IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i1p285-d195747.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Service Providers’ Resilience in Buffering the Negative Impact of Customer Incivility on Service Recovery Performance

Author

Listed:
  • Valentina Sommovigo

    (Department of Brain and Behavioral Science, Unit of Applied Psychology, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta, 11, 27100 Pavia, Italy
    Department of Personnel & Employment Relations, Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Limerick V94 T9PX, Ireland)

  • Ilaria Setti

    (Department of Brain and Behavioral Science, Unit of Applied Psychology, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta, 11, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

  • Piergiorgio Argentero

    (Department of Brain and Behavioral Science, Unit of Applied Psychology, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta, 11, 27100 Pavia, Italy)

Abstract

In the service sector, customer-related social stressors may weaken employees’ well-being, impairing job-related outcomes. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources theory and on the psychology of sustainability, fostering personal resources become critical to encourage service providers who can effectively manage such job demands. This study investigated how customer-related social stressors and customer orientation influence service recovery performance and whether resilience buffers the negative effects of customer incivility on service recovery performance. One hundred and fifty-seven Italian customer-contact employees completed a questionnaire analyzing customer incivility, customer-related social stressors, resilience, customer orientation, and service recovery performance. Regression analyses and SEMs were conducted. Although all customer-related social stressors indirectly and negatively influenced service recovery performance by increasing burnout symptoms, customer incivility only exerted a direct and detrimental impact on service recovery performance. Customer orientation was directly and positively associated with service recovery performance. Highly resilient employees were less affected by variations in service recovery performance across customer incivility levels. Within the psychology of sustainability framework, promoting resilient workplaces is crucial to foster healthy and sustainable work settings. Service organizations can greatly benefit from providing their employees with psychological resilience training programs, cultivating high customer-oriented attitudes through mentoring sessions, and hiring highly customer-oriented and resilient employees for customer-contact occupations.

Suggested Citation

  • Valentina Sommovigo & Ilaria Setti & Piergiorgio Argentero, 2019. "The Role of Service Providers’ Resilience in Buffering the Negative Impact of Customer Incivility on Service Recovery Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:1:p:285-:d:195747
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/1/285/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/1/285/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Osman M. Karatepe & Mine Haktanir & Ilkay Yorganci, 2008. "The impacts of core self-evaluations on customer-related social stressors and emotional exhaustion," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(9), pages 1565-1579, September.
    2. Bougie, J.R.G. & Pieters, R. & Zeelenberg, M., 2003. "Angry customers don't come back, they get back : The experience and behavioral implications of anger and dissatisfaction in services," Other publications TiSEM 1708fb71-fd68-41d9-b870-e, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Karatepe, Osman M. & Talebzadeh, Niusha, 2016. "An empirical investigation of psychological capital among flight attendants," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 193-202.
    4. Satish K. Nair, 2015. "Boundary Spanning Challenges in a Co-Creative Enterprise: Lesson from Social Problem-Solving Collaborations," Springer Books, in: Sunil Sahadev & Keyoor Purani & Neeru Malhotra (ed.), Boundary Spanning Elements and the Marketing Function in Organizations, edition 127, pages 161-173, Springer.
    5. Fred Luthans & Bruce J. Avolio & Fred O. Walumbwa & Weixing Li, 2005. "The Psychological Capital of Chinese Workers: Exploring the Relationship with Performance," Management and Organization Review, International Association of Chinese Management Research, vol. 1(2), pages 249-271, July.
    6. Osman M. Karatepe & Georgiana Karadas, 2011. "The effect of management commitment to service quality on job embeddedness and performance outcomes," Journal of Business Economics and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(4), pages 614-636, July.
    7. Luthans, Fred & Avolio, Bruce J. & Walumbwa, Fred O. & Li, Weixing, 2005. "The Psychological Capital of Chinese Workers: Exploring the Relationship with Performance," Management and Organization Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 1(2), pages 249-271, July.
    8. Walsh, Gianfranco, 2011. "Unfriendly customers as a social stressor - An indirect antecedent of service employees' quitting intention," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 67-78, February.
    9. Annamaria Di Fabio & José María Peiró, 2018. "Human Capital Sustainability Leadership to Promote Sustainable Development and Healthy Organizations: A New Scale," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-11, July.
    10. Maxham, James III, 2001. "Service recovery's influence on consumer satisfaction, positive word-of-mouth, and purchase intentions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 11-24, October.
    11. Taegoo Kim & Soyon Paek & Chang Choi & Gyehee Lee, 2012. "Frontline service employees’ customer-related social stressors, emotional exhaustion, and service recovery performance: customer orientation as a moderator," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 6(4), pages 503-526, December.
    12. Babakus, Emin & Yavas, Ugur & Ashill, Nicholas J., 2009. "The Role of Customer Orientation as a Moderator of the Job Demand–Burnout–Performance Relationship: A Surface-Level Trait Perspective," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 85(4), pages 480-492.
    13. da Cruz, Nuno Ferreira & Marques, Rui Cunha, 2014. "Revisiting the determinants of local government performance," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 91-103.
    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. Hur, Won-Moo & Shin, Yuhyung & Shin, Gyeongpyo, 2022. "Daily relationships between customer incivility, organizational control, self-efficacy, and service performance," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    2. Yu Zhang & Bingjia Shao, 2019. "The Effectiveness of Customer Participation and Affective Misforecasting in Online Post-Recovery Satisfaction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-22, December.
    3. Bilal Ahmad & Liu Da & Mirza Huzaifa Asif & Muhammad Irfan & Shahid Ali & Muhammad Imad Ud Din Akbar, 2021. "Understanding the Antecedents and Consequences of Service-Sales Ambidexterity: A Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, August.
    4. Salih DURSUN & Oğuz BAŞOL, 2020. "Müşteri Sözlü Saldırganlığının Çalışanların İşten Ayrılma Niyeti Üzerine Etkisi: Duygusal Tükenmenin Aracılık Rolü The Effect of Verbal Customer Aggression on Employee," Journal of Social Policy Conferences, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 0(78), pages 147-169, June.
    5. Stanley Y. B. Huang & Yu-Ming Fei & Yue-Shi Lee, 2021. "Predicting Job Burnout and Its Antecedents: Evidence from Financial Information Technology Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-10, April.
    6. Asif Nawaz & Beenish Tariq & Sarfraz Ahmed Dakhan & Antonio Ariza-Montes & Niaz Ahmed Bhutto & Heesup Han, 2020. "Behaviors also Trickle Back: An Assessment of Customer Dysfunctional Behavior on Employees and Customers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-17, October.

