Harnessing innovation success in hotels: the interplay among key drivers of new service performance

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examine the interplay among three key drivers of service innovation success in the hospitality industry. Specifically, how internal marketing practices in hotels influence frontline employee involvement, training and empowerment for the new service provision (frontline employee ITE) and new service advantage. The study also analyzes how success factors affect new service internal and external performance. Design/methodology/approach Using data collected from managers of 256 hotels located in Spain, the model is tested through structural equation modeling data analysis. Findings Internal marketing practices have a positive and direct effect on frontline employee ITE, which, in turn, strengthens new service advantage. Frontline employee ITE also has a positive effect on the employees’ satisfaction and motivation (new service employee outcomes). New service employee outcomes and new service advantage reinforce the new service customer outcomes in terms of customer’s loyalty, improved hotel image and perceived leadership. Both new service employee and customer outcomes benefit new service market outcomes. Research limitations/implications The findings are obtained from a cross-sectional study. Hotel managers must pay particular attention to internal marketing practices, as they foster key drivers of new service success that ultimately improve new service internal and external performance. Originality/value This study extends the literature on service innovation success providing for the first time a study of the interrelationships among organizational and project-level new service success factors in the hospitality context.

Green mindfulness and green creativity nexus in hospitality industry: examining the effects of green process engagement and CSR

“…For Pakistan, this sector contributed 5.9% to national GDP with 4.7% growth in 2019; and represents 6.2% of the country's total employment (WTTA, 2020). Being an integral part of the tourism and hospitality industry, the productivity of the hotel sector depends significantly upon the performance of its employees, such as frontline managers (Pascual-Fern andez et al, 2020). Particularly, in terms of pro-environmental outcomes, hospitality employees' performance is greatly influenced by contextual attributes such as their awareness about environmental responsibility, active engagement in green processes and their CSR understanding and perception (Chen et al, 2014;Memmert, 2007;Pham et al, 2020).…”

More than lip service to internal market orientation: a multilevel investigation of the role of internal service quality

“…Although the subsequent impact of internal service quality on the organization (e.g. organization commitment) has been confirmed in many studies (Luo et al, 2019;Serra-Cantallops et al, 2020;Heskett et al, 2008;Prentice et al, 2017;Pascual-Fern andez et al, 2020), the upward extension on the service-profit chain model such as the relationship between IMO and internal service quality has not been discussed and verified. Prior cross-sectional literature suggests that internal service quality is a form of IMO (Back et al, 2011;Buil et al, 2016).…”

“…Differently, internal service quality is another important resource. Strong internal service quality satisfies employees through providing social affective demands, practical and physical support (Pascual-Fern andez et al, 2020;Prentice et al, 2017). The main element of COR theory is the substitution hypothesis, which suggests that individuals tend to preserve valued resources, while resource substitution is a method to achieve this goal (Hobfoll and Leiberman, 1987).…”

“…First, through integrating SDT (Gagné and Deci, 2005;Ryan and Deci, 2000), this research extends the service-profit chain model to the internal service quality literature. Although the subsequent outcomes of internal service quality have been widely discussed in the service-profit chain literature (Pascual-Fern andez et al, 2020;Prentice et al, 2017), research was called for focusing on the plausible intervening and contingency effects of internal service quality that could provide new insights to the service-profit chain model (Pascual-Fern andez et al, 2020;Solnet et al, 2018;Prentice et al, 2017). The moderating role of internal service quality contributes to the service-profit chain literature by demonstrating the extrinsic aspect's Role of internal service quality interaction with organizational efforts and supports and the intrinsic aspect with employees' job (task) satisfaction on the job (task) itself.…”

“…Increased these employees' initial job (task) interest would intrinsically motivate their self-fulfilling, commitment and retainment to their organizations (Li and Kim, 2019). Several pieces of hospitality research (Pascual-Fern andez et al, 2020) draws on the service-profit chain (i.e. organizational efforts would be transformed into employee perceptions and behaviors and then, customer satisfaction and finally profits) (Heskett et al, 2008) and emphasizes the importance of providing favorable working conditions (e.g.…”