Do personal resources mediate the effect of perceived organizational support on emotional exhaustion and job outcomes?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine personal resources as a mediator of the effect of perceived organizational support on emotional exhaustion, extra-role customer service and turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data collected from frontline hotel employees with a one-month time lag in Cameroon, the relationships were assessed via structural equation modeling. Positive affectivity, intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy were treated as the indicators of personal resources.

Findings

The results suggest that positive affectivity, intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy are significant indicators representing personal resources. As hypothesized, personal resources fully mediate the effect of perceived organizational support on emotional exhaustion, extra-role customer service and turnover intentions. Specifically, frontline employees who receive sufficient support from the organization are high in positive affectivity, intrinsically motivated and self-efficacious at elevated levels. Such employees, in turn, experience low levels of emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions and display high levels of extra-role customer service behaviors.

Originality/value

The current paper contributes to the hospitality management literature by investigating personal resources as a mediator of the impact of perceived organizational support on emotional exhaustion and the aforementioned job outcomes.

Citation

Karatepe, O.M. (2015), "Do personal resources mediate the effect of perceived organizational support on emotional exhaustion and job outcomes?", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 27 No. 1, pp. 4-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2013-0417