öz belirleme kuramının gastronomi alanındaki açıklamalarını desteklemektedir. Ayrıca çalışma, turizm işletmelerinde çalışanların öz-yeterlilik düzeylerini geliştirmeye yönelik uygulamaların yenilikçi davranışları artırabileceğini göstermektedir.

Keywords

• Gastronomik deneyim
• turizm destinasyonu
• iş motivasyonu
• yenilikçi iş davranışı
• mesleki öz-yeterlilik

Ethical Statement

Veri toplama süreci, Düzce Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırma ve Yayın Etik Kurulu’nun 05.05.2026 tarihli, 07 sayılı toplantısında alınan 2026/225 numaralı kararıyla etik açıdan onaylanmıştır.

References

1. Alkış, H., & Öztürk, Y. (2009). Otel işletmelerinde motivasyon faktörleri üzerine bir araştırma. Elektronik Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 8(28), 212-236. https://izlik.org/JA67PH25PM
2. Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411–423. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.103.3.411
3. Attiq, S., Rasool, H., & Iqbal, S. (2017). The Impact of Supportive Work Environment, Trust, and Self-Efficacy on Organizational Learning and Its Effectiveness: A Stimulus-Organism Response Approach. Business & Economic Review: 9(2), 73–100. https://doi.org/10.22547/BER/9.2.4
4. Ayaz, N., & Aydın, A. (2018). Yiyecek ve içecek işletmelerinde iş motivasyonun hijyen davranışına etkisi. Seyahat ve Otel İşletmeciliği Dergisi, 15(2), 287-301. https://doi.org/10.24010/soid.350511
5. Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1986(23-28), 2.
6. Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.1
7. Bargsted, M., Ramírez-Vielma, R., &Yeves, J. (2019). Professional self-efficacy and job satisfaction: The mediator role of work design. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 35(3), 157-163. https://doi.org/10.5093/jwop2019a18
8. Bayındır, M. S., & Demir, M. (2019). Otel İşletmelerinde Mutfak Şeflerinin Yenilikçi Davranışlarını Etkileyen Faktörlerin Analizi: Antalya Örneği. Journal of Tourism & Gastronomy Studies, 7(3), 1689-1710. https://doi.org/10.21325/jotags.2019.443

