Developing Dedicated Service Employees

Abstract

AbstractWe studied the joint associations of two service‐oriented resources—psychological climate for service and perceived internal service—with work dedication among customer‐service employees. In a cross‐sectional survey study of 1,377 retail bank employees, we found support for all three hypotheses. First, psychological climate and internal service were each positively associated with dedication. Internal service also moderated the climate–dedication relationship. The strongest positive relationship emerged when perceived internal service was high. That is, the most dedicated employees experienced high levels of psychological climate and high internal service, and the highest overall levels of dedication occurred among employees perceiving high levels of both climate for service and internal service. Among individuals with scores at one standard deviation below the mean of climate, internal service had essentially no relationship with dedication. In contrast, among individuals with scores at one standard deviation above the mean of climate, internal service yielded a difference of .39 standard units of dedication, which is a medium‐low effect size. In other words, differences in internal service mattered primarily among workers perceiving high levels of climate for service. Therefore, as service‐oriented resources, both service climate and internal service may be important not only to customer outcomes, but also to employees. These resources may be specific focus points for managers who aim to foster customer‐service employee dedication.