The influence of a leader's servant leadership on employees' perception of customers' satisfaction with the service and employees' perception of customers' trust in the service firm: the moderating role of employees' trust in the leader

Abstract

This study examines why a leader needs to establish good relations with his/her subordinate employees to build strong relationships with customers. The production and the consumption of goods in the service sector occur simultaneously, and it is the customer who determines the quality of the service provided (Bateson, 1985; Bradley, Fox, & Morris, 2004; Pfeffer, 1994).Bradley et al. (2004) has shown that leadership style influences employees' behavior patterns as well as the service they provide. The success of internal marketing depends on the kind of leadership a manager demonstrates. However, no study has directly examined the effect of servant leadership on customers' satisfaction. Thus, this paper aims to analyze the impact of servant leadership on employees' perceptions of customers' satisfaction with a service and their trust in the service firm. It demonstrates how employees' trust in the leader moderates the effect of servant leadership on employees' perceptions of customers' satisfaction with a service and their trust in the service firm.