The effects of managerial job engagement and behavioral integrity on employee commitment to service quality

Purpose Drawing on social influence theory, we explore the important phenomena of social identification and internalization within the manager–frontline employee service context. Specifically, we demonstrate how these two forms of social influence can be used to explain the relationships between perceived managerial job engagement, perceived managerial behavioral integrity, employee commitment to service quality (ECSQ) and employee outcomes. Design/methodology/approach An empirical study was conducted based on multi-source data from 258 service employees and 23 managers, with multilevel modeling used to test hypotheses. Findings We found that perceived managerial job engagement and managerial behavioral integrity significantly impact ECSQ, and that job autonomy and bi-communication moderate the impact of perceived managerial job engagement on ECSQ, which in turn promotes positive employee outcomes. Originality/value Current service literature largely focuses on the impact of traditional leadership behaviors on frontline service employee workplace performance while ignoring value-based leadership behaviors. To address the research gap, this study explains how both types of leadership behaviors drive service employees’ behaviors through service employees’ commitment to service quality. The moderating role of frontline service employee perceived job autonomy and bi-communication further extend the literature and suggest the contingent nature of managerial behaviors in affecting frontline service employee behaviors.