Service Innovation Behaviours Among Newly Hired Employees: A Conceptual Framework

The concept of service innovation has gained increasing attention in the field of marketing research and is currently of strategic importance to firms. However, there have been few studies on the service innovation behaviour... [ view full abstract ]

The concept of service innovation has gained increasing attention in the field of marketing research and is currently of strategic importance to firms. However, there have been few studies on the service innovation behaviour of newly hired employees. Synthesizing the literature on marketing and organizational behaviour, this research develops a conceptual framework linking paternalistic leadership with service innovation behaviours of newly hired employees via several intervening variables. The authors propose that elements of paternalistic leadership have a significant impact on newcomer adjustment, which in turn influences degree of harmonious passion for work. The latter variable then has a positive effect on the service innovation behaviours of newly hired employees. Furthermore, power distance moderates the link between paternalistic leadership and newcomer adjustment. The proposed conceptual framework offers propositions regarding the key determinant and mechanisms of service innovation behaviour in newly hired employees’ research context and helps identify research gaps in the current literature to advance further knowledge development.