Basic Assumptions of Service Employees: Influence on Job Performance and Market-oriented Behaviors

Understanding what drives frontline service employees in their interactions with guests and customers is a focal question in service management. Employees¡¯ basic assumptions may determine employee performance and work behavior in several domains. This study investigates the relation of service employees¡¯ basic assumptions about customers and co-workers with subjective job performance and market-oriented behaviors of service employees. The study sample consists of 241 hotel employees. The analyses revealed that basic assumption about co-worker competence associated positively with customer intelligence generation, intelligence dissemination, and responsiveness. The basic assumption about customer control related positively with perceived customer-related performance but negatively with customer intelligence generation and responsiveness. The results of the study suggest that basic assumptions about co-workers can predict customer-related behavior; therefore, researchers should consider that the basic assumptions about customers significantly influence job performance towards customers.