Reactions of Service Employees to Organization-Customer Conflict: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

The study examined cross-cultural variation in employee reactions to a customer's special request that was at odds with an organizational rule. Results indicated the effects of request legitimacy (i.e., whether the request was backed by a strong reason) and personal tie (i.e., whether there was a personal tie between the employee and the customer) on employee behaviors varied significantly between two national respondent groups: United States (US) and People's Republic of China (PRC). These results could be attributed to the cultural difference between the two national groups along the dimension of individualism–collectivism. The implications of these findings for multinational marketers are discussed.