The effect of proactive customer service performance on employee work engagement: a moderated dual-path model in spillover perspective

Purpose In response to the need to analyze the spillover effects of proactive customer service performance (PCSP), this study aims to draw from the cognitive–affective system theory of personality (CAPS) to explore the mechanism by which coworker PCSP affects work engagement among tourism employees. Design/methodology/approach A mixed research method was used for data collection and analysis. Study 1 used a scenario experiment and collected 194 samples from a 5-star hotel in China. Study 2 surveyed 393 frontline employees from various tourism companies in China. Structural equation modeling and PROCESS macro were used for hypothesis testing. Findings Results reveal that coworker PCSP is positively associated with work engagement, and that peer pressure and felt obligation sequentially mediate this main effect. These findings also support that the service climate moderates the cognitive path in this context. Originality/value This research examines an underexplored phenomenon in the tourism service context, namely, the spillover effects of coworker PCSP, as well as the corresponding boundary conditions. In addition, this study reveals that the notion of affection posited by the CAPS influences the corresponding cognition, thus giving rise to a serial mediating effect with regard to the impact of coworker PCSP.