Employee perceived meaning of work and service adaptive behavior: a psychological resourcefulness perspective

Using the concept of psychological resourcefulness, this study investigates the relationship of meaning of work and service adaptive behavior (SAB). An empirical study, with 269 online panel participants, showed that relationship orientation and extra-role performance mediate the effect of meaning of work on SAB, and that organizational identification positively moderates the effect of relationship orientation on SAB. Post hoc interviews were further conducted to understand why organizational identification negatively moderates the effect of extra-role performance on SAB. This study contributes to academic understanding of how psychological resources shape SAB, and to management practice of designing training programs to develop SAB.