From Cultural Chameleons to Pygmalion Performers: Impact of Service Employees’ Acculturation Behaviors on Customer Satisfaction and Commitment

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of four types of acculturation behaviors (assimilation, integration, separation and marginalization) used by service employees on the satisfaction and commitment of their customers. A field-survey with retail banking customers in New Zealand (N=377), shows that assimilation and integration have significant positive effects on customer satisfaction and commitment. In contrast, marginalization (but not separation) have a negative effect on customer satisfaction and commitment. Moreover, the effects of the three types of acculturation behaviors on customer commitment are fully mediated by customer satisfaction. We discuss the conceptual contribution and managerial implications of these findings in this paper.