The impact of developmental experience, empowerment, and organizational support on catering service staff performance

The present study focuses on three selected aspects of human resource development, i.e., access to developmental experience, organizational support, and empowerment, and their impact on customer orientation and performance outcomes. The rationale is to provide opportunities for employees to enhance their skills through developmental experience, to empower them and to provide the support needed to deliver quality service. Results show differential effects between the three predictors and outcome measures. Both empowerment and organizational support have a significant effect on customer orientation. Empowerment significantly improves performance and organizational support increases employees’ sense of pride. Developmental experience has a significant effect on performance only. Managerial implications are discussed and suggestions are made for future research directions.