THE INFLUENCE OF SPORTS HOTEL EMPLOYEES' POLITICAL SKILL ON ROLE STRESS: THE MODERATING ROLE OF SELF-EFFICACY

Dr. Gokten Ongel¹, Dr. Erkan Taskıran² and Dr. Gulsah Gencer Celik3³

Keywords

Political skill, role stress, self-efficacy, sport tourism hotel employees

Introduction

Business life is based on technical and relational details. While a part of working life requires technical knowledge and experience, another large part is related to relational information in the context of mutual interaction and sharing. Managing these relationships is of great importance for both managers and employees. Employees who want to advance in their careers and take part in important positions are expected to be successful in subjects such as relationship management, impression management, and managing and directing people. At this point, the concept of political skill as an important personal resource may come to the fore. Sports tourism, which is exposed to the necessity of establishing a strong relationship with managers, colleagues and hotel guests from many different cultures, can develop much healthier relationships when hotel employees can use their political skills at the highest level.

There have been many changes in business life at a comprehensive professional level in recent years. In this context, working hours and environments have become more flexible, and organizations have had to overcome numerous transformations such as restructuring, downsizing, and outsourcing. New positions have been created, and employees now have to take on various tasks that change frequently about new or expanded roles. This requires employees to adjust physically and psychologically (Schmidt et al., 2014). The nature of work and the demands placed on employees have increased due to the need for employees to be more productive and adapt to new organizational pressures such as corporate consolidation efforts, drastic staff reductions, and working conditions, requiring employees to "do more for less", hence employment has become more demanding. Such pressures cause role stress, which can be inevitable in jobs such as the service sector (Ul Hassan et al., 2023).

Sports hotel employees' political skill can also effectively manage some potentially negative situations in their business life. For example, the political skills of hotel employees may affect the better management of some possible negativities such as stress, role confusion, and excessive workload. In this context, the political skills of hotel employees may affect their role stress. The variable of role stress is a multifaceted behavior pattern that includes the elements of role conflict, role overload and role ambiguity (Örtqvist & Vincent, 2006). As a negative result, it can affect hotel employees' performance and the added value they can create. Therefore, the effect of political skill on role stress has become necessary to investigate in the sample of hotel employees. On the other hand, there is a question of whether the existence of self-efficacy differentiates the relationship in question as another personal resource, such as political ability, which is a personal resource. As employees' self-efficacy levels increase, the effect of their political abilities on managing role stress may increase, or vice versa, the relational situation in question may decrease.

Role stress is inevitable, especially in the service sector (Ackfeldt & Malhotra, 2013). In this context, the main purpose of this study is to examine the moderating role of self-efficacy levels in the effect of political abilities of hotel employees on role stressors. The theory of conservation of resources is used to explain the relationship between the relevant variables. Accordingly, it suggests that people seek to acquire, retain, and retain resources that they believe are valuable. As a result, they experience stress when they lose or feel threatened to lose such resources or when their resources are insufficient to cope with the demands of work (Ul Hassan et al., 2023). Therefore, the effect of political ability and self-efficacy variables, primarily personal resources, was examined. In the relevant literature, studies examining the relationship between political ability and role stress (Kim et al., 2019; Jawahar et al., 2007; Perrewe et al., 2004), but no study investigating the effect of self-efficacy as a variable moderating the relationship in question has been found. Therefore, while it is expected that the relevant literature will be enriched with this study, it is expected that such a study will be carried out, especially in the hotel industry, based on relationships. Both theoretical and practical suggestions will be presented.

The study is structured as follows: first, the theoretical framework is presented, followed by a discussion of the research variables’ relationships. Then, the method of the study is explained, and the results of the data analysis are presented. After discussing the study's findings and the results obtained, the study ends with findings on the limitations and suggestions for future research.

