Exploring How Employee Sense of Brand Community Affects Their Attitudes and Behavior

Abstract

The success of hospitality brands relies heavily on employees, collectively, to transform the tacit brand promise and unique brand values into a coherent brand experience for their guests. Thus, employees are likely to develop a sense of community that coalesces around brand values. A sense of community contributes to members’ belongingness, social exchanges, and subjective well-being. However, the importance of an employee-based brand community has rarely been considered. This study proposes and examines the role of a volitional employee-based brand community in promoting employees’ brand-aligned performance. With 223 responses from U.S.-based hospitality employees, this study supports the positive role of employee sense of brand community, which emanates from the organization’s brand climate. In turn, such a community enhances employee belief in the brand as well as their subsequent brand-aligned performance.