Antecedents of Emotional Display Rule Commitment

This study examined the antecedents of commitment to emotional display rules for customer service employees in typical and incivility customer service interactions. Results showed that expectancy and valence were unique predictors of the commitment to display positive emotions to customers in typical customer interaction scenarios, whereas expectancy and motivational force (i.e., the product of expectancy and valence) were unique predictors of commitment in incivility interaction scenarios. Further, in both situations, agreeableness and reward structure were significant predictors of expectancy, valence, and motivational force and had indirect effects on display rule commitment. Finally, expectancy, valence, motivational force, and display rule commitment were lower in the incivility customer interaction condition compared to the typical interaction condition, suggesting that individuals had less motivation to display positive emotions when dealing with an uncivil customer.