Impact of error management practices on service recovery performance and helping behaviors in the hospitality industry: The mediating effects of psychological safety and learning behaviors

Abstract

This study used a 2 × 2 × 2 experimental research design to examine the influence of organizational support, supervisor support, and coworker support for error management practices on employees’ service recovery performance and helping behaviors during service recoveries. More importantly, the current work examined the mediating role of psychological safety and learning behaviors on the proposed relationships. Two hundred eighty-four undergraduate students from a large university in the southwestern United States participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of the eight experimental conditions. All respondents worked either full-time or part-time in various hospitality organizations, including hotels and restaurants. Results indicate that organizational support, supervisor support, and coworker support for error management had a positive effect on employees’ service recovery performance and helping behaviors. Moreover, the study found the mediating effects of psychological safety and learning behaviors. The study's implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.