Fostering Frontline Employees’ Innovative Service Behavior: The Role of Workplace Friendship and Knowledge Sharing Process

Abstract Background and purpose: The hospitality industries need to create benevolent work environment and social activities that stimulate frontline service employees (FLEs) innovative behavior. Drawing on social capital theory, this study aims to examine the influence of workplace friendship on promoting FLEs’ innovative service behavior. This study also examines the mediating role of knowledge sharing process (knowledge collecting and knowledge donating) on the relationship between workplace friendship and FLEs’ innovative service behavior. Design/Methodology/Approach: For data collection, the convenience sampling method is applied to survey 163 frontline employees in 3- and 4-stars tourist hotels located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The present study performed structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) software Smart-PLS v3.0 to test the hypotheses. Results: The result showed that workplace friendship has significant influence on FLEs’ innovative service behavior. Also, this study empirically found that workplace friendship influence FLEs’ innovative service behavior directly and indirectly trough knowledge collecting. Interestingly, knowledge donating has insignificant effect on FLEs innovative service behavior. Conclusion: We conclude that workplace friendship could create a favorable work environment that fostering FLEs innovative service behavior trough knowledge sharing process. Therefore, this research adds to the body of knowledge by pointing out the influence of workplace friendship and knowledge sharing process on FLEs innovative service behavior. This present study also provides the human resource practice regarding how to nurturing workplace friendship that stimulates FLEs innovative work behavior.