The roles of employee–employee collaboration and employee–customer collaboration in fitness service innovation: a comparison of frontline and non-frontline employees

Abstract

Purpose

In this study the authors examined the impact of employees' collaborative behaviours with colleagues and customers (i.e. employee–employee collaboration and employee–customer collaboration) on their creative self-efficacy and service innovation from the perspective of service-dominant logic. The authors also examined the differences between frontline and non-frontline fitness service employees in our research model. This study aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were fitness-centre employees in Taiwan recruited via convenience sampling. A total of 410 participants completed our online survey, and the authors analysed the data using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The authors found that collaboration with both colleagues and customers had a positive impact on employees' creative self-efficacy. Collaboration with colleagues directly affected service innovation, while collaboration with customers indirectly affected service innovation via creative self-efficacy. In addition, there was a significant difference between frontline and non-frontline employees in our research model. Specifically, the path from collaboration with customers to creative self-efficacy was stronger for frontline employees, and the path from creative self-efficacy to service innovation was stronger for non-frontline employees.

Originality/value

This study improves the understanding of the way in which different collaborative behaviours promote employees' creative self-efficacy and service innovation. Further, it is the first to identify the difference between frontline and non-frontline employees and it shows how the effects of collaborative behaviours differ between them in the context of fitness services.

Citation

Wang, F.-J., Chiu, W., Tseng, K.-F. and Cho, H. (2023), "The roles of employee–employee collaboration and employee–customer collaboration in fitness service innovation: a comparison of frontline and non-frontline employees", International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 793-813. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-12-2022-0206