Xavier Parent-Rocheleau, Kathleen Bentein, Gilles Simard and Michel Tremblay
This study sought to test two competing sets of hypotheses derived from two different theoretical perspectives regarding (1) the effects of leader–follower similarity and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study sought to test two competing sets of hypotheses derived from two different theoretical perspectives regarding (1) the effects of leader–follower similarity and dissimilarity in psychological resilience on the follower's absenteeism in times of organizational crisis and (2) the moderating effect of relational demography (gender and age similarity) in these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
Polynomial regression and response surface analysis were performed using data from 510 followers and 149 supervisors in a financial firm in Canada.
Findings
The results overall support the similarity–attraction perspective, but not the resource complementarity perspective. Dissimilarity in resilience was predictive of followers' absenteeism, and similarity in surface-level conditions (gender and age) attenuates the relational burdens triggered by resilience discrepancy.
Practical implications
The findings reiterate the importance of developing employees' resilience, while shedding light on the importance for managers of being aware of their potential misalignment with subordinates resilience.
Originality/value
The results (1) suggest that it is the actual (di)similarity with the leader, rather than leader's degree of resilience, that shapes followers' absenteeism and (2) add nuance to the resilience literature.
Details
Keywords
Michel Tremblay and Xavier Parent-Rocheleau
Drawing on the need–supply fit perspective, this study aims to examine how (mis)alignment between customer orientation (CO) and the service climate (SC) influences the affective…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the need–supply fit perspective, this study aims to examine how (mis)alignment between customer orientation (CO) and the service climate (SC) influences the affective organizational commitment and indirectly impacts employees’ customer-oriented behavior (COB) and customers’ word-of-mouth (WOM).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper used data from three different sources. The data set comprises 1,420 time-lagged observations from 725 employees surveyed at multiple time points, a total of 19,630 customers from 34 retail stores across multiple time points and the managers of the 34 stores, surveyed multiple times.
Findings
Employees’ affective commitment was found to be higher when CO and SC were both high. In case of misalignment, commitment is higher when the SC is stronger than the CO (compared to when the CO is stronger than SC). Employees’ commitment was positively related to subsequent store-level COBs, which in turn boosted customers’ WOM.
Originality/value
Very few studies have looked for impact of (mis)alignment of frontline employee characteristics with business unit features and how it relates to employees and customers responses.