Where do managers fit in the profit chain? Assessing managerial job performance in the hospitality industry

ABSTRACT

Despite the centrality of service-profit chain research in the services and hospitality literatures, the role of managers in the service chain remains under-researched. This paper examines the impact of customer service orientation, initiating structure, tenure potential, and managerial relational orientation on the job performance of managers in the hospitality industry. The results reveal that relational orientation, initiating structure, and organizational tenure potential predict job performance, while customer service orientation does not. Thus, while having a customer orientation is vital to frontline employee performance, it does not improve managerial job performance. Implications for the management of hospitality personnel are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• customer service orientation
• hospitality managers
• job performance
• service climate
• service-profit chain