Integrating emotional load into service operations.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Mirko Kremer
• Subject Area: Accounting and Finance ; Social Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 470444693

Research on service operations mostly considers operational load as the key factor for managing service delivery. However, the current understanding is that service operations should take into account behavior—of both customers and service providers (SPs). A specific element of human behavior still barely regarded in service operations is emotion. Extensive research in psychology suggests the centrality of emotions to human behavior. Building on such research, we propose that integrating considerations of the emotional load on employees providing service can substantially improve the management of service operations. Specifically, we recognize that emotional dynamics impose additional demands on SPs, and thus influence service system operations and performance. Previous research offers initial evidence of the effects of emotional load on SP productivity. The current proposal will expand the understanding of events that create emotional load, test the effects of emotional load on the behavior and performance of SPs, test the effects of emotional load on the satisfaction and behavior of customers, and develop a framework for integrating emotional load considerations into service networks and operational policies (e.g., customer routing, agent staffing, and concurrency).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Israel
• International Co-Applicants: Professorin Dr. Anat Rafaeli, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr.-Ing. Galit Yom-Tov, Ph.D.