How and to What Extent Customer Orientation Leads to Deep Acting: The Roles of Emotional Sensitivity and Dysfunctional Customer Behavior Severity

摘要

Customers and managers expect frontline employees (FLEs) to display positive emotions during service encounters. It is almost impossible, however, for FLEs to be in positive moods all the time when delivering services. As a result, FLEs are motivated to engage in emotional labor (Broth-eridge & Lee, 2002). Emotional labor, the process by which FLEs' regulate their emotions to show desirable displays, is often achieved by two means (Grandey, 2000): deep acting (modifying inner feelings to deliver positive emotional display) and surface acting (suppressing true feelings to fake positive emotional display). Deep acting, but not surface acting, enhances employee well-being and organizational commitment (Cho, 2012; Totterdell & Holman, 2003) and increases customers' positive attitudes toward services (Gountas, Ewing, Gountas, 2007; Groth, Hennig-Thurau, & Walsh, 2009). This research aims to understand when and to what extent customer oreintation leads to deep acting. Drawing on goal setting theory (Locke & Latham, 2002), I propose that FLEs' personal goal of customer oreintation encourages the goal performance of deep acting through their goal-relevant skill of emotional sensitivity. In addition, I propose that the positive effects of customer oreintation on deep acting vary based on the severity of dysfunctional eus-turner behavior (DCB).