Toward a theory of spirals: the dynamic relationship between organizational pride and customer-oriented behavior
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ORIGINAL EMPIRICAL RESEARCH
Toward a theory of spirals: the dynamic relationship between organizational pride and customer-oriented behavior Tobias Kraemer 1
&
Welf H. Weiger 2,3
&
Matthias H. J. Gouthier 1 & Maik Hammerschmidt 2
Received: 2 July 2018 / Accepted: 25 November 2019 # Academy of Marketing Science 2020
Abstract While previous studies have demonstrated that organizational pride (OP) enhances frontline employees’ customer-oriented behavior (COB), they have neglected to address the dynamics of the relationship. This research helps close this gap by elaborating on a theory of spirals positing that the extent of COB depends not only on current levels of OP but also on the direction and rate of OP change. In addition, the authors challenge the prevalent view that OP affects COB unidirectionally, instead predicting reciprocal loops. Hence, they propose that increases in OP repeatedly amplify COB and trigger an upward spiral, whereas decreases trigger a downward spiral. The results of a six-wave panel study support these predictions. Furthermore, the authors identify lower and upper boundaries of the spiral: while a certain threshold of OP is required to create momentum, the effects of further increases in the same variables diminish at high levels of OP and COB. Keywords Organizational pride . Customer-oriented behavior . Theory of spirals . Frontline employees . Change effects . Service marketing
In many service industries, frontline employees play an essential role in building profitable relationships with customers (Singh et al. 2017). It is therefore of utmost importance for organizations
Michael Brady served as Area Editor for this article. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00715-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Tobias Kraemer [email protected] Welf H. Weiger [email protected] Matthias H. J. Gouthier [email protected] Maik Hammerschmidt [email protected] 1
Institute for Management, University of Koblenz-Landau, Universitaetsstraße 1, 56070 Koblenz, Germany
2
Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Goettingen, Platz der Goettinger Sieben 3, 37073 Goettingen, Germany
3
College of Business, Alfaisal University, P.O. Box 50927, Riyadh 11533, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
to create an environment in which the frontline staff is inclined to display customer-oriented behavior (COB): behavior directly aimed at helping customers (Stock and Hoyer 2005). To encourage employees to engage in COB, several esteemed companies have emphasized the notion of organizational pride (OP), a positive feeling arising from belonging to a successful organization (Kraemer and Gouthier 2014). For example, The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain highlights OP as a central driver for its outstanding customer service (“I am proud to be Ritz-Carlton”). The power of OP in motivating employees was also emphasized in a recent study conducted at Facebook, which identi
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