Prosocial Service Behavior Research Articles

You Reap What You Sow: Customer Courtesy and Employees' Prosocial Service Behavior.

Smooth and effective interactions between customers and customer-contact employees are important for building seamless service delivery. The present study examined the influence of customer courtesy on customer-contact employees' prosocial service behavior. Additionally, the mediating role of organization-based self-esteem and the moderating role of focus of attention at work are investigated. Data were collected from 401 customer-contact employees from the South Korean hospitality industry. The results demonstrated that customer courtesy positively influenced prosocial service behavior, and organization-based self-esteem mediated this relationship. Furthermore, employees' focus of attention at work moderated the relationship between customer courtesy and organization-based self-esteem, such that the relationship was stronger for employees with a high focus of attention. Similarly, the focus of attention also moderated the relationship between organization-based self-esteem and prosocial service behavior. The findings have important theoretical and practical implications by demonstrating the role of external resources to promote prosocial service behavior.

Navigating Turbulence: The Impact of COVID-19 Stress on Flight Attendants’ Pro-Social Service Behavior and Job Dynamics

ABSTRACT The aggravated COVID-19 pandemic has induced stress and impacted employees’ job insecurity and service behaviors across the airline industry. This study examines whether COVID-19-induced stress influences flight attendants’ pro-social service behavior through job insecurity and job stress. Initially, a COVID-19-induced stress measurement was developed. This was followed by a quantitative survey of 322 flight attendants, selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Subsequently, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 flight attendants to explore the identified factors further. This study utilized partial least squares (PLS) path modeling with the SmartPLS software to test the hypotheses in the proposed theoretical model. The study findings suggest that stress induced by COVID-19 amplifies feelings of job insecurity and job-related stress among flight attendants. Consequently, this heightened stress adversely affects pro-social service behaviors, leading to a decrease in their manifestation. The direct and indirect effects of COVID-induced stress differ according to job position. Unexpectedly, job insecurity has no impact on the pro-social service behaviors, highlighting the complexity of employee responses to stress and the potential for adaptation in crisis contexts.

The two faces of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Analyzing how AI usage shapes employee behaviors in the hospitality industry

AI has become a critical technology driving societal advancement and impacting various sectors, including hospitality. Technology has social attributes, and employees play a major role in its application. Exploring the impact of AI usage on employee behaviors is essential. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory and the approach/avoidance systems theory, this study constructs a dual-path model to explore the effect of AI usage on employee behaviors. Data from 280 hotel employees in China were collected at three time points. Results show that AI usage enhance technological self-efficacy of employees, thereby promoting prosocial service behavior. Conversely, it could also induce workplace anxiety of employees, consequently leading to work withdrawal behavior. An approach orientation amplified the impact of AI usage on technological self-efficacy, while an avoidance orientation heightened the impact of AI usage on workplace anxiety. The study discussed the theoretical and practical implications and offers suggestions for future research.

Challenge or Hindrance? The Dual Impact of Algorithmic Control on Gig Workers' Prosocial Service Behaviors.

Algorithmic technological progress presents both opportunities and challenges for organizational management. The success of online labor platforms hinges on algorithmic control, making it imperative to explore how this control affects gig workers' prosocial service behaviors. Drawing from affective event theory, our study delves into the factors influencing gig workers' prosocial service behaviors in the online labor platform setting. We utilize the challenge-hindrance appraisal framework to highlight the pivotal role of algorithmic control. To rigorously test our hypotheses, we gathered empirical data from an online questionnaire survey of 660 gig workers. Our results indicate that challenge appraisals and hindrance appraisals in regard to platform algorithm control have a nuanced dual impact on gig workers' prosocial service behaviors. This relationship is clarified by the mediating function of work engagement. A challenge appraisal of platform algorithmic control can positively influence gig workers' prosocial service behaviors. However, hindrance appraisal of platform algorithmic control can negatively influence gig workers' prosocial service behaviors. Interestingly, workplace interpersonal capitalization boosts the effect of challenge appraisal on employees' prosocial service behaviors. However, it does not mitigate the adverse effects of hindrance appraisal on such behaviors. This study has multiple theoretical implications, and it also provides valuable practical insights into organizational management.

