The study of the relationship among service climate, goal orientation, affective professional commitment and service performance

Authors: Ching-Wen Yeh

Journal: Chiao Da Management Review. Dec. 2012, 32(2): 171-205.

Keywords: Service climate; Goal orientation; Affective professional commitment; Service performance; Driving schools

Abstract:
We set out in this study to examine the relationships between service climate, goal orientation, affective professional commitment and service performance, exploring the influence on service performance stemming from service climate and goal orientation through affective professional commitment. Driving schools (122) in three regional markets of Taiwan (Taipei, Kaohsiung and Hsinchu) are taken as examples to clearly illustrate these relationships. The present study contributes to the current knowledge on service performance, with its main strengths being the examination of data from multiple sources, the multi-level approach to the testing of the constructs, and the use of HLM to test the multi-level model ofthe antecedents of employee service performance. Our results reveal that: (i) service climate has a positive influence on affective professional comrnitment; (ii) a learning-goal orientation has a positive influence on affective professional comrnitrnent; (iii) a performance-goal orientation has a positive influence on affective professional commitment; (iv) affective professional commitment has a positive influence on service performance, (v) affective professional commitment partially mediates the relationship between service climate and service performance, (vi) leaming goal orientation has a positive influence on service performance, and (vii) performance goal orientation is positively related to service performance. We conclude by providing suggestions for improvements in service management within the driving school industry in Taiwan.