Political behavior and service innovation: an empirical examination

Purpose At service firms, frontline employees (FLEs) influence customers and colleagues to advance innovation, so service innovation and new service development (NSD) are political. This study explores how individual political behavior affects NSD at the customer interface. Design/methodology/approach Using structural equation modeling, this study examines political behavior’s impact on employees (n = 306) in the innovation context. Additionally, a scenario-based written experiment assesses how political behavior influences innovation that affects customers (n = 248). Findings The findings reveal that political behavior positively affects employee–brand relationships and employees’ perceived and customers’ expected extra-role innovative service performance. These findings expand existing knowledge, demonstrating that individual political behavior is not merely a source of conflict but can enhance service organizations’ frontline innovation. Research limitations/implications Through its complex impact on NSD, political behavior requires careful conceptualization. Future research should explore political behavior’s duality to better understand its role in workplace effectiveness. Practical implications This study helps managers harness political behavior’s benefits while mitigating its drawbacks, particularly when competitive pressures create conflicts of interest that jeopardize positive innovation outcomes. Originality/value This study is the first to highlight political behavior’s theoretical significance in NSD and empirically connect the two concepts. Thus, we extend the NSD framework, demonstrate how political behavior can influence NSD outcomes, reframe organizational politics as a constructive force in service innovation, and propose future research directions.