A Field Experiment Testing Frontline Opinion Leaders as Change Agents

• Published in: Journal of applied psychology Vol. 85; no. 6; pp. 987 - 995
• Main Authors: Lam, Simon S. K, Schaubroeck, John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-12-2000; American Psychological Association, etc
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Applied psychology; Attitude; Biological and medical sciences; Branch banking; Change agents; Commerce; Correlation analysis; Customer service; Customer services; Employee Attitudes; Employees; Experimental psychology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hong Kong; Human; Human behaviour; Humans; Job Performance; Leaders; Leadership; Leadership training; Male; Opinion leaders; Organizational Change; Organizational Development; Organizational Innovation; Personnel Management; Personnel Training; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Quality of service; Quality of Services; Social interactions. Communication. Group processes; Social psychology; Studies; Tellers; Total Quality Management; Training; White Collar Workers; Hong Kong; Human; Social influence; Leadership; Bank(institution); Consumer; Attitude change; Service quality; Field study
• ISSN: 0021-9010; 1939-1854
• DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.85.6.987

On the basis of previous studies of source credibility and opinion leadership, the authors hypothesized that opinion leaders would serve as effective agents to promote positive attitudes toward a service-quality initiative and increase service-quality effectiveness. The service effectiveness of tellers before and after a service-quality leadership training program was rated by customers, supervisors, and the tellers themselves across 3 matched bank branches. Service effectiveness was rated significantly higher in a branch using opinion leaders as service-quality leaders compared with a branch using randomly selected frontline leaders. Tellers in the latter branch showed greater improvements in service effectiveness than did counterparts in a branch using no frontline service quality leaders. This difference between types of leaders appeared to be mediated by tellers' behavioral beliefs about the service-quality program.