9. Betz, N. E., & Hackett, G. (1981). The relationship of career-related self-efficacy expectations to perceived career options in college women and men. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28(5), 399–410. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.28.5.399
10. Chen, S. C., Wu, M. C., & Chen, C. H. (2010). Employee’s personality traits, work motivation and innovative behavior in marine tourism industry. Journal Of Service Science And Management, 3(2), 198-205. https://doi.org/10.4236/jssm.2010.32025
11. Chong, E., & Ma, X. (2010). The Influence of Individual Factors, Supervision and Work Environment on Creative Self‐Efficacy. Creativity and Innovation Management, 19(3), 233–247. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1467-8691.2010.00557.X
12. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2. baskı). Lawrence Erlbaum.
13. De Jong, J. P., & Den Hartog, D. N. (2007). How leaders influence employees' innovative behaviour. European Journal of innovation management, 10(1), 41-64. https://doi.org/10.1108/14601060710720546
14. De Jong, J., & Den Hartog, D. (2010). Measuring innovative work behaviour. Creativity and innovation management, 19(1), 23-36. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8691.2010.00547.x
15. De Spiegelaere, S., Van Gyes, G., De Witte, H., Niesen, W., & Van Hootegem, G. (2014). On the relation of job insecurity, job autonomy, innovative work behaviour and the mediating effect of work engagement. Creativity and innovation management, 23(3), 318-330. https://doi.org/10.1111/caim.12079
16. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life's domains. Canadian psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 49(1), 14-23. https://doi.org/10.1037/0708-5591.49.1.14
17. Demir, M. & Demir, Ş. Ş. (2015). Otel İşletmelerinde Yenilik Yönetimi: İlkeler ve Örnekler. Ankara, Detay Yayıncılık.
18. Dijkstra, T. K., & Henseler, J. (2015). Consistent partial least squares path modeling. MIS Quarterly, 39(2), 297–316. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2015/39.2.02
19. Dunn, A. M., Heggestad, E. D., Shanock, L. R., & Theilgard, N. (2018). Intra-individual response variability as an indicator of insufficient effort responding: Comparison to other indicators and relationships with individual differences. Journal of Business and Psychology, 33(1), 105-121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-016-9479-0
20. Durmuş, A. F., Otlu, F., & Özkan, Ö. (2019). Sosyal bilişsel kariyer teorisi ve öğrencilerin serbest muhasebeci mali müşavir olma hedefleri: İnönü Üniversitesi uygulaması. Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 18(4), 1381-1398. https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.464775
21. Dündar, S., Özutku, H., & Taşpınar, F. (2007). İçsel ve dışsal motivasyon araçlarının işgörenlerin motivasyonu üzerindeki etkisi: Ampirik bir inceleme. Gazi Üniversitesi Ticaret ve Turizm Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, (2), 105-119.
22. Dzimidienė, A., & Bagdziuniene, D. (2022). The Effect of Employee Agility and Self-Efficacy on Innovative Behavior at Work. Psichologija, 67, 70–88. https://doi.org/10.15388/psichol.2022.60
23. Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Buchner, A., & Lang, A.-G. (2009). Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1: Tests for correlation and regression analyses. Behavior Research Methods, 41(4), 1149–1160. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.1149
24. Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A.-G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193146
25. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312
26. Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self‐determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational behavior, 26(4), 331-362. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.322
27. Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2. baskı). Sage Publications.
28. Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
29. Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Gudergan, S. P. (2023). Advanced issues in partial least squares structural equation modeling (2. baskı). Sage Publications.
30. Henseler, J., Dijkstra, T. K., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., Diamantopoulos, A., Straub, D. W., Ketchen, D. J., Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., & Calantone, R. J. (2014). Common beliefs and reality about PLS: Comments on Rönkkö and Evermann (2013). Organizational Research Methods, 17(2), 182–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114526928
31. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
32. Hjalager, A. M. (1997). Innovation Patterns in Sustainable Tourism: An Analytical Typology. Tourism Management, 18(1), 35-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(96)00096-9
33. Huang, J. (2017). The relationship between employee psychological empowerment and proactive behavior: Self-efficacy as mediator. Social Behavior and Personality, 45(7), 1157–1166. https://doi.org/10.2224/SBP.6609
34. Janssen, O. (2000). Job demands, perceptions of effort‐reward fairness and innovative work behaviour. Journal of Occupational and organizational psychology, 73(3), 287-302. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317900167038
35. Kanfer, R., Frese, M., & Johnson, R. E. (2017). Motivation related to work: A century of progress. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 338-355. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000133
36. Kanter, R. M. (2009). When a thousand flowers bloom: Structural, collective, and social conditions for innovation in organizations. In Knowledge management and organisational design (93-131). Routledge. (Orijinal eser 1997 yılında yayımlanmıştır)
37. Kemer, E. (2021). Mesleki öz yeterlilik ile iş performansı arasındaki ilişkide eğitim seviyesinin düzenleyici rolü: Aşçılar üzerine bir araştırma. Journal of Tourism & Gastronomy Studies, 9(2), 899-920. https://doi.org/10.21325/jotags.2021.821
38. Kleysen, R. F. & Street, C. T. (2001). Toward a Multi-Dimensional Measure of Individual Innovative Behavior. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 2(3), 284-296. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000005660
39. Kline, R. B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
40. Kock, N. (2015). Common method bias in PLS-SEM. International Journal of e-Collaboration, 11(4), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijec.2015100101
41. Kock, N., & Hadaya, P. (2018). Minimum sample size estimation in PLS-SEM: The inverse square root and gamma-exponential methods. Information Systems Journal, 28(1), 227–261. https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12131
42. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı. (2024). İllere göre konaklama tesis ve oda sayıları. https://yigm.ktb.gov.tr/TR-201131/turizm-istatistikleri.html (Erişim tarihi: Haziran 2026)
43. Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45(1), 79-122. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027
