IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v69y2016i10p4259-4268.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Understanding the relationship between frontline employee boreout and customer orientation

Author

Listed:
  • Stock, Ruth Maria

Abstract

Customer-oriented behavior provides an important means to achieve satisfied and loyal customers and thus sustainable competitive advantages. Although a rich stream of research has examined enablers of customer-oriented behaviors, its impediments, such as a lack of challenges at the customer interface, have been neglected. Relying on a qualitative study with 37 frontline employees (FLEs) and on conservation of resources theory, this research examines FLEs' individual responses to boreout at the service encounter. Boreout is a negative psychological state of low work-related arousal, manifested in three main forms: job boredom, a crisis of meaning at work, and crisis of growth at work. This study examines the effect of these individual responses on customer-oriented behavior, using data from 147 FLEs and a validation study with customers. The results indicate that all three boreout dimensions consistently harm customer-oriented behavior; job autonomy, whether induced by the firm or customers, moderates these relationships differently though.

Suggested Citation

  • Stock, Ruth Maria, 2016. "Understanding the relationship between frontline employee boreout and customer orientation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 4259-4268.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:69:y:2016:i:10:p:4259-4268
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.02.037
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296316300029
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.02.037?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stock, Ruth, 2015. "Is Boreout a Threat to Frontline Employees’ Innovative Work Behavior?," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 76766, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    2. Joshi, Ashwin W. & Randall, Sheila, 2001. "The indirect effects of organizational controls on salesperson performance and customer orientation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 1-9, October.
    3. Homburg, Christian & Klarmann, Martin & Schmitt, Jens, 2010. "Brand awareness in business markets: When is it related to firm performance?," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 201-212.
    4. Stock, Ruth & Six, Björn & Zacharias, Nicolas, 2013. "Linking Multiple Layers of Innovation-oriented Corporate Culture, Product Program Innovativeness, and Business Performance: A Contingency Approach," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 61665, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    5. Stock, Ruth & Six, Björn & Zacharias, Nicolas, 2013. "Linking Multiple Layers of Innovation-oriented Corporate Culture, Product Program Innovativeness, and Business Performance: A Contingency Approach," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 63409, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    6. Riccardo Peccei & Patrice Rosenthal, 2001. "Delivering Customer‐Oriented Behaviour through Empowerment: An Empirical Test of HRM Assumptions," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(6), pages 831-857, September.
    7. Homburg, Christian & Stock, Ruth, 2004. "The Link Between Sales People’s Job Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction in a Business-to-Business Context: A Dyadic Analysis," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 35550, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    8. Rosemary Batt, 1999. "Work Organization, Technology, and Performance in Customer Service and Sales," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 52(4), pages 539-564, July.
    9. Homburg, Christian & Stock, Ruth, 2004. "The Link between Sales People’s Job Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction in a Business-to-Business Context: A Dyadic Analysis," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 60486, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    10. Stock, Ruth & Hoyer, Wayne, 2005. "An Attitude-Behavior Model of Salespeople’s Customer Orientation," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 60479, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    11. Stephen Deery & Roderick Iverson & Janet Walsh, 2002. "Work Relationships in Telephone Call Centres: Understanding Emotional Exhaustion and Employee Withdrawal," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 471-496, June.
    12. Cravens, David W. & Lassk, Felicia G. & Low, George S. & Marshall, Greg W. & Moncrief, William C., 2004. "Formal and informal management control combinations in sales organizations: The impact on salesperson consequences," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(3), pages 241-248, March.
    13. Stock, Ruth & Hoyer, Wayne, 2005. "An Attitude-Behavior Model of Salespeople’s Customer Orientation," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 35542, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    14. Dominique Rouzies & Vincent Onyemah & Nikolaos Panagopoulos, 2010. "How HRM Control Affects Boundary-Spanning Employees: Behavioural Strategies and Satisfaction: The Moderating Impact of Cultural Performance Orientation," Post-Print hal-00537919, HAL.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Youngsam Cho & Yongduk Choi, 2021. "When and How Does Sustainable HRM Improve Customer Orientation of Frontline Employees? Satisfaction, Empowerment, and Communication," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-14, March.
