Strengthening the Impact of Service-oriented HRM on Frontline employees: The Moderating Role of Benevolent Leadership

This study investigates the relationship between Service-oriented Human Resource Management (service-oriented HRM) practices, customer orientation, and proactive customer helping, with a focus on the moderating influence of benevolent leadership. Drawing on social learning theory, it explores how service-oriented HRM practices impact the customer-oriented behaviors of frontline employees and how these behaviors lead to proactive customer helping. The research posits that customer orientation mediates the link between service-oriented HRM and proactive helping, with benevolent leadership moderating this mediation. Results from a sample of frontline employees support the mediation hypothesis, showing that customer orientation plays a significant mediating role. Furthermore, the interaction between service-oriented HRM and benevolent leadership predicts customer orientation, affirming the moderating role of benevolent leadership. Overall, these findings emphasize the importance of integrating customer orientation into service-oriented HRM and highlight benevolent leadership's role in promoting proactive customer service, offering practical insights for organizations aiming to enhance their customer service through service-oriented HRM practices and leadership.