Political Skill

According to Mintzberg (1985), organizations are political arenas. Mintzberg (1983) refers to organizational policy as individual or group behavior that is informal, seemingly short-sighted, typically destructive, and, above all, approved neither from the point of view of formal authority nor ideology accepted at the organizational level nor professional opinion. Although a non-political business environment is desirable, business environments inevitably become political arenas for reasons such as conflict of interest, common goals, and competition. Thus, to be effective, individuals must develop the ability to persuade, influence, and control others (Treadway et al., 2005). In this context, political skill can be defined as the ability to effectively understand others in the business environment and to help them achieve their personal and organizational goals based on this understanding (Ferris et al., 2005; Ahearn et al., 2004).

Political skill is seen as a combination of four sub-elements. Accordingly, social astuteness, interpersonal influence, network ability, and apparent sincerity are the dimensions that constitute political skill (Ferris et al., 2005; 2007). In this context, individuals with high political skills successfully create personal influence with high social skills and persuasion ability in developing and managing different relationships (Ferris et al., 2009). Because of high social astuteness, individuals with political skill understand their workplace very well and can act accordingly (Kimura, 2014). In addition, the high political skill of the employees is complemented by the apparent sincerity dimension, which includes how they do rather than what they do in managing relationships while improving the ability to network as a skill to establish different networks (Braddy & Campbell, 2014). The antecedent of political skill is political intent. As can be seen, individuals must be willing to spend their resources or show that they are motivated before engaging in political behavior, which is reflected in political intent (Treadway et al., 2005). Therefore, political skill is an important personal resource for employees.

Role Stress

Role is expressed as a form of behavior required and expected from individuals in certain positions (Trayambak et al., 2022). Role stress, on the other hand, describes stress caused by the roles of employees in the work environment (Kim et al., 2019) and can be examined under three elements: role conflict, role overload, and role ambiguity (Morrissette & Kasimore, 2020). Role conflict occurs when employees receive incompatible demands from their managers, co-workers, or hotel guests and need help balancing between different role requirements (Akgunduz, 2015). Role overload encompasses expectations for the work done, and employees have to b, burden themselves with too many commitments and responsibilities under time pressure (Kim et al., 2019). Role ambiguity, on the other hand, refers to unclear job expectations. When employees experience role ambiguity, they need more information about tasks, workplace processes, and the consequences of role performance (Morrissette & Kasimore, 2020). A lack of knowledge and clarity on a particular job position causes role ambiguity. This creates uncertainty about employees' roles, business goals, and responsibilities. The expectations of co-workers and supervisors may also be uncertain (Schmidt et al., 2014).

Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy has been defined as an individual's belief in their ability to organize and execute the actions necessary to achieve certain gains (Bandura, 1997). At the heart of Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory (Chaudhary et al., 2012), self-efficacy can be expressed as a malleable attribute based on individual perceptions of ability in certain situations and has been associated with increased performance gains and other positive organizational outcomes (Gundlach et al., 2003). Employees with high levels of self-efficacy are motivated to take action because they believe their actions will result in a desirable impact. They also view workplace demands as challenges that can be overcome rather than insurmountable stressors (Smothers et al., 2024). In addition, people with high self-efficacy are more likely to make an effort to change their work environment and persevere in their work when faced with expectations of negative outcomes. In contrast, people with low self-efficacy are likelier to feel hopeless and helpless and are much less likely to persevere in similar situations (Kundu, 2020).

Political Skill and Role Stress

Employees' political skill is one of their most important personal resources. In this sense, employees can use their political skills to reduce role stress (Kim et al., 2019). It is possible to achieve more positive outcomes due to having a high level of political skill. For example, political skill positively affects employees' extra roles and individual performance (Kimura, 2014). Harris et al. (2007) found that employees were more successful in using impression management tactics due to high political skill. Employees with high political skill can adapt to the managers and other works of the hotel businesses they work in and thus prevent them from experiencing role conflict.