Approach versus avoidance strategies in job crafting and their relationship to prosocial service behavior in university professors

ABSTRACT What work strategies must university professors adopt to guarantee the service of higher education and even go beyond the role universities have formally established for them? This article aims to analyze the strategy of job crafting – specifically, how it influences the job crafting strategies of approach vs. avoidance in prosocial service behavior, with engagement as a mediating variable. To achieve this goal, we analyze the behavior of 1068 university professors in Faculties of Economics and Business at Spanish public universities. The results suggest that university professors who expand their work role and who expand socially develop more prosocial behavior in the service they deliver. The job crafting strategy of avoidance, in contrast, influences prosocial behavior negatively. Further, engagement acts as a mediating variable in the relationship between professors’ job crafting and their prosocial service behavior. These results are relevant to higher education institutions, which must work constantly to adopt workplace strategies and programs to improve service performance. The study results may help universities to achieve professors who are more committed to their job functions and responsibilities.

Harnessing brand authenticity to promote prosocial service behavior

In today’s fiercely competitive, customer-centric, and service-driven marketplace, where customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty are hard-won currencies, brand authenticity emerges as a pivotal cornerstone, potentially fostering prosocial service behavior among employees—a crucial driver of organizational success. Yet, the intricate link between brand authenticity and prosocial service behavior remains a compelling and notably understudied frontier. To address this gap, we explore how prosocial service behavior can be shaped by brand authenticity. Using partial least squares–structural equation modeling based on survey responses from a random sample of 410 frontline employees in the hospitality industry, we found that brand authenticity alone cannot spark prosocial service behavior. Instead, brands must foster psychological empowerment and organizational commitment in order to activate and harness the power of brand authenticity in nurturing prosocial service behavior. This is because employees require both a belief in their own influence (empowerment) and a strong attachment to their organization (commitment) to fully express the genuine values of a brand through prosocial actions. However, caution should be noted: introducing job autonomy might diminish the impact of psychological empowerment. This counterintuitive effect could be attributed to the perception that excessive autonomy, while meant to empower, might be seen as a lack of guidance or support. Such a scenario may potentially make employees feel isolated or overwhelmed by decision-making responsibilities.

호텔 서비스 접점 직원의 핵심자기평가가 친사회적 서비스 행동에 미치는 영향: 셀프리더십과 심리적 임파워먼트의 순차적 매개효과

호텔 서비스 접점 직원의 핵심자기평가가 친사회적 서비스 행동에 미치는 영향: 셀프리더십과 심리적 임파워먼트의 순차적 매개효과

The Moderating Role of Happiness in the Effect of Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy on Prosocial Service Behavior: A Study on White-Collar Employees

Bu çalışmada öz-sayı ve öz-yeterliliğin prososyal hizmet davranışı üzerindeki etkisinde mutluluğun düzenleyici rolü incelenmektedir. Araştırma kapsamında bireylerim kendilerine yönelik öz eleştiri ve kendi yeteneklerine yönelik olan inancının topluma fayda sağlamaya yönelik güdüleriyle birleşerek işgörenlerin çalışma arkadaşlarına karşı yardımcı olmaya yönelik davranışlarını şekillendireceği, işgörenlerin mutluluk duygusunun bu süreçte anlamlı rol üstleneceği varsayılmıştır. Araştırma amacı kapsamında Çanakkale ilinde yer alan büyük ölçekli işletmelerde çalışmakta olan 108 beyaz yakalı çalışandan anket tekniği ile veriler elde edilmiştir. Elde edilen verilere uç değer analizi, normallik testi, açıklayıcı faktör analizi, korelasyon analizi yapılmış yapısal eşitlik modeliyle hipotezler test edilmiştir. Analizler sonucunda anlamlı bulgulara ulaşılmıştır. Araştırma bulgularına göre, öz-saygı ve öz-yeterliliğin prososyal hizmet davranışı üzerindeki etkisinde mutluluğun düzenleyici rol üstlendiği tespit edilmiştir.