    2. Chux Gervase Iwu & Abdullah Promise Opute & Olayemi Abdullateef Aliyu & Chukuakadibia Eresia-Eke & Tichaona Buzy Musikavanhu & Afeez Olalekan Jaiyeola, 2021. "A Structural Equation Modelling Evaluation of Antecedents and Interconnections of Call Centre Agents’ Intention to Quit," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-21, April.
    3. Dirk De Clercq & Steven A. Brieger, 2022. "When Discrimination is Worse, Autonomy is Key: How Women Entrepreneurs Leverage Job Autonomy Resources to Find Work–Life Balance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 177(3), pages 665-682, May.
    4. Lyngdoh, Teidorlang & Chefor, Ellis & Hochstein, Bryan & Britton, Benjamin P. & Amyx, Douglas, 2021. "A systematic literature review of negative psychological states and behaviors in sales," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 518-533.
    5. Karatepe, Osman M. & Kim, Taegoo Terry, 2020. "Investigating the selected consequences of boreout among cabin crew," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Miriam Benitez & Jose M. Leon-Perez & Alejandro Orgambídez & Francisco J. Medina, 2021. "Interpersonal Conflicts in the Unit Impact the Service Quality Rated by Customers: The Mediating Role of Work-Unit Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-13, July.
    2. Müller-Stewens, Benedikt & Widener, Sally K. & Möller, Klaus & Steinmann, Jan-Christoph, 2020. "The role of diagnostic and interactive control uses in innovation," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    3. Steven W. Rayburn & David A. Gilliam, 2016. "Using work design to motivate customer-oriented behaviors," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(7-8), pages 339-355, June.
    4. Stock-Homburg, Ruth & Özbek-Potthoff, Gülden & Wagner, Marina Melanie, 2012. "Soziale Medien im Personalmanagement," Die Unternehmung - Swiss Journal of Business Research and Practice, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 66(1), pages 28-48.
    5. Alexander Haas, 2006. "Bestimmungsfaktoren des Beratungserfolges: Eine informationsökonomische Betrachtung und empirische Analyse im Handel," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 58(5), pages 638-664, August.
    6. Barnes, Donald C. & Ponder, Nicole & Hopkins, Christopher D., 2015. "The impact of perceived customer delight on the frontline employee," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 433-441.
    7. Sergio Román, 2014. "Salesperson's listening in buyer-seller service relationships," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(7), pages 630-644, May.
    8. Arndt, Aaron D. & Karande, Kiran, 2012. "Is it better for salespeople to have the highest customer orientation or a strong fit with their group's customer orientation? Findings from automobile dealerships," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 353-359.
    9. Harmancioglu, Nukhet & Grinstein, Amir & Goldman, Arieh, 2010. "Innovation and performance outcomes of market information collection efforts: The role of top management team involvement," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 33-43.
    10. Jalal Hanaysha, 2016. "Testing the effects of food quality, price fairness, and physical environment on customer satisfaction in fast food restaurant industry," Journal of Asian Business Strategy, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 6(2), pages 31-40, February.
    11. Kwan Soo Hong & DonHee Lee, 2018. "Impact of operational innovations on customer loyalty in the healthcare sector," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 12(3), pages 575-600, September.
    12. Carlos Monteiro & Mara Franco & Raquel Meneses & Rui Alexandre Castanho, 2023. "Customer Co-Creation on Revisiting Intentions: A Focus on the Tourism Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-22, October.
    13. Jeevan Jyoti & Jyoti Sharma, 2012. "Impact of Market Orientation on Business Performance: Role of Employee Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction," Vision, , vol. 16(4), pages 297-313, December.
    14. Yee, Rachel W.Y. & Guo, Yujuan & Yeung, Andy C.L., 2015. "Being close or being happy? The relative impact of work relationship and job satisfaction on service quality," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 391-400.
    15. Liang, Xiaoning & Frösén, Johanna, 2020. "Examining the link between marketing controls and firm performance: The mediating effect of market-focused learning capability," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 545-556.
    16. Singh, Ramendra Pratap & Singh, Ramendra & Mishra, Prashant, 2021. "Does managing customer accounts receivable impact customer relationships, and sales performance? An empirical investigation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    17. Chen, Yen-Chun & Lin, Ya-Hui & Li, Po-Chien & Chen, Chung-Jen, 2022. "Understanding the interplay between competitor and alliance orientations in product innovativeness: An integrative framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    18. Javalgi, Rajshekhar G. & Hall, Kenneth D. & Cavusgil, S. Tamer, 2014. "Corporate entrepreneurship, customer-oriented selling, absorptive capacity, and international sales performance in the international B2B setting: Conceptual framework and research propositions," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 1193-1202.
    19. Mo Ran Yi, 2023. "Corporate Reputation and Users’ Behavioral Intentions: Is Reputation the Master Key That Moves Consumers?," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440231, February.
    20. Ruth Maria Stock & Nils Lennart Schnarr, 2016. "Exploring The Product Innovation Outcomes Of Corporate Culture And Executive Leadership," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(01), pages 1-33, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:69:y:2016:i:10:p:4259-4268. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.