Training: Can it be a tool to boost service-oriented citizenship behaviors?

Abstract

In order to stay on top of the competition game, service providers need to encourage patterns of service-oriented behaviors that are bound to satisfy their customers. High quality service delivery by employees may be achieved through training. The present study aims at testing a model linking training and service-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors (SO-OCBs). A total of 290 customer-contact hotel employees participated in the survey. Data was analyzed using partial least squares (PLS). The results demonstrate that training had a direct impact on the specific dimensions of employees' service-oriented citizenship behaviors. The findings offered support for the validity of the social exchange theory in explaining the relationship between training and SO-OCBs within the context of a non-Western sample. In a practical sense, managers should be cognizant of the fact that existing employees should be given training especially on-the-job type on a regular basis to upgrade their job knowledge, skills, and competencies. Through training, employees are likely to become more motivated and more willing to engage in service-oriented behaviors that extend beyond their call of duty.