Customer incivility as an identity threat for frontline employees: The mitigating role of organizational rewards

Achilleas Boukis, Christos Koritos, Avraam Papastathopoulos, Dimitris Buhalis*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

This work proposes identity theory as a novel theoretical lens for interpreting frontline employees’ varied behavioral responses to customer incivility in tourism and hospitality. Our findings advance pertinent research by demonstrating that customer incivility can constitute a dual identity threat for frontline employees (i.e., threat towards their individual and collective identity). Through two experimental studies, it is demonstrated that customer incivility directed at frontline employees’ individual identity has a more adverse effect on their psychological responses (i.e., self-esteem and role stress) than their citizenship behavior (i.e., willingness to report customer complaints). Study 1 reveals that non-monetary rewards are more effective in reducing the adverse effects of customer incivility on frontline employees’ psychological responses than monetary rewards, whereas monetary rewards enhance their citizenship behavior more than non-monetary rewards. Study 2 illustrates that providing frontline employees with the ability to choose the reward themselves (vs no reward choice) has an equally strong buffering effect on their psychological responses and citizenship behavior, after customer incivility incidents. Based on these findings, a four-step appraisal process is proposed that managers can implement following customer incivility incidents.
Original languageEnglish
Article number103555
Number of pages15
JournalAnnals of Tourism Research
Volume100
Early online date31 Mar 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2023

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