The relationships among leadership, goal orientation, and service quality in high-contact service industries: An empirical study

• Published in: International journal of production economics Vol. 141; no. 2; pp. 452 - 464
• Main Authors: Yee, Rachel W.Y., Lee, Peter K.C., Yeung, Andy C.L., Cheng, T.C.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.02.2013; Elsevier Sequoia S.A
• Subjects: Employees; Goal setting; Hypothesis testing; Leadership; Learning goal orientation; Organizational behavior; Performance goal orientation; Quality of service; Service industries; Service quality; Studies; Transactional leadership; Transformational leadership; Hong Kong China; China; Learning goal orientation; Transformational leadership; Transactional leadership; Performance goal orientation; Service quality
• ISSN: 0925-5273; 1873-7579
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2011.12.012

High-contact service industries are characterized by close interaction between service employees and customers, and diverse customer needs. Such characteristics pose a great challenge to the delivery of services of superior quality. In this research we conceptually explore and empirically examine several attitudinal and motivational factors of customer-contact employees, and the management style of managers as antecedents to service quality in high-contact service sectors. Based on dyadic data collected from 230 service firms in Hong Kong, we examine the relationships among transformational leadership, transactional leadership, affective organizational commitment, learning goal orientation, performance goal orientation, and service quality. We find that learning goal orientation is more effective than performance goal orientation in fostering service quality in the high-contact service context. We also observe that transformational leadership tends to be more effective than transactional leadership in influencing employee attitude in high-contact service firms. This research pioneers theory-driven examination of service quality in high-contact service firms using data collected from service employees and shop managers for hypothesis testing.