Promoting Organizational Citizenship Behavior to Combat Customer Incivility: A Mixed Method Approach

This research explores the factors driving frontline employees’ (FLEs’) organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) when faced with customer incivility, focusing on the role of employee efficacy and the moderating effect of perceived organizational support. The study uses a two-part methodology. First, it uses an experimental design to examine how customer incivility impacts OCB through selfefficacy, moderated by organizational support. Second, it utilizes a survey of 455 airline passengers to investigate the impact of OCB on customer behavioral intentions. Findings reveal that customer incivility negatively affects employee efficacy, but perceived organizational support mitigates this impact, enhancing employees’ ability to maintain efficacy under challenging circumstances. Higher employee efficacy fosters OCB, significantly influencing customers’ intentions to reuse airline services and share positive word-of-mouth. The study highlights the importance of robust support systems to empower employees to manage difficult customer interactions and promote proactive workplace behaviors. By integrating experimental and survey approaches, this research provides novel insights into the interplay between customer incivility, employee efficacy, organizational support, and customer behavior, contributing to identity control theory (ICT). It underscores the value of organizational strategies in supporting employees, enhancing service quality, and fostering customer loyalty in the airline industry.