On the other hand, their networking skills and ability to establish and maintain close relationships can prevent them from taking on excessive role burdens and experiencing role ambiguity (Kim et al., 2019). Researchers have also suggested that political skill contributes to individual performance by reinforcing the relationship between certain personality types and performance (Kimura, 2014). Therefore, the political skill of sports tourism hotel employees can reduce their role stress. Within the scope of the literature review, the following hypotheses were developed to be tested.

H1: Political skill reduces role stress.

H1a: Political skill reduces role conflicts.

H1b: Political skill reduces role overload.

H1c: Political skill reduces role ambiguity.

The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy is an individual's judgment of how well he or she can implement the necessary action plans to cope with future situations (Bandura et al., 1982). Low or low self-efficacy creates significant differences in the behavior of employees. For example, high self-efficacy can result in more effort and perseverance in adverse situations. In contrast, low self-efficacy can result in helplessness and less perseverance (Kundu, 2020). Because of self-efficacy, which includes a belief in what can be done under certain conditions rather than what is required of employees, the adaptation of employees increases, and there is a significant change in the development of self-directed behavior change (Hameli & Ordun, 2022). In addition, employees with self-efficacy tend to experience less stress at work (Liu et al., 2017). Levels of self-efficacy are also influenced by the nature and requirements of the tasks that employees carry out (Tierney & Farmer, 2011). In contrast, employees without self-efficacy are more likely to fail at the tasks assigned to them by putting in less effort because they are more passive (Liu et al., 2017; Karatepe et al., 2007). In this context, high or low self-efficacy will significantly mediate the effect of political skill on employees' role stress.

Self-efficacy has been studied in many studies as a moderating role that explains the relationships between different variables. For example, Syihabudin et al. (2023) investigated the moderating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between work environment and workplace participation in hotel employees. They found that self-efficacy does not have a moderating effect. A study by Li and Scott (2023) highlighted that self-efficacy also moderates the relationship between emotional commitment and work commitment. Al Halbousi et al. (2023) confirmed the moderating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between psychological empowerment and emotional commitment to work engagement. Kibaroğlu and Kızrak (2023) found that self-efficacy moderated the effect of social weakening on emotional exhaustion. As a result of the research conducted by Üngüren and Tekin (2023) on the students of the tourism department, the moderating role of self-efficacy was determined in the effect of social appearance anxiety on the intention to pursue a career in the field of tourism. Zhang et al. (2022) revealed that self-efficacy moderates the relationship between psychological empowerment and work engagement. Hwang et al. (2021) found that self-efficacy moderates the relationship between customers' online opinions and employees' helpful behavior. As a result of their study on restaurant employees, Liu et al. (2017) revealed that self-efficacy moderates the relationship between employees' perceived organizational support and job participation. However, self-efficacy does not have a moderating role in the effect of job participation on restaurant employees' intention to quit. Munir et al. (2015) found that self-efficacy moderates the relationship between interpersonal trust and transformational leadership and exclusion in the workplace. Xanthopoulou et al. (2007) found that self-efficacy, one of the personal resources, moderates the relationship between job demands and emotional exhaustion. Van Yperen and Snijders (2000) showed that self-efficacy moderates the relationship between job demands and psychological health symptoms.

Recent studies examining political skill at the relational level have drawn attention to the moderating role of organizational conditions, occupational differences, and individual differences (Kimura, 2014). Engaging in political behavior requires the expenditure of personal resources (Treadway et al., 2005). Thus, individuals with high political ability may be more likely to achieve a higher level of actual job performance than those with low levels (Kimura, 2014). As another personal resource, self-efficacy provides a broader perspective on employees' perception of different situations and events and can also affect the stress they may experience due to their roles. Whether self-efficacy is high or not, it can be argued that the political abilities of the employees can make a significant difference in experiencing role stress. Self-efficacy can influence employees' behavior, as it is associated with repeated performance gains and other positive organizational outcomes (Gundlach et al., 2003). Perceived self-efficacy determines the level of effort and quality, i.e., how efficiently that effort is used (Kundu, 2020). Self-efficacy can play an important role in the work environment, as it creates self-confidence in personal abilities to cope with work stress (Munir et al., 2015). Therefore, examining and addressing the moderating effect of self-efficacy is crucial to guide today's organizations in formulating targeted strategies to foster a highly engaged workforce (Al Halbousi et al., 2023). In this context, the second hypothesis of the study was determined as follows:

H2: Self-efficacy has a moderating role in the effect of political skill on role stress.