The Effect of Perceived Supervisor Support on Prosocial Service Behaviors: The Mediator Role of Perceived Insider Status

Çalışan-örgüt ilişkisi, çalışanların örgütleri ile kurdukları ilişkiyi inceleyen bir yapıdır. Bu yapı, sosyal değişim teorisini temel alır ve çalışanların, örgütten aldıkları faydaya olumlu şekilde karşılık vereceğini öngörür. Bu araştırmanın amacı, sosyal değişim teorisi temelinde otel işletmeleri çalışanlarının yöneticilerinden aldıkları desteğin karşılığını prososyal davranış göstererek verip vermeyeceklerinin belirlenmesidir. Bu süreçte bu ilişkiye, algılanan içsellik statüsünün aracılık edeceği öne sürülmüştür. Özellikle hizmet kalitesinin algılanmasında büyük öneme sahip olan prososyal hizmet davranışlarının öncüllerinin belirlenmesi açısından, araştırma sonuçlarının önem taşıdığı düşünülmektedir. Araştırma yöntemi olarak ilişkisel analiz yaklaşımı seçilmiş ve veriler, Rize ilinde hizmet veren otel işletmelerinde görev yapan 138 çalışandan elde edilmiştir. Veri toplama aracı olarak; Eisenberger ve diğerleri (1986), Bettencourt ve Brown (1997) ve Stamper ve Masterson (2002) tarafından geliştirilen ölçeklerden yararlanılarak oluşturulan anket kullanılmıştır. Algılanan yönetici desteğinin ve algılanan içsellik statüsünün, prososyal hizmet davranışı üzerindeki direkt etkileri ve algılanan içsellik statüsünün aracılık etkisi Process makrosu ile analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular, algılanan yönetici desteğinin ve algılanan içsellik statüsünün prososyal hizmet davranışını artırdığını ve algılanan içsellik statüsünün aracılık etkisini kanıtlamıştır.

Impact of Hotel Employees’ Psychological Well-Being on Job Satisfaction and Pro-Social Service Behavior: Moderating Effect of Work–Life Balance

This study investigates how deluxe hotel employees’ perceptions of their own psychological well-being impact their job satisfaction and pro-social service behavior. It also examines the moderating effect of work–life balance on the relationship between psychological well-being and job satisfaction. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 275 deluxe hotel employees using convenience sampling. First, of the studied sub-factors of employee psychological well-being, positive relationships increased job satisfaction the most, followed by self-acceptance, purpose in life, and environmental mastery. Second, deluxe hotel employees’ job satisfaction positively impacted their pro-social service behavior. Third, the positive effect of one sub-factor of psychological well-being, purpose in life, had a stronger impact on job satisfaction in respondents with high levels of work–life balance. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as limitations and future research directions, are discussed.

The Mediating Role of Organizational Identification in the Effect of Organizational Support Perceptions of Employees in Accommodation Businesses on their Prosocial Service Behaviors

Businesses in the accommodation industry are often those that engage in labor-intensive production, and as a result, employee and customer relations are of utmost importance. In order to improve the caliber of the services they offer, managers in the accommodation industry require their staff to display prosocial behaviors by developing strong cognitive and emotional relationships with their companies. The ability of employees to identify with organizations and show prosocial behaviors depends on the support provided within the organization and the degree of their perception of this support. Therefore, the study aims to determine the mediating role of organizational identification in the effect of organizational support perceptions of employees in accommodation businesses on their prosocial service behaviors. For this purpose, using the convenience sampling method in the research, data were obtained from 397 blue-collar employees in four and five-star accommodation enterprises operating in the province of Antalya by using the survey method. The obtained data were analyzed with SPSS 24.0 and SMART PLS programs. The findings of the study revealed that participants' perceptions of organizational support have a positive and significant impact on their prosocial service behavior and organizational identity. Additionally, it was determined that organizational identification influences prosocial service behaviors significantly and positively. The final finding was that organizational identification partially mediates the relationship between participants' perceptions of organizational support and prosocial service behaviors.

개인-환경 적합성이 조직매력성과 친사회적 서비스 행동에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of person-environmental fit on perception of organizational attractiveness and prosocial service behavior targeting airline cabin crew organizations. To this end, data were collected for cabin crew, and the research hypotheses derived through theoretical consideration were statistically tested to examine the relationship. The summary of the analysis results is as follows. First, it was found that the person-environment suitability perceived by the cabin crew partially had a positive effect on organizational attractiveness. Second, the person-organizational fit perceived by cabin crew was found to be a factor that had a positive effect on inner-role behavior and cooperative behavior among prosocial service behaviors, but did not have a direct effect on extra-role behavior. Third, it was confirmed that person-job fit has a positive effect on all pro-social service behaviors inner-role behavior, extra-role behavior, and cooperative behavior. Fourth, organizational attractiveness perceived by cabin crew was found to have a positive effect on prosocial service behavior, and it was found to have a relatively greatest effect on extra-role behavior. These results are expected to contribute to effective human resource management plans considering the suitability between cabin crew and the environment and strategies to improve the level of prosocial service behavior.

