Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between transformational leadership (TL) and employee desire for empowerment (EDFE). This study also aims to extend Gill and Mathur's findings regarding improving employee dedication and pro‐social behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Hospitality industry employees from Canada and India were surveyed to test the relationship between TL and EDFE in countries that differ substantially in their levels of cultural power distance. Findings – Results suggest that the improvement in the degree of EDFE is positively related to the improvement in the degree of perceived TL implementation in the hospitality industry in both countries. However, substantial differences in relative impact were observed between restaurant (high in both countries) and hotel/motel workers (low in Canada, high in India). In addition to cultural power distance, levels of TL and EDFE were significantly lower in India than in Canada, and levels of TL were significantly lower among restaurant workers than among hotel/motel workers. Practical implications – Managers who exhibit TL behaviors are more likely to heighten their employees' desire to be empowered, regardless of cultural context. Originality/value – The findings help to explain failures in organizational efforts to empower workers by demonstrating the critical role of TL behaviors in heightening EDFE.
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