Abstract
While existing literature has addressed the benefits of customer orientation, less is known about its negative outcomes. This study investigates the mediating effect of emotional dissonance on the relationship between customer orientation and unethical decision-making, and whether this mediating effect is moderated by occupation. A sample of 727 doctors and nurses from three Chinese hospitals completed anonymous questionnaires regarding customer orientation, emotional dissonance, and unethical decision-making. Our findings reveal that the positive relationship between customer orientation and unethical decision-making is fully mediated by emotional dissonance. Furthermore, the mediating effect of emotional dissonance is moderated by occupation, which suggests that the mediating effect of emotional dissonance is stronger for doctors. This study contributes to our understanding of how and for whom customer orientation results in unethical decision-making, and suggests the need to take occupation into account in preventing the negative outcomes of customer orientation.
Highlights
Previous literature has investigated the bright side of customer orientation by reporting several of its benefits
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Customer orientation will be positively related to unethical decision-making
Summary
Previous literature has investigated the bright side of customer orientation by reporting several of its benefits. This study investigates the influence of customer orientation on unethical decision-making. How unethical decision-making is influenced by customer orientation is still unclear. The major goal of customer orientation is to respond to and fulfill customers’ needs in a timely manner [9,10]. To achieve this goal, employees may deviate from moral requirements [11]. Drawing from social role theory (SRT), customer orientated employees maintain the obligation to achieve their goals, which may make them overemphasize these goals and increase their confidence in the moral legitimacy of making unethical decisions [12].
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