Relationship between Self-leadership, Self-determination Theory, and Pro-social Service Behavior of Beauty Workers

This paper is a study on the relationship between self-leadership, self-determination theory, and pro-social service behavior of beauty workers and whether it is related. There have been many studies on the existing self-leadership and self-determination theory, but studies on the relationship between the prosocial service behavior of beauty workers are insignificant. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between self-leadership, self-determination, and pro-social service behavior of beauty workers to explore the direction of efficient service of beauty workers. As a result of analyzing the relationship between self-leadership, self-determination theory, and prosocial service behavior, all three factors were found to be related, and company-level help is also needed to perform tasks autonomously. Eventually, a horizontal atmosphere must be created and internal motivation must be created to come out as a service action. Efforts should be made to create such a system not only for beauty workers but also for the entire beauty industry. It is necessary to prepare an incentive to develop self-leadership, self-motivation, and pro-social service behavior of beauty workers, which can be a way to improve job autonomy and quality of service in the beauty industry.

Airline Cabin Crew Members’ Ambidexterity as the Sustainable Attitude for Prosocial Passenger Service

The current study aims to explore the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators for cabin crew members’ ambidexterity and to investigate the influence of ambidexterity on prosocial service behavior. The authors employed PLS-SEM to examine the model, using 428 valid samples from cabin crew members, their pursers, and managers working for airlines in South Korea. The study found that challenge, empowerment, and learning goal orientation, among the four dimensions of the intrinsic motivators, have positive and significant influences on cabin crew members’ ambidexterity. The findings also demonstrate that only service climate, among the three extrinsic motivators studied, is associated with ambidexterity. Moreover, the findings reveal a strong relationship between cabin crew members’ ambidexterity and prosocial service behaviors. Based on the findings, the authors addressed theoretical and practical implications related to sustainability literature and the industry.

Service staff encounters with dysfunctional customer behavior: Does supervisor support mitigate negative emotions?

Dysfunctional customer behavior is common in service settings. For frontline employees, negative encounters can cause short-term despondency or have profound, long-term psychological effects that often result in both direct and indirect costs to service firms. Existing research has explored the influence of dysfunctional customer behavior on employee emotions, but it has not fully investigated the psychological mechanism through which customer misbehavior transforms into employee responses. To maintain service quality and employee well-being, it is important to understand the impact of customer misconduct on employee emotions and its effect on subsequent service behavior. To assess the process through which dysfunctional customer behavior manifests as negative emotions in frontline service employees, and the influence of negative employee emotions on their prosocial service behavior, we surveyed 185 frontline banking service employees. We sought information on service employee experiences, attitudes, and feelings regarding dysfunctional customer behaviors, the perceived level of supervisor support, and employee prosocial service behavior intentions. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical linear modeling were used for statistical analysis and hypothesis verification. Results indicate that dysfunctional customer behavior has a positive relationship with bank service employee negative emotions and a negative influence on employee prosocial service behavior. The study found that negative emotions fully mediated the relationship between dysfunctional customer behavior and prosocial service behavior. The moderating role that perceived supervisor support plays on the relationships between dysfunctional customer behavior and negative emotion was also investigated. The results show that perceived supervisor support moderates the relationship between dysfunctional customer behavior and negative employee emotions. Finally, the study provides bank managers with effective strategies to assist frontline employees to manage and deter dysfunctional customer behavior, and presents employees with internal recovery strategies when encountering dysfunctional customer behavior.

In pursuit of service encounter quality: Will service-oriented high-performance work systems benefit high-contact service industries?

Integrating social exchange and psychological contract theories, this study examines how perceived service-oriented high-performance work systems (service-oriented HPWS) augment high-contact service organizations to improve their service encounter quality. In addition, it also tests the impact of psychological contract fulfillment, innovative work behavior, and prosocial service behavior as parallel and serial mediating variables in the relationship between service-oriented HPWS and service encounter quality. Using survey data collected in three-time lags from 394 full-time frontline employees and their customers across high-contact service contexts, direct and indirect effects of service-oriented HPWS on service encounter quality were tested employing structural equation modeling. The results revealed that service-oriented HPWS is positively associated with service encounter quality via psychological contract fulfillment, innovative work behavior, and prosocial service behavior. The study contributes to the extant literature by integrating social exchange and psychological contract theories in explicating the impact of service-oriented HPWS on service encounter quality.

