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Buffering the negative effects of employee surface acting: the moderating role of employee-customer relationship strength and personalized services.
J Appl Psychol. 2014 Mar; 99(2):341-50.JA

Abstract

The impact of emotional labor on customer outcomes is gaining considerable attention in the literature, with research suggesting that the authenticity of emotional displays may positively impact customer outcomes. However, research investigating the impact of more inauthentic emotions on service delivery outcomes is mixed (see Chi, Grandey, Diamond, & Krimmel, 2011). This study explores 2 potential reasons for why the service outcomes of inauthentic emotions are largely inconsistent: the impact of distinct surface acting strategies and the role of service delivery context. Drawing on social-functional theories of emotions, we surveyed 243 dyads of employees and customers from a wide variety of services to examine the links between employee surface acting and customer service satisfaction, and whether this relationship is moderated by relationship strength and service personalization. Our findings suggest that faking positive emotions has no bearing on service satisfaction, but suppressing negative emotions interacts with contextual factors to predict customers' service satisfaction, in line with social-functional theories of emotions. Specifically, customers who know the employee well are less sensitive to the negative effects of suppressed negative emotions, and customers in highly personalized service encounters are more sensitive to the negative effects of suppressed negative emotions. We conclude with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications.

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Wang KL
Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales.
Groth M
Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales.

MeSH

AdultConsumer BehaviorEmotionsEmploymentFemaleHumansInterpersonal RelationsMaleYoung Adult

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

24079672

Citation

Wang, Karyn L., and Markus Groth. "Buffering the Negative Effects of Employee Surface Acting: the Moderating Role of Employee-customer Relationship Strength and Personalized Services." The Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 99, no. 2, 2014, pp. 341-50.
Wang KL, Groth M. Buffering the negative effects of employee surface acting: the moderating role of employee-customer relationship strength and personalized services. J Appl Psychol. 2014;99(2):341-50.
Wang, K. L., & Groth, M. (2014). Buffering the negative effects of employee surface acting: the moderating role of employee-customer relationship strength and personalized services. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(2), 341-50. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034428
Wang KL, Groth M. Buffering the Negative Effects of Employee Surface Acting: the Moderating Role of Employee-customer Relationship Strength and Personalized Services. J Appl Psychol. 2014;99(2):341-50. PubMed PMID: 24079672.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Buffering the negative effects of employee surface acting: the moderating role of employee-customer relationship strength and personalized services. AU - Wang,Karyn L, AU - Groth,Markus, Y1 - 2013/09/30/ PY - 2013/10/2/entrez PY - 2013/10/2/pubmed PY - 2015/4/14/medline SP - 341 EP - 50 JF - The Journal of applied psychology JO - J Appl Psychol VL - 99 IS - 2 N2 - The impact of emotional labor on customer outcomes is gaining considerable attention in the literature, with research suggesting that the authenticity of emotional displays may positively impact customer outcomes. However, research investigating the impact of more inauthentic emotions on service delivery outcomes is mixed (see Chi, Grandey, Diamond, & Krimmel, 2011). This study explores 2 potential reasons for why the service outcomes of inauthentic emotions are largely inconsistent: the impact of distinct surface acting strategies and the role of service delivery context. Drawing on social-functional theories of emotions, we surveyed 243 dyads of employees and customers from a wide variety of services to examine the links between employee surface acting and customer service satisfaction, and whether this relationship is moderated by relationship strength and service personalization. Our findings suggest that faking positive emotions has no bearing on service satisfaction, but suppressing negative emotions interacts with contextual factors to predict customers' service satisfaction, in line with social-functional theories of emotions. Specifically, customers who know the employee well are less sensitive to the negative effects of suppressed negative emotions, and customers in highly personalized service encounters are more sensitive to the negative effects of suppressed negative emotions. We conclude with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications. SN - 1939-1854 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/24079672/Buffering_the_negative_effects_of_employee_surface_acting:_the_moderating_role_of_employee_customer_relationship_strength_and_personalized_services_ L2 - http://content.apa.org/journals/apl/99/2/341 DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -