Hospitality employee and customer role in value co-creation: Personal, organizational and collaborative outcomes

• Published in: International journal of hospitality management 2020-10, Vol.91, p.102648, Article 102648
• Main Authors: Shulga, Lenna V., Busser, James A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Resources; Role theory; Satisfaction; Service advantage; Value co-creation; Well-being
• ISSN: 0278-4319; 1873-4693
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102648

•Hospitality employees evaluate co-creation higher than customers.•Co-creation positively affects wellbeing, satisfaction, competitive advantage perceptions.•Customers value co-innovation, co-marketing, co-production, and co-recovery differently.•Co-created value is mediator among four co-creation types and outcomes for customers.•Employees do not differentiate among value co-creation types. With the growing frequency and importance of peer-to-peer service exchanges, the role of front-line employees for traditional hospitality service providers is changing. This study is the first to examine differences in value co-creation appraisal between front-line employees and customers. Respondents (N = 720) were equally assigned to either an employee or customer role and performed that role for four different online co-creation scenarios based on destination resort context: co-innovation, co-creation of marketing, co-production, and co-recovery. The results of between-within online experimental design were analysed using repeated measures ANOVA and PLS-SEM. Co-created value was appraised significantly higher by employees and positively affected well-being, satisfaction, and competitive advantage for both employees and customers. Co-created value served as a mediator between the four types of co-creation and outcomes only for customers. The study contributes to understanding roles as knowledge-based resources in value co-creation and provides practical implications for successful value co-creation in hospitality.