Journal
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF MARKETING SCIENCE
Volume 50, Issue 2, Pages 388-409Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s11747-021-00798-8
Keywords
Frontline employee customer orientation; Pro-customer rule breaking; Customer-focused voice; Identity theory; Role performance
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Customer-oriented frontline employees may engage in customer-directed prosocial behaviors that undermine organizational norms. The extent to which employees perform these behaviors depends on their identification with the organization or customers. Customer-focused voice enhances performance, while pro-customer rule breaking hinders role performance.
Customer-oriented frontline employees are motivated by a strong desire to help customers. While such motivation enhances customer outcomes, it can also encourage frontline employees to engage in customer-directed prosocial behaviors that undermine organizational norms. We consider such a possibility and find that: (1) in their quest to satisfy customers' needs, customer-oriented employees engage in customer-focused voice and/or pro-customer rule breaking, (2) the extent to which employees perform these behaviors depends on whether they identify with the organization or customers, (3) customer-focused voice enhances while pro-customer rule breaking hinders role performance, (4) the net performance consequences of a customer orientation can be positive or negative, and (5) various contingency factors determine whether rule breaking results in lower performance ratings from supervisors. These findings offer evidence of a customer orientation dark side and, paradoxically, underscore that internally focused marketing efforts are critical for a customer orientation to enhance frontline employee performance.
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