The current study aims to investigate whether, how and when supervisor developmental feedback influences hospitality employees' proactive customer service performance. Drawing on social exchange theory, we specifically examine the mediating role of felt obligation and the moderating role of positive reciprocity beliefs.
Data were collected from 326 hospitality employees at five hotels in Nanjing and Qingdao, China. Statistical analysis was performed using Hayes' PROCESS macro methodology.
Our results demonstrate that supervisor developmental feedback is positively related to hospitality employees' proactive customer service performance, with felt obligation mediating this relationship. Additionally, positive reciprocity beliefs strengthen the positive effect of supervisor developmental feedback on felt obligation.
These findings provide valuable insights for hotel managers on how to leverage supervisor developmental feedback to cultivate employees' proactive customer service performance.
Moving beyond the existing hospitality literature's focus on leadership styles, this study explores the antecedents of proactive customer service performance through the lens of leader behaviors. Additionally, this study introduces an employee-organization relationship perspective, providing new insights into the social exchange effect of supervisor developmental feedback.