H2a: Self-efficacy has a moderating role in the effect of political skill on role conflict.

H2b: Self-efficacy has a moderating role in the effect of political skill on role overload.

H2c: Self-efficacy has a moderating role in the effect of political skill on role ambiguity.

Conservation of Resources Theory

The theory that forms the basis of this study is the conservation of resources theory. This theory emphasizes that individuals should invest their limited resources in order to prevent the loss of their resources (Hobfoll, 2001). Resources that help individuals achieve their goals refer to objects, circumstances, situations, and anything else valued (Hobfoll, 1989; Halbesleben et al., 2014). Sources tend to create other sources (Karatepe et al., 2007). Therefore, this study focuses on the two main assumptions of conservation of resources theory (Xanthopoulou et al., 2007). First, it is when individuals invest their resources to deal with threatening circumstances and protect themselves from negative consequences. Second, individuals strive not only to preserve these resources but also to accumulate them.

(Figure 1) below shows the model proposed for the research within the scope of the hypotheses designed to represent the relationships between the research variables

Methods

Research Procedure and Sample

The data required for the study were collected between September and October 2024. The study population of the research consists of a five-star hotel operating for sports tourism in Antalya, one of the most attractive touristic destinations in Türkiye. Permission was obtained from the human resources managers of the hotel establishment to include their employees in the research. The human resources department randomly distributed the questionnaires to employees who could fill them out in their free time. The completed questionnaires were then collected by the human resources department and returned to the researcher. Ethical research procedures such as confidentiality and non-disclosure were followed in the study. Three hundred fifty questionnaires were distributed with the help of human resources managers. After the questionnaires that were found to be incomplete and randomly filled out were excluded from the evaluation, the analyses were made on 308 questionnaires.

Table 1 details the demographic profile of the respondents. Male participants (58.4%) were more than their female colleagues (41.6%). The vast majority of the participants (39.6%) were between the ages of 26-35, and 54.9% were single. When the participants were evaluated regarding educational status, it was determined that most were high school graduates, 49.7%. Regarding professional experience, the majority (40.9%) had 1-5 years of experience, and it was determined that the number of employees with less than 1 year working time in the same workplace was concentrated at 48.4%.

Scales

Figure 1 proposes a conceptual model that emphasizes the relationships between political ability, role stress, and self-efficacy. Each of the variables analyzed in this study was measured using well-structured scales. Brislin (1976) proposed a method to translate the relevant scales from the original language into Turkish. The scales were translated independently by the researcher and then compared with the translation made by linguists who are experts in the field, reconciling the differences between the original version and arranging the relevant articles in terms of meaning. As a result, some items have been modified to fit the research context. Except for demographic variables, the other scales were measured using a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from "1 = strongly disagree" to "5 = strongly agree".

Political Skill Scale

The 18-question Political Ability Inventory, originally developed by Ferris et al. (2009), was used in the 8-question short form preferred by Vigoda-Gadot and Meisler (2010). An example of one of the statements on the scale is: "I spend a lot of time and effort at work networking with others".

Role Stress Scale

The 9-question scale used by Kim et al. (2019) in their studies was used. The scale consists of 9 questions and is measured in three dimensions: role conflict, role overload and role ambiguity. One example statement on the scale is: "I receive conflicting requests from two or more people.

