The Research On The Innovative Behavior Of Frontline Employees And Influencing Factors In Service Innovation Process

Facing the customers directly, the front line employees (responsible for sales or service delivery) play an important role in service innovation influenced by the simultaneity of the production and consumption of service. As a result, it's very important to have the frontline employees closely involved and integrated in new service development. Owing to the close and long term relationship between the frontline employees and customers, the frontline employees not only become an important source in new service development but also play an important role in the new Listing Service. Wise (1996) suggested that frontline employees are in a unique position to respond to the demand for innovation in organizations. Frontline workers often possess firsthand experience that managers lack; thus they may gain better insights into what clients expect. Frontline employees who maintain direct contact with clients may be more aware of factors that impede service delivery or undermine the effect of services. Those closest to the actual work of the organization may be in the best position to see how problems can be solved or service can be improved. Because innovation research has focused on management levels, the study of that frontline employees'innovative behaviour is an unmet need in innovation research.The study takes individual innovative behavior theory of western scholars as the basis, combined with service innovation research and social psychology related theories to establish a preliminary research framework, then uses exploratory case study to two senior members of the banking.According to the literature and case study analysis build a framework for empirical research.Subjects are 401 front line employees from 9 banks in Sichuan.The major conclusions are as follows:1.The results shows that the service enterprise organizational innovation climate includes five dimension: " Teamwork," " Learning and growing," " Leadership ", "Task style ", "Organizational support"; service enterprise frontline employees innovative behavior includes two dimensions:"Generation"and"Application".2.There are some significant individual differences on individual innovative behavior, motivation and self efficacy. Individual innovative behavior have significant individual differences in gender, age, work experience, job characteristics; motivation have significant individual differences in gender, education and job characteristics;self efficacy have significant individual differences in gender, education, age, work experience and job characteristics.3.Intrinsic motivation was positive related to individual innovation behavior, intrinsic motivation was positive related to both generation and application; extrinsic motivation was indirect positive related to individual innovation behavior through intrinsic motivation;4.Self efficacy was positive related to individual innovation behavior, self efficacy was positive related to both generation and application; at same time self efficacy indirect positive related to individual innovation behavior through motivation.5.Organizational innovation climate was positive related to individual innovation behavior, organizational innovation climate was positive related to both generation and application.The age moderated the effect of organizational innovation climate on generation and it moderated the strength of the effect .6.Organizational innovation climate indirect positive related to individual innovation behavior through motivation and self efficacy. This study confirmed the self efficacy, external motivation, internal motivation in the organizational innovation climate and individual innovation behavior was significant mediating effect. This study used empirical method reveals the organizational innovation climate on the individual innovative behavior has no direct significant effect, organizational innovation climate mainly through work motivation and self efficacy indirectly affects individual innovation behavior; organizational innovation climate on the intrinsic motivation has no direct significant effect ,organizational innovation climate can only be through the impact of extrinsic motivation or self efficacy indirectly affect the intrinsic motivation。7.Psychological empowerment was positive related to individual innovation behavior. Meaning was positive related to generation; competence was positive related to both generation and application; impact positive related to application. The Job characteristics of employee have moderated the effect of psychological empowerment on generation.8. Psychological empowerment not only directly impacts on individual innovation, but also through influence intrinsic motivation indirectly affect individual innovation behavior. The meaning was positive directly related to the generation, at same time the meaning indirect positive related to both generation and application through motivation; competence was positive directly related to both generation and application ,at same time competence indirect positive related to both generation and application through motivation; the impact direct positive related to application; and self determination has not significantly affect to innovation behavior.9.According to the result of empirical research combined with the characteristics of service innovation and job characteristics of frontline employee, this study presented the management strategies that service enterprises not only encouraged innovative behavior of frontline employees but also provide appropriate control and guidance ,make the innovation behavior of frontline employees toward development of enterprises in the desired direction.