Employee-customer identification and service quality in the hospitality industry

Purpose This research seeks to better understand the impact of employee-customer identification on critical job outcomes such as customer orientation and commitment to service quality. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 316 hotel/motel employees was used for the study. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings Results show a positive relationship between ethical values person-organization fit and employee-customer identification indicating that when customer-contact service employees’ ethical values align with those of the organization, they identify with customers more closely. Results also suggest that when employees identify with customers they are likely to be more customer-oriented and committed to providing service quality. Originality/value We learn how the relationship between employee and organization impacts employee-customer identification. Furthermore, we better comprehend the impact of employee-customer identification on critical outcomes in the hospitality industry such as customer orientation and commitment to service quality.