44. Lu, Y. (2025). Exploring the Role of Self-Efficacy in the Relationship between CSR Perception and TSI among Frontline New-Generation Employees in Tourism Enterprises. International Journal of Science and Business, IJSAB International, 43(1), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.58970/IJSB.2512
45. Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1, 61–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/1053-4822(91)90011-Z
46. Mullins, L. J., & Christy, G. (2010). Management and organisational behaviour (9. baskı). Financial Times Prentice Hall.
47. Nafari, N., & Vatankhah, S. (2016). Investigating the Effect of Empowerment on Employees’ Occupational Self-Efficacy. Bulletin de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liège, 85, 1434 – 1447.
48. OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development., & Eurostat. (2006). Oslo Kılavuzu: Yenilik Verilerinin Toplanması ve Yorumlanması İçin İlkeler. 3. Baskı, TÜBİTAK.
49. Okumus, B., & Cetin, G. (2018). Marketing Istanbul as a culinary destination. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 9, 340-346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2018.03.008
50. Park, I.-J., & Jung, H. (2015). Relationships among future time perspective, career and organizational commitment, occupational self-efficacy, and turnover intention. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 43(9), 1547–1562. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2015.43.9.1547
51. Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the experience economy. Harvard Business Review, 76(4), 97–105.
52. Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
53. Radaelli, G., Lettieri, E., Mura, M. & Spiller, N. (2014). Knowledge Sharing and Innovative Work Behaviour in Healthcare: A Micro-Level Investigation of Direct and Indirect Effects. Creativity and Innovation Management, 23(4), 400-414. https://doi.org/10.1111/caim.12084
54. Ramamoorthy, N., Flood, P. C., Slattery, T. & Sardessai, R. (2005). Determinants of Innovative Work Behaviour: Development and Test of An Integrated Model. Creativity and Innovation Management, 14(2), 142-150. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8691.2005.00334.x
55. Ringle, C. M., Wende, S., & Becker, J.-M. (2022). SmartPLS 4. SmartPLS. https://www.smartpls.com
56. Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2022). Organizational behavior (19. baskı). Pearson.
57. Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2021). Self-efficacy and human motivation. Advances In Motivation Science, 8, 153-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.adms.2020.10.001
58. Schyns, B., & Von Collani, G. (2002). A new occupational self-efficacy scale and its relation to personality constructs and organizational variables. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 11(2), 219–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/13594320244000148
59. Scott, S. G., & Bruce, R. A. (1994). Determinants of innovative behavior: A path model of individual innovation in the workplace. Academy of Management Journal, 37(3), 580–607. https://doi.org/10.2307/256701
60. Shang, W., Zhang, G., & Wang, Y. (2022). Career calling and job satisfaction of ideological and political education teachers in China: the mediating role of occupational self-efficacy. Sustainability, 14(20), 13066. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013066
61. Shmueli, G., Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Cheah, J.-H., Ting, H., Vaithilingam, S., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). Predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM: Guidelines for using PLSpredict. European Journal of Marketing, 53(11), 2322–2347. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-02-2019-0189
62. Slatten, T. & Mehmetoglu, M. (2011). What are the Drivers for Innovative Behavior in Frontline Jobs? A Study of the Hospitality Industry in Norway. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 10, 254-272. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332845.2011.555732
63. Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6. baskı). Pearson.
64. Taş, M. (2025). Meslek Aşkının Kariyer Yapma Niyeti Üzerindeki Etkisinde Öz Yeterliliğin Aracılık Rolü. Çankırı Karatekin University Journal of the Faculty of Economics & Administrative Sciences, 15(3), 769-794.
65. Tett, R. P., & Meyer, J. P. (1993). Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention, and turnover: Path analyses based on meta-analytic findings. Personnel Psychology, 46(2), 259–293. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1993.tb00874.x
66. TÜİK. (2024). Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu. Yıllık sanayi ve hizmet istatistikleri, 2023. Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu. https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Yillik-Sanayi-ve-Hizmet-Istatistikleri-2023-53782
67. Üngüren, E., & Tekin, Ö. A. (2022). The effect of openness to experience personality trait of kitchen staff on creativity potential: The mediating effect of food neophobia and the moderating effect of occupational selfefficacy. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 28, 100530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2022.100530
68. Waddington, J. (2023). Self-efficacy. ELT Journal, 77(2), 237-240. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccac046
69. Wang, X., Wang, M., & Xu, F. (2022). The role of synergistic interplay among proactive personality, leader creativity expectations, and role clarity in stimulating employee creativity. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 699411. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.699411
70. West, M. A., & Farr, J. L. (1989). Innovation At Work: Psychological Perspectives. Social Behavior, 4, 15-30.
71. Wheeler, K. G. (1983). Comparisons of self‐efficacy and expectancy models of occupational preferences for college males and females. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 56(1), 73-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1983.tb00112.x
72. Yuan, F. & Woodman, R. W. (2010). Innovative Behavior In The Workplace: The Role of Performance and Imagine Outcome Expectations. Academy of Management Journal, 53(2), 323-342. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.49388995
73. Yumuşak, S. (2008). İşgören verimliliğini etkileyen faktörlerin incelenmesine yönelik bir alan araştırması. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 13(3), 241-251.
74. Zhao, X., Lynch, J. G., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197–206. https://doi.org/10.1086/651257
75. Zhu, D., Kim, P.B., Milne, S., & Park, I-J. (2024). How does the career commitment of hospitality employees change across career stages? A multilevel investigation into occupational self-efficacy and family support, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 120, 103748, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.103748