Abstract
How do organizations build an internal capability or processes to implement a service excellence strategy and thereby create sustained competitive advantage? Drawing on an integrated extended self and psychology of ownership framework as well as Bowen and Ostroff's human resource (HR) system strength perspective, this study examines processes linking perceived service-oriented high-performance work systems (HPWS) and overall service role performance. Multi-wave data obtained from 530 employees and 53 supervisors in the hospitality industry were used to test our hypotheses. Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) results revealed that higher levels of supervisor customer orientation strengthened the perceived service-oriented HPWS-employee customer orientation relationship leading to job-based psychological ownership. In turn, job-based psychological ownership related to overall service role performance and together with employee customer orientation, sequentially mediated the influence of perceived service-oriented HPWS on overall service role performance. We interpret our findings as providing initial evidence of an alternative motivational pathway through which an HR system influences performance in a frontline service role.