Self-Efficacy Scale

A single-dimensional 8-question scale developed by Chen et al. (2001) was used to assess self-efficacy. One example statement on the scale is: "When facing difficult tasks, I am certain that I will accomplish them.

Data Analysis

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was applied to the data obtained, taking into account the intercultural context. Based on the constructs reported by the AFA results, the SmartPLS (v. 4.1.0.4) statistical program was run to test the measurement and structural models. PLS-SEM is a compound-based structural equation modeling widely used in hospitality studies in recent years (Liv et al., 2021). This method was preferred because it offers a simple way to investigate the relationship between variables in more depth (Bichler et al., 2021), as well as several advantages, such as the lack of normal distribution of data and its suitability for smaller sample sizes (Henseler et al., 2014). The reliability and validity of the measurement model were first tested by calculating the indicators proposed by Hair et al. (2018). Finally, the structural model was measured using the bootstrapping method with 5000 resampling (Hair et al., 2014).

Results

Reliability and Validity Analysis of Scales

Before the research model, the reliability and validity studies of the scales in the research were carried out. Within the scope of validity and reliability analysis; internal consistency reliability, convergent validity and discrimination validity were evaluated. Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability coefficients were examined for internal consistency reliability. Average variance extracted values explained by factor loadings were used to determine the convergent validity. The factor loadings of the scales were less than 0.70>; Cronbach's Alpha and composite reliability coefficients were greater than 0.70>; The average variance extracted is also expected to be greater than 0.50> (Hair et al., 2006; Hair et al., 2017; Fornell & Larcker, 1981). Table 2 below contains the results regarding the internal consistency, reliability and convergent validity of the scales used in the research (Table 2).

When Table 2 above was examined, it was found that the factor loadings were between 0.677 and 0.942. Hair et al. (2017) suggest that factor loadings should be 0.70>. Hair et al. (2017) suggest that when factor loadings are between 0.40 and 0.70, the relevant expressions should be removed from the model if their AVE or CR values are below the threshold value. When the AVE and CR values in Table 2 were examined, the items with a factor loading below 0.70 were not removed from the measurement model due to being above the threshold values. On the other hand, internal consistency reliability was ensured because Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the scales were between 0.850 and 0.929, and the CR coefficients were between 0.86 and 0.93. In addition, factor loadings were between .677 and 0.942. The convergent validity was ensured because the AVE coefficients were between 0.53 and 0.82.

The criterion proposed by Fornell and Larcker (1981) was used to determine the discriminant validity. According to the Fornell and Larcker (1981) criterion, the square root of the average variance extracted (AVE) values of the scales in the study should be higher than the correlation coefficients between the scales in the research. Table 3 shows the analysis results using the Fornell and Larcker (1981) criterion. The values in the table's parentheses are AVE's square root values. When the values in the table are examined, it is seen that the square root AVE value of each construct is higher than the correlation coefficients with the other constructs (Table 3).

Common Method Variance (CMV)

In empirical research on organization and psychology studies within the scope of organizational behavior, the possible problem of common method variance is emphasized. When the associations between dependent and independent variables are examined in tourism research, common method variance may be a problem due to the correlation between the variables, the environment in which the data are obtained, the characteristics of the participants and the questions. Therefore, it is recommended to be controlled by the researchers (Çizel et al., 2020). In this context, Harman's single factor test, one of the most preferred methods, was tested as a common method variance. The test results determined the total variance explained under a single factor as 28.703%. Since this result is below the threshold value of 50% (Kock et al., 2021), this study has no common method variance issue.

Hypothesis Testing

Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypotheses determined within the scope of the research model. The data were analyzed using the statistical program Smart PLS (v. 4.1.0.4). In this context, linearity, VIF values and path coefficients for research hypotheses were tracked. To evaluate the significance of the PLS path coefficients, t values were calculated by bootstrapping 5000 subsamples from the sample. The VIF coefficients obtained from the analysis are presented in (Table 4).

