Innovative Service Behaviors of Hotel Employees: An Internal Service Perspective

ABSTRACT In the face of fierce competition in the hospitality industry, it is significant to constantly seek innovations and changes, and exhibit innovative service behaviors to attract tourists. There is still a lack of research on the topic of innovative service in the field of hospitality. From the perspective of internal customers, it is more important to explore the organizational system, management style, and the feelings and behaviors of internal customers in the internal marketing aspect in the service-oriented hospitality industry. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship among internal service climate, internal service quality, employees’ job satisfaction, and their innovative service behaviors. The study methods included confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, variance analysis, and regression analysis. Based on a survey comprising 284 employees who worked at the front office (e.g., concierge and room clerk) and the F & B department, the research found that internal service climate and internal service quality have positive effects on employee job satisfaction, through which they stimulate innovative service behaviors among employees. Furthermore, the results contribute to our understanding that only the tangible internal service quality has a significant impact on employees’ job satisfaction and innovative service behaviors. Moreover, these findings provide critical, strategic, theoretical, and practical implications to help hoteliers assure and project an internal service and human resource management that aid in their employees’ innovative service behaviors.