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Article
Publication date: 2 May 2022

Andreas Klein, Sven Horak, Henning Ahlf and Katrin Nihalani

Research on the commitment to customer service (CCS) typically considers either trainable behavior or external stimuli such as financial incentives vital to CCS. Utilizing the…

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Abstract

Purpose

Research on the commitment to customer service (CCS) typically considers either trainable behavior or external stimuli such as financial incentives vital to CCS. Utilizing the cultural context of Confucian Asia, this study proposes a novel approach that shifts the focus towards the antecedents of the informal institutional environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This research considers four informal institutions typical for Confucian Asia about their influence on CCS: power distance, perceived individual independence, openness to change, and informal network ties. Hypotheses are tested in a structural equation model using data obtained from a South Korean subject pool.

Findings

Results show that informal institutions like power distance and network ties, and mediators like perceived individual independence and openness to change are positively related to CCS. Power distance and network ties also have a direct positive effect on openness to change. Moreover, power distance negatively affects perceived individual independence.

Research limitations/implications

The authors' findings contribute to the service management literature by showing that a given CCS of service employees can be explained by antecedents of the company's informal institutional environment.

Practical implications

From a human resource perspective, the informal institutional environment should be taken into account when establishing a supporting organizational culture and designing management training programs.

Originality/value

This research introduces the institutional view to services management research, focusing on the role that informal institutions play. In particular, factors like power distance and network ties that influence CCS are tested for the first time.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 60 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

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Article
Publication date: 19 September 2016

Sven Horak and Katrin Nihalani

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of informal Korean social networks (Yongo) on sales activities in Korea, by focussing in particular on required vertical…

849

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of informal Korean social networks (Yongo) on sales activities in Korea, by focussing in particular on required vertical core competencies.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw on expert interview data gathered in Korea in two waves (2009 and 2012). Whereas first-wave interviews served to identify the influence of Yongo on sales management in general, second-wave interviews data – gathered from a Korean auto maker, a Korean supplier, and an international supplier – served to derive vertical core competencies vital for sales executives in Korea.

Findings

The authors find Yongo to be an indispensable aspect of relationship management in Korea. Further, the authors propose ten vertical core competencies and skills sales managers in Korea need to possess, e.g., respecting strong hierarchical supplier-customer relations, the ability to engage in relational contracts, establish trustful relationships, and perform in a risk-taking manner in a dynamic environment.

Originality/value

So far neither Yongo nor its impact on successful sales management in Korea has been analyzed. Hence, this research provides initial insights into the modes of action of Yongo in sales management, which is of particular importance for management consultants and international sales managers and executives.

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