Basic assumptions of service employees : Influence on employee job outcomes
Description
PhD thesis in Hotel and tourism management
Original version
Basic assumptions of service employees : Influence on employee job outcomes by Olga Gjerald, Stavanger : University of Stavanger, 2010 (PhD thesis UiS, no. 108)Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of
employee basic assumptions in the service context, to gain a better
knowledge of the dimensionality of the construct, its measurement, and
its influence on service employee job performance. This thesis consists
of one theoretical paper, three empirical papers, and an overview
presenting the theoretical background of the studies, the aims and major
findings of the conducted studies, as well as an overall discussion of the
four papers presented.
The aims of the thesis are (1) to conduct a systematic review of
the construct of basic assumptions and how it could be applied to
service management; (2) to empirically explore the content of basic
assumptions in the service context; (3) to empirically test the
dimensionality of the basic assumptions construct in service settings;
and, (4) to validate the dimensionality of the construct nomologically,
and to investigate how basic assumptions of service employees relate to
individual employee job outcomes. These aims are explored in the four
papers which constitute the thesis. All papers are supported by data
collected specifically for this thesis.
The results show that the construct of assumptions is a
promising concept by which to approach the social cognition of service
employees (Paper 1). Basic assumptions of service employees can be
broadly described by seven categories (predictability, control, affect,
responsibility, competence, communication, and ethics) elicited
empirically by repertory grid and laddering techniques (Paper 2). Four
dimensions of service employee basic assumptions (customer control,
customer affect, co-worker competence and co-worker responsibility)
are significantly related to several important individual employee
outcomes: job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover
intentions (Paper 3), job performance, and market-oriented behaviors
(Paper 4). In summary, the findings point to the importance of
conceptualizing this construct in relation to service management.
Has parts
Gjerald, O., & Øgaard, T. (2008). Why should hospitality management focus more on the construct of basic assumptions? A review and research agenda. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 8(4), 294-316.Gjerald, O., & Øgaard, T. (2010). Eliciting and analysing the basic assumptions of hospitality employees about guests, co-workers and competitors. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 29(3), 476-487.
Gjerald, O., & Øgaard, T. (2010). Exploring the measurement of basic assumptions about guests and co-workers in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 22(6), pp. 887-909
Gjerald, O., & Øgaard, T. (2012). Basic assumptions of service employees: Influence on employees’ job performance and marketoriented behaviors. International Journal of Business Administration, 3(6)