Esther Gracia

Positive emotions: the connection between customer quality evaluations and loyalty.

Although customer quality evaluations is a recognized precursor to loyalty, several studies have indicated that loyalty also depends on favorable customer emotions toward a hotel or restaurant. This model of developing loyalty can be summarized as a process that begins with the customer’s favorable assessment of service quality; continues with positive feelings toward the establishment; and ends with loyalty behavior, including repeat purchases and favorable recommendations. To assess this process, a cognitive-affective-conative model is tested, using separate constructs to clarify the specific role of customers’ positive affective responses in enhancing customer loyalty. Based on a sample of 586 hotel customers and 571 restaurant customers from 120 Spanish establishments, the results of the multigroup structural equation modeling analyses confirmed the proposed hypothesis that service quality increases positive affective responses, and these, in turn, increase customer loyalty. Thus, positive affective responses partially mediate the relationship between service quality perceptions and customer loyalty in hotels and restaurants simultaneously. These results suggest that customer loyalty in hotels and restaurants may follow a process were cognitive evaluations and emotions play an important role.

Survey feedback improves service quality perceptions among employees of an NGO: an organizational-level positive intervention

ABSTRACT The goal of this research study is to examine whether employees’ service quality perceptions improve after they participate in survey-feedback sessions. We tested an organizational-level positive intervention with the participation of 49 small organizations pertaining to an NGO for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Data were collected from employees (n = 430) and family members (n = 625), then informing employees about service quality perceptions. We hypothesized that, compared to family members, employees would underestimate the service quality they deliver, and that survey-feedback sessions would help to improve employees’ perceptions. We conducted a randomized controlled trial study, analyzing data at the organizational level. Randomly selected participants – employees and family members – were asked to assess functional and relational service quality (T1). One month later, 25 organizations participated in a survey-feedback session. Data were collected again 4 months after the first assessment (T2) in both the survey-feedback and control conditions. The t-test and ANOVA analyses showed that employees underestimate their service quality, and that survey feedback improves their relational service quality perceptions. The manuscript concludes with theoretical and practical implications of the study.

Intergroup Conflict and Rational Decision Making

The literature has been relatively silent about post-conflict processes. However, understanding the way humans deal with post-conflict situations is a challenge in our societies. With this in mind, we focus the present study on the rationality of cooperative decision making after an intergroup conflict, i.e., the extent to which groups take advantage of post-conflict situations to obtain benefits from collaborating with the other group involved in the conflict. Based on dual-process theories of thinking and affect heuristic, we propose that intergroup conflict hinders the rationality of cooperative decision making. We also hypothesize that this rationality improves when groups are involved in an in-group deliberative discussion. Results of a laboratory experiment support the idea that intergroup conflict –associated with indicators of the activation of negative feelings (negative affect state and heart rate)– has a negative effect on the aforementioned rationality over time and on both group and individual decision making. Although intergroup conflict leads to sub-optimal decision making, rationality improves when groups and individuals subjected to intergroup conflict make decisions after an in-group deliberative discussion. Additionally, the increased rationality of the group decision making after the deliberative discussion is transferred to subsequent individual decision making.

The role of organizational facilitators in promoting job-related mental health and group service effectiveness: a two-wave analysis

ABSTRACT This study aimed to add to knowledge by providing a more systematic integration of work characteristics, workers’ health and performance. The two-wave multi-source study was conducted to test the relationship over time between the healthy states of groups of service-oriented workers and their service effectiveness when their organizations provide facilitators such as training, technical support and autonomy. The study takes healthy states to be a composite of affective-motivational and competent collective states (collective vigour and service competence) and service effectiveness. Service effectiveness was a combination of service quality as assessed by customers and their loyalty intentions. Data from 53 hotels and restaurants in Spain were aggregated from 256 boundary workers (i.e. workers in direct contact with customers) and 530 customers at Time 1 and from 470 customers at Time 2 six month later. Structural equation modelling showed that organizational facilitators at Time 1 were related to the service effectiveness reported by customers at Time 2, and also that there was a relationship between service effectiveness at Time 1 and the healthy states reported by the groups at Time 2. That is, contrary to what is widely believed, there was an influence of performance on well-being.

The Moderating Role of Performance in the Link From Interactional Justice Climate to Mutual Trust Between Managers and Team Members

The main goal of this study was to examine the interaction between team members’ performance and interactional justice climate in predicting mutual trust between managers and team members. A total of 93 small centers devoted to the attention of people with intellectual disability participated in the study. In each center, the manager (N = 93) and a group of team members (N = 746) were surveyed. On average, team members were 36.2 years old (SD = 9.3), whereas managers were 41.2 years old (SD = 8.8). The interaction between interactional justice climate and performance was statistically significant. Team members’ performance strengthened the link from interactional justice climate to mutual trust.

Dialogue between workers and family members is related to their attitudes towards self-determination of individuals with intellectual disability

ABSTRACT Background: This study focused on attitudes of workers and family members towards self-determination of individuals with intellectual disability. First, we compare their self-determination attitudes. Second, we test the link from mutual communication (workers and family members perceive that the other party openly dialogues about self-determination) to individual attitudes. Finally, we examine the relationship between mutual communication and affinity in attitudes. Method: We conducted a survey study with 111 organisations (914 workers and 845 family members). Results: Workers have more positive attitudes than family members. In addition, high mutual communication was associated with individual positive attitudes towards self-determination and shared attitudes between workers and family members. Conclusions: When both workers and family members perceive that the other party is accessible and willing to engage in open dialogue about self-determination issues, their attitudes converge.

Rational-experiential thinking style and rational intergroup cooperation: the moderating role of intergroup conflict / Estilos de pensamiento racional-experiencial y la cooperación intergrupal racional: el rol modulador del conflicto intergrupal

Abstract Cooperative relationships between groups are difficult because of the high human capability to differentiate between in-group vs. out-group members. This obstacle exists even when the groups can obtain benefits for themselves from cooperation with other groups (rational cooperation). Based on an interactionist approach, the authors propose that personal (individual differences) and situational (conflicts) factors contribute to rational intergroup cooperation. The authors conducted a preliminary correlational study (Study 1) and an experimental investigation (Study 2). In Study 1, the authors examined, with 105 participants, the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Rational–Experiential Inventory (REI), measuring individual differences in information processing. In Study 2, the authors conducted an experimental investigation with 141 participants, testing the role of individual differences and conflict in intergroup rational cooperation. Findings of Study 1 showed that the scale has adequate psychometric properties. Results of Study 2 confirmed that the existence of both manipulated and perceived intergroup conflict reduces the magnitudes of the relationships between rational ability and rational cooperation. In addition, perceived intergroup conflict increased the magnitude of the links from experiential ability and experimental engagement to rational cooperation. Both individual differences and previous conflict have a role in predicting rational intergroup cooperation. According to the interactionist approach, personal and situational factors should be considered in the understanding of intergroup relationships.

Stress, Coping, and Work Engagement within the Specific Job Context: Comment on Kaiseler, et al. (2014)

This work discusses the use of tools that make use of context information. Comments are based on a previous study that looked into the relationship between stressors, coping, and work engagement (Kaiseler, Queirós, Passos & Sousa, 2014). A set of propositions are provided for research that will allow the design of contextualized stress interventions in specific job settings.