Research on mechanism of servant leadership on employees' customer-oriented deviance: the mediating role of psychological security and the moderating role of error management climate
Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics
ISSN: 1355-5855
Article publication date: 18 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
In the era of the service economy, the personalized needs of customers are increasing rapidly. It often occurs that front-line employees bend organizational rules to help customers. The study sought to explore the influence mechanism of servant leadership on specific dimensions of customer-oriented deviance from the manager’s perspective, examine the mediating role of psychological security, and the moderating role of error management climate in the process.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted an online survey study in China from April 10 to 29, 2023. We use online survey questionnaire technique and random sampling method for data collection. The authors collected 385 questionnaires from China and tested the model by SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0.
Findings
The results show that servant leadership significantly promotes employees' deviant customer-oriented behaviors, psychological security plays a mediating role between servant leadership and deviant customer-oriented behaviors, and error management climate has a positive moderating effect between servant leadership and deviant customer-oriented behaviors.
Originality/value
This study explores the influence mechanism of servant leadership on deviant customer-oriented behaviors. The results of this study not only enrich the theoretical research on the formation mechanism of deviant customer-oriented behaviors but also provide a reference for leaders to correctly view and effectively manage employees' deviant customer-oriented behaviors.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China, Research on the International Cognitive Mechanism and Communication Strategy of Chinese Cultural Brand Image, grant number 18BKS165.
Data sharing statement: The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.
Author contributions: All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Disclosure: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of commercial or financial relationships that could be constructed as a potential conflict of interest.
Citation
Zhang, Y., Zhao, J. and Qin, J. (2024), "Research on mechanism of servant leadership on employees' customer-oriented deviance: the mediating role of psychological security and the moderating role of error management climate", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-09-2023-0865
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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