Files and links (1)
Open Access CC BY V4.0
Journal article
The dynamics of customer participation in service recovery: The roles of failure severity, quality signals, and responsiveness
International journal of hospitality management, Vol.140, 104809
2027
Abstract
In high-contact hospitality settings, service failures can disrupt encounters in ways that prompt customers to intervene. Drawing on control theory and signaling theory, we conceptualize customer participation (CP) as a solution-oriented behavioral response through which customers attempt to influence recovery when service delivery is disrupted. We examine how quality signals and frontline employee responsiveness shape the extent to which participation translates into recovery outcomes. Across five studies, we show that severe service failures can prompt solution-oriented participation, but this response is contingent on contextual conditions. Quality signals attenuate the likelihood that failure severity translates into participation by shifting perceived responsibility toward the firm, creating a conditional quality signaling paradox. Employee responsiveness strengthens the positive effects of participation once enacted, but cannot compensate when participation is not initiated. These findings advance an understanding of CP by distinguishing between participation initiation and effectiveness, with managerial implications for balancing quality signaling and responsive frontline behavior.
•Participation in service failures is reframed as solution-oriented behavioral response to influence how recovery unfolds.•Service failure severity increases participation, boosting recovery outcomes•Quality cues, such as certifications, reduce participation by shifting responsibility•Employee responsiveness amplifies positive effects of participation during recovery•A quality signaling paradox shows credibility cues may dampen participation
Details
- Title
- The dynamics of customer participation in service recovery: The roles of failure severity, quality signals, and responsiveness
- Authors/Creators
- Wei Wei Cheryl Leo - Murdoch Business School, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Perth, WA 6150, AustraliaIsabella Maggioni - ESCP Business SchoolAgung Yoga Sembada - Swinburne University of TechnologyYelena Tsarenko - Monash University
- Publication Details
- International journal of hospitality management, Vol.140, 104809
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd.; London
- Number of pages
- 12
- Identifiers
- 991005902083207891
- Copyright
- © 2026 The Authors
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Murdoch Business School
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: SDGs in the Output
Metrics
2 Record Views