When the VIF (Variance-Inflation-Factor) coefficients between the variables were examined, it was understood that there was no linearity problem between the variables because the values reached were below the threshold value of 5 (Hair et al., 2017).

The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy in the Effect of Political Skill on Role Stress

The moderating role of self-efficacy in the effect of political ability, the study's independent variable, on the dependent variable role stress, was primarily examined. (Figure 2) below shows the relationship, and (Table 5) shows the results for the effects between variables.

Note: Hyp: Hypothesis; N.S.: Not Supported

According to the findings presented in Table 5 and Figure 2, political skill negatively affects role stress (β= -0.140), but the relationship between them is not significant (p=0.434>0.005). On the other hand, the model in which the moderating role of self-efficacy was examined (β= -0.127), was not significant (p=0.334>0.05). Therefore, H1 and H2 developed for the research were not supported.

The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy in the Effect of Political Skill on Role Conflict

The moderating role of self-efficacy in the effect of political skill on role conflict was examined; the findings are shown in (Table 6 and Figure 3).

Table 6 and Figure 3 present findings that show political skill had a negative impact on role conflict (β= -0.173), but the relationship was not statistically significant (p=0.104>0.005). However, the model that investigated the moderating role of self-efficacy (β= -0.167) was found to be significant (p=0.007<0.05), highlighting the crucial role of self-efficacy in the model. These findings indicate that H1a was not supported, while H2a was supported.

Based on these findings, Figure 4, which shows that self-efficacy has a moderating role in the effect of political skill on role conflict, is shown below (Figure 4).

As can be seen from Figure 4, when the employees' self-efficacy in sports tourism hotels is high, the role conflict decreases as their political skills increase and behaviors increase. In the case of low self-efficacy, the effect of their political skill on role conflict remained at almost the same level. Therefore, self-efficacy moderated the effect of political skill on role conflict. 

The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy in the Effect of Political Skill on Role Overload

We examined the moderating role of self-efficacy in the effect of political skill on role overload, and the findings are shown in (Table 7 and Figure 5).

According to the findings shown in Table 7 and Figure 5, political skill negatively affected role overload (β= -0.077), but the relationship between them was not significant (p=0.572>0.005). On the other hand, the model in which the moderating role of self-efficacy was examined (β= -0.141) was significant (p=0.033<0.05). In light of these findings, H1b developed for the research was not supported, while H2b was supported.

Based on these findings, Figure 6, which shows that self-efficacy has a moderating role in the effect of political skill on role conflict, is shown below (Figure 6).

As can be seen from Figure 6, when the employees' self-efficacy in sports tourism hotels was high, their role overload decreased as their political skill behaviors increased. In the case of their low self-efficacy, the effect of their role overload increased as their political skill increased. Therefore, self-efficacy moderated the effect of political skill on role overload.

The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy in the Effect of Political Skill on Role Ambiguity

The moderating role of self-efficacy in the effect of political skill on role ambiguity was examined, and the findings are shown in Table 8 and Figure 5

According to the findings presented in (Table 8 and Figure 7), political ability positively affected role ambiguity (β= 0.110), but the relationship between them was not significant (p=0.199>0.005). On the other hand, the model in which the moderating role of self-efficacy was examined (β= -0.085) was not significant (p=0.083>0.05). Therefore, H1c and H2c developed for the research were not supported.

Discussion

This study investigated whether self-efficacy has a moderating role in the effect of political skill on role stress. The variable of role stress was associated with three sub-dimensions: role conflict, role overload and role ambiguity. In the study, employees in sports tourism hotels were evaluated. It was thought that it might create stress on the roles of employees in the business environment, especially due to reasons such as the high expectations and demands of high-profile guests coming to sports tourism hotels and the pressure created by the production and consumption of the service in the same place due to the nature of the tourism discipline. It has been assumed that sports tourism hotel employees need political skills, one of their most important personal resources, to manage their role-related stress. They may be more effective in managing the process according to their high or low self-efficacy.

