We argue that the strength with which the organization communicates expectations regarding the appropriate emotional expression toward customers (i.e., explicitness of display rules) has an inverted U-shaped relationship with service delivery behaviors, customer satisfaction, and sales performance. Further, we argue that service organizations need a particular blend of explicitness of display rules and role discretion for the purpose of optimizing sales performance. As hypothesized, findings from 2 samples of salespeople suggest that either high or low explicitness of display rules impedes service delivery behaviors and sales performance, which peaks at moderate explicitness of display rules and high role discretion. The findings also suggest that the explicitness of display rules has a positive relationship with customer satisfaction.
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- Revisiting the Debate on the Relationship Between Display Rules and Performance: Considering the Explicitness of Display Rules
- Christoforou, Paraskevi S. (Author)
- Ashforth, Blake (Author)
- W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
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Digital object identifier: 10.1037/a0036871
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Identifier TypeInternational standard serial numberIdentifier Value8750-7587
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Identifier TypeInternational standard serial numberIdentifier Value1522-1601
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Copyright 2015 American Psychological Association. This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record. The final published version can be viewed at http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0036871
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Christoforou, Paraskevi S., & Ashforth, Blake E. (2015). Revisiting the Debate on the Relationship Between Display Rules and Performance: Considering the Explicitness of Display Rules. JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, 100(1), 249-261. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0036871