How are the exchange relationships of front office employees reflected on customers?

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Akgündüz Y., Alkan C., Gok Ö.

SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL, vol.42, no.9-10, pp.798-821, 2022 (SSCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 42 Issue: 9-10
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/02642069.2021.1971198
  • Journal Name: SERVICE INDUSTRIES JOURNAL
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Periodicals Index Online, ABI/INFORM, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, CAB Abstracts, Geobase, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, Hospitality & Tourism Index
  • Page Numbers: pp.798-821
  • Keywords: Leader-member exchange, customer-employee exchange, job dedication, customer-oriented extra role behaviors, front office employees, LEADER-MEMBER-EXCHANGE, ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR, EXTRA-ROLE BEHAVIOR, WORK ENGAGEMENT, JOB DEDICATION, MEDIATING ROLE, SOCIAL-EXCHANGE, INTERPERSONAL FACILITATION, INNOVATIVE BEHAVIOR, SERVICE
  • Dokuz Eylül University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

In the hotel business, the performance of employees in face-to-face contact with customers, such as front-office employees, is decisive in achieving customer satisfaction. These employees' performance impresses through their relationship with their managers and customers. That is, there is an exchange relationship of the form manager-employee to employee-customer. Based on Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX) and Social Exchange Theory (SET), the current study focuses on LMX, customer-employee exchanges (CEEX), customer-oriented extra role behavior (COERB), and the mediating effect of job dedication in these exchange relationships. Data was collected from front office employees in Izmir, Turkey, yielding 165 valid questionnaires. SEM was used to test the research hypotheses. The results show that high-quality LMX and CEEX increase front office employees' COERB. In addition, job dedication partially mediates the relationships between LMX and COERB, and CEEX and COERB.