    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. Ki-Seoung Lee & Yoon-Seo Kim & Hyoung-Chul Shin, 2022. "The Effect of Personal Environment Suitability and Work Environment of Luxury Hotels on Psychological Capital and Innovation Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-16, June.
    2. Cheng, Tien-Ming & Hong, Ci-Yao & Yang, Bo-Cheng, 2018. "Examining the moderating effects of service climate on psychological capital, work engagement, and service behavior among flight attendants," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 94-102.
    3. Taegoo Terry Kim & Osman M. Karatepe & Gyehee Lee, 2018. "Psychological contract breach and service innovation behavior: psychological capital as a mediator," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 12(2), pages 305-329, June.
    4. Mohd Hizam Hanafiah, & Sheikh Usman Yousaf, & Bushra Usman,, 2017. "The influence of psychological capital on the growth intentions of entrepreneurs: A study on Malaysian SME entrepreneurs," Business and Economic Horizons (BEH), Prague Development Center, vol. 13(5), pages 556-569, December.
    5. Kalamas, Maria & Laroche, Michel & Makdessian, Lucy, 2008. "Reaching the boiling point: Consumers' negative affective reactions to firm-attributed service failures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 61(8), pages 813-824, August.
    6. Aistė Dirzytė & Ona Gražina Rakauskienė & Vaida Servetkienė, 2017. "Evaluation of resilience impact on socio-economic inequality," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 4(4), pages 489-501, June.
    7. Yuan-Shuh Lii & May-Ching Ding & Chih-Huang Lin, 2018. "Fair or Unfair: The Moderating Effect of Sustainable CSR Practices on Anticipatory Justice Following Service Failure Recovery," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-21, December.
    8. Fred Luthans & Steven M. Norman & Susan M. Jensen, 2007. "The value of the psychological capital of immigrant entrepreneurs," International Journal of Business and Globalisation, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(2), pages 161-175.
    9. Nasser Saad Al Kahtani & Sulphey M. M., 2022. "A Study on How Psychological Capital, Social Capital, Workplace Wellbeing, and Employee Engagement Relate to Task Performance," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, May.
    10. Francoise Contreras & Juan C. Espinosa & Gustavo A. Esguerra, 2020. "Could Personal Resources Influence Work Engagement and Burnout? A Study in a Group of Nursing Staff," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(1), pages 21582440199, January.
    11. Yogesh Upadhyay & Dharmendra Kumar, 2020. "Leader–Member Exchange, Psychological Capital and Employees’ Creativity," Vision, , vol. 24(4), pages 406-418, December.
    12. Cixian Lv & Peijin Yang & Jingjing Xu & Jia Sun & Yuelong Ming & Xiaotong Zhi & Xinghua Wang, 2023. "Association between Urban Educational Policies and Migrant Children’s Social Integration in China: Mediated by Psychological Capital," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-18, February.
    13. Xinxin Wang & Shidan Xu & Yubo Zhuo & Julian Chun-Chung Chow, 2023. "Higher Income but Lower Happiness with Left-Behind Experience? A Study of Long-Term Effects for China’s Migrants," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 411-434, February.
    14. Urmila Rani Srivastava & Vandana Maurya, 2017. "Organizational and Individual Level Antecedents of Psychological Capital and its Associated Outcomes: Development of a Conceptual Framework," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 42(3), pages 205-236, August.
    15. Bret Crane, 2022. "Eudaimonia in Crisis: How Ethical Purpose Finding Transforms Crisis," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 391-416, December.
    16. Sheng-min Liu & Jian-qiao Liao & Hongguo Wei, 2015. "Authentic Leadership and Whistleblowing: Mediating Roles of Psychological Safety and Personal Identification," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(1), pages 107-119, September.
    17. Diego R. Toubes & Noelia Araújo-Vila & Arthur Filipe Araújo & José Antonio Fraiz-Brea, 2023. "Resilience and individual competitive productivity: the role of age in the tourism industry," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.
    18. K. Coussement & D. Van Den Poel, 2008. "Improving Customer Attrition Prediction by Integrating Emotions from Client/Company Interaction Emails and Evaluating Multiple Classifiers," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 08/527, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    19. Ebru Yildiz, 2017. "The Effect of the Psychological Capital and Personality Characteristics of Employees on Their Organizational Commitment and Contribution to the Work: A Qualitative Research on Managers," Journal of Management and Strategy, Journal of Management and Strategy, Sciedu Press, vol. 8(4), pages 34-46, August.
    20. Welter, Chris & Scrimpshire, Alex, 2021. "The missing capital: The case for psychological capital in entrepreneurship research," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 16(C).

    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:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:1:p:285-:d:195747. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.