Corporate branding’s influence on front-line employee and consumer value co-creation in UK household consumer markets

Abstract

General managers are presented with an extensive opportunity to innovate and gain market advantage from front-line employees (FLEs) and consumers working together to exchange services and co-create value. To do this, general managers need to understand more about what influences the content and quality of FLE and consumer service exchanges? What predisposes FLEs to commit to service exchange and value co-creation? And what organizational phenomena can general managers use to influence this predisposition? This article presents results from an empirical research study of FLEs employed by a firm that provides installation, servicing and emergency services to domestic households across the United Kingdom. The study reveals the importance of the firm’s corporate brand in its influence upon FLE’s sense of membership and attachment to a firm (organizational identity) and the consequent effect of this on their predisposition for service exchange (organizational commitment), that is, whether FLEs want to remain in their role, because they feel they ought to, want to or they have too much to lose by leaving.