The role of polychronicity and intrinsic motivation as personality traits on frontline employees’ job outcomes

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of polychronicity and intrinsic motivation on frontline employees (FLEs)’ work-family conflict, and service recovery performance (SRP) in a service setting. Design/methodology/approach – In this survey, a total number of 312 usable questionnaires were personally retrieved from FLEs in the research location. The hypothesized relationships were tested using hierarchical regression analysis. This paper presented an integrative model to test the aforementioned effects and relationships. Findings – Polychronicity and intrinsic motivation had negative impact on work-family conflict and positive impact on SRP. Significantly, while gender was found to be positively related to work-family conflict, on the other hand, job tenure was found to be negatively related to work-family conflict. Practical implications – This paper provides implications for managers in terms of minimizing the negative effects of work-family conflict and maximizing the FLEs’ SRP. Also, this study provides useful guidelines to implement effective management practices and improve organizational outcomes within the service setting of Peninsular Malaysia. Originality/value – Theoretically, the current study by examining the untried effects and relationships such as the effect of intrinsic motivation on work-family conflict, the effect of polychronicity on FLEs’ work-family conflict and SRP lends further contribution to the related literature.