How and when authentic leadership promotes prosocial service behaviors: A moderated mediation model

Few hospitality scholars have explored the influence of authentic leadership on prosocial service behaviors (PSBs). The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationships among authentic leadership, person-job (P-J) fit, and PSBs in the hospitality industry, as well as the mediating influence of P-J fit and the moderated mediation effect of job resourcefulness. Questionnaires were distributed to 325 hotel employees in Taiwan. The findings indicated authentic leadership positively affected P-J fit, which in turn affected both role-prescribed service behaviors (RPSBs) and extra-role service behaviors (ERSBs). Specifically, P-J fit mediated the association between authentic leadership and employees’ PSBs (RPSBs and ERSBs). Moreover, job resourcefulness reinforced the positive relationship between authentic leadership and P-J fit, thereby promoting PSBs. This study contributes to the hospitality literature by elaborating associations among authentic leadership, P-J fit, and PSBs. These findings have practical application in human resource practices among hospitality managers.

How does customer cooperation affect employees’ prosocial service behavior in upscale Chinese hotels? An affective social exchange perspective

PurposeGuided by the affect theory of social exchange, this study aims to examine the affective process underlying the impact of customer cooperation on hotel frontline employees’ prosocial service behavior. Job autonomy was tested as a boundary condition.Design/methodology/approachA mix-mode quantitative survey collected data from 818 frontline employees in 14 upscale hotels across China. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the research hypotheses.FindingsResults suggest that customer cooperation influences employees’ prosocial service behavior directly and indirectly via employees’ positive affect. Contrary to expectations, job autonomy weakened the relationships among customer cooperation, positive affect and employees’ extra-role customer service but did not moderate the impacts of customer cooperation and positive affect on employees’ role-prescribed customer service.Originality/valueAs an initial attempt to investigate the effects of customer cooperation on two types of frontline employees’ prosocial behavior, this study broadens the application of the affect theory of social exchange and contributes to an understanding of the theory’s boundary conditions by testing a framework under the contextual condition of job autonomy.

고객불량행동이 스트레스와 친사회적 서비스행동에 미치는 영향: 승무원 경력을 조절효과로

This study aims to present the significance of effective human resource management in the aviation industry by analyzing the moderating effect of job experience and whether job stress of cabin crew caused by jay customers affects pro-social service behavior. The empirical study conducted a self-reported survey of cabin crews from November 2020 to January 2021. With a total of 322 samples, Frequency analysis, correlation analysis, and reliability analysis were performed using SPSS 23 and SMART PLS statistical program. The results indicated that all factors of four sub-dimensions of jay customer behavior had a negative effect on job stress. However, jay customer behavior did not significantly affect pro-social service behavior. In addition, job stress negatively affected pro-social service behavior and had a full mediation role in the relationship between jay customer behavior and pro-social service behavior. The moderating effect of job experience was found to have more stress on the crew group with long-term work experience than the group with short-term work experience, regardless of the severity of jay customer behavior.

Role Stress and Prosocial Service Behavior of Hotel Employees: A Moderated Mediation Model of Job Satisfaction and Social Support.

Hotel employees’ positive behavior is prone to increase customer satisfaction, and thus, exploring the influencing mechanism of role stress on prosocial service behavior is critical to relieving their stress and improving service quality and hotel performance. This study aims to develop and test a moderated mediation model that links hotel employees’ role stress to prosocial service behavior. Based on the conservation of resources theory and job demands-resources model, this study suggests that the effect of role stress on prosocial service behavior is mediated by the level of job satisfaction, whereas the relationship between role stress and job satisfaction is moderated by social support. Data from 256 hotel employees in China largely support the hypotheses that role stress reduces job satisfaction, and that job dissatisfaction is related to low levels of prosocial service behavior. The data also show that job satisfaction partly mediates the relationship between role stress and prosocial service behavior, and social support weakens the relationship between role stress and job satisfaction. The results can help us understand the role of organization-level resources in the workplace and how role stress and job satisfaction affect prosocial service behavior.