Department of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Seville, 41018 Seville, Spain.
Social Psychology Department, Faculty of Psychology, University of Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 31;18(15):8137. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18158137.
Social dynamics at work are crucial for understanding how internal processes in an organization are related to their performance and productivity. Following the Service-Profit Chain (SPC) theory, this study analyses, at the work-unit level, how interpersonal conflicts are related to service quality in the hospitality and tourism industry through the shared experience of well-being in the work unit. In other words, we examine the mediating role of two main aspects of work-related well-being in the unit (job satisfaction and burnout) on the relationship between interpersonal conflicts in the unit and customers' perceptions of service quality. To do so, we conducted a cross-sectional survey study that collected data from 398 service employees (91 work units) and 1233 customers from three and four-star hotels with restaurant in Spain. Using path analysis in Structural Equation Models, our results supported a full mediation model at the work-unit level: interpersonal conflicts in the work unit are related to customers' service quality perceptions through the work-unit's well-being (job satisfaction and burnout). Therefore, our findings extend the SPC theory by integrating group dynamics and employees' experiences, which should be enhanced through occupational health-oriented policies and practices to increase service quality. In this sense, this study has implications for the development of intervention programs aiming at improving the occupational well-being and quality of service in hospitality and tourism settings.
工作中的社会动态对于理解组织内部过程如何与其绩效和生产力相关至关重要。本研究遵循服务利润链（SPC）理论，在工作单位层面上分析了人际冲突如何通过工作单位的共同幸福感与酒店和旅游行业的服务质量相关。换句话说，我们检验了工作相关幸福感的两个主要方面（工作满意度和倦怠）在单位人际冲突与客户对服务质量的感知之间的关系中的中介作用。为此，我们进行了一项横断面调查研究，从西班牙拥有餐厅的三、四星级酒店收集了 398 名服务员工（91 个工作单位）和 1233 名顾客的数据。使用结构方程模型中的路径分析，我们的结果支持工作单位层面的完全中介模型：工作单位中的人际冲突通过工作单位的幸福感（工作满意度和倦怠）与客户的服务质量感知相关。因此，我们的研究结果通过整合群体动态和员工体验扩展了 SPC 理论，这应该通过以职业健康为导向的政策和实践来增强，以提高服务质量。从这个意义上说，这项研究对于制定旨在改善酒店和旅游环境中的职业幸福感和服务质量的干预计划具有重要意义。
