Title: Service providers' use of emotional competencies and perceived workgroup emotional climate to predict customer and provider satisfaction with service encounters

Authors: Charmine E.J. Hartel, Helen Gough, Gunter F. Hartel

Addresses: Department of Management, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia. ' Tavis Consulting, G.P.O. Box 2082, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia. ' CSL Limited, 45 Poplar Rd., Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia

Abstract: We use the customer service context to examine the impact observations of other|s emotional displays have on people from multiple perspectives, including customers| observations of service provider displays, service providers| observations of customer displays in response to their displays in service encounters, and service providers| observations of aggregate emotional displays in their workgroup. Emotional displays are described in terms of Goleman|s notion of personal and social emotional competencies. The concept of emotional climate is used to describe individuals| observations regarding aggregate emotional displays in their workgroup. An Experience Sampling Method study of 120-service encounters show that providers| perceptions of the quality of workgroup emotional climate predicted positively their overall job satisfaction. The provider|s emotional competence affected the outcome of the encounter in a complex way and predicted positively the workgroup emotional climate. The predictive nature of these results is encouraging, suggesting that a more detailed analysis would be rewarding.

Keywords: emotional competencies; emotional climate; customer service; satisfaction; emotions; workgroups.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWOE.2006.010790

International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, 2006 Vol.1 No.3, pp.232 - 254

Published online: 03 Sep 2006 *

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