When the findings obtained as a result of the research were evaluated in general, it was revealed that political skill did not significantly negatively affect role stress. This result is similar to the inconsistent results of existing studies (Kim et al., 2019) in the literature on political skill's effect on workplace stress. Some studies (Munyon et al., 2015; Perrewe et al., 2004; Harvey et al., 2007) found that there was no significant negative relationship between the dimensions of political skill and role stress, while some other studies (Kim et al., 2019; Jawahar et al., 2007) revealed that political skill negatively and significantly affects role stress. As a result of the research, it was determined that self-efficacy did not have a moderating role on the role stress of political skill. However, self-efficacy moderated the relationship between role conflict and role overload, which are the sub-dimensions of political skill and role stress. This finding is consistent with the view that employees with high self-efficacy constantly strive to achieve their goals and the goals of their organizations (Al Halbousi et al., 2023; Munir et al., 2015). Sports tourism is inevitable because of the role conflict and role overload of hotel employees, the tasks they undertake and the processes they manage. Political skills are important in coping with the stress caused by role conflict and role overload. In this relationship, sports tourism hotel employees' high self-efficacy level also increased political skill's effect on role conflict and role overload. In this context, political skill allows sports tourism hotel employees to experience role conflict and to manage the stress that arises from enduring overload more effectively when their self-efficacy is high.

Some suggestions can be presented within the scope of the results obtained. First of all, it is of great importance for hotel managers to be aware of the roles undertaken by the employees, to distribute tasks according to their job descriptions, and to identify the factors that cause stress due to the roles of the employees based on the fact that the tourism sector and the hotel industry are stressful work environments due to their nature. In particular, because of the training programs to be planned, development opportunities should be created that can reveal the personal resources of the employees, such as political skills. Again, in addition to training and development programs, business environment conditions such as mentoring and coaching, where managers can develop their subordinates, and interaction opportunities that will raise awareness should be supported. Self-efficacy assessments of employees and their manager's support can be strengthened; thus, it is possible to effectively manage role-related stress situations.

The results of the study can be explained with the basic theory on which it is based, the theory of conservation of resources, as follows: within the scope of the theory of conservation of resources, self-efficacy for employees in sports tourism hotels can protect resources such as the political skill of employees as a strategic tool. When employees believe they are proficient in a particular field or task, they put more effort into conserving resources related to that field or task. Feeling competent in this field motivates them and leads to an increase in their motivation and performance. Thus, self-efficacy is associated with an employee's belief that they have the necessary resources to successfully perform tasks. In the conservation of resources theory context, employees tend to make efforts based on their perceptions of self-efficacy to protect their resources (Kibaroğlu & Kızrak, 2023). For example, employees who see themselves as politically skilled can rely on these resources and manage stressful situations arising from their roles in the work environment. Sports tourism hotel employees with high political skills can overcome role stress that may arise from role conflict, role overload or role ambiguity. In addition, having self-efficacy can enable employees to be more successful in conserving and using their limited resources effectively.

As with many studies, there are some limitations to this study. First, the fact that the study was conducted only within the scope of sports tourism hotels in the hotel industry and in a certain hotel category creates a limitation regarding the generalizability of the study results. Therefore, it can be suggested that future studies will focus primarily on different categories of hotel businesses and industries under the discipline of tourism. On the other hand, this study is a cross-sectional study. Therefore, it includes the specific opinions of the participants in a certain period. Future research should be planned and carried out in a longitudinal research design. Thirdly, in the study, data were collected by survey method, one of the quantitative research techniques. In addition to this method, qualitative methods can also be preferred, and future research can be designed to use mixed methods. Finally, apart from self-efficacy, which is used as a moderating variable in this research, it can be suggested to conduct different research in which variables such as engagement, organizational identification, self-esteem, and proactive personality are examined as mediators and moderators.

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