Antecedents and effects of employees' feelings of joy on employees' innovative behaviour

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to undertake an empirical examination of some of the antecedents and effects of positive emotions from an employee perspective. More specifically, this study investigates the relationships between one extreme point of discrete types of positive emotions (joy), two types of employee perception (managerial relationship quality and benefit of one's work role), and employees' innovative behaviour in service delivery.Design/methodology/approachThe study presents a conceptual model of the aforementioned relationships. The model of the proposed relationships is tested in a survey study in which 279 frontline employees in the hospitality industry participated.FindingsIt was found that both employee perception of managerial and work role benefit are directly related to employees' feelings of joy and employees' innovative behaviour. Employees' feelings of joy were found to have a direct effect on employees' innovative behaviour. Moreover, it was found that employees' feelings of joy mediate the relationship between the two antecedent variables (managerial relationship quality and work role benefit) and employees' innovative behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to study two antecedents to employees' feelings of joy. Moreover, only one effect of employees' feelings of joy is included in the model.Practical implicationsThis paper emphasizes the importance of managers knowing how employees feel about their work role. Therefore, employees' emotions should be taken seriously in service‐quality management. Consequently, one general and key implication from this study is the importance of measuring employees' emotions since it is linked to employees' innovative behaviour when they offer a service to customers.Originality/valueThe paper contributes by enhancing the knowledge on the role of emotions in service‐quality management.