Understating the Impact of Employee Empowerment on Customer- Oriented Behavior

This study aimed to measure the impact of employee empowerment on customer-oriented behavior in the Jordanian commercial banks. The study addressed two perspectives of empowerment (i.e., structural empowerment and psychological empowerment). The frontline employee’s perspective was used, since this position plays an excellent role in mediating the relationship between clients and service providers. The researchers collected three hundred and seventy-seven questionnaires. Findings reveal that both forms of empowerment have a positive and significant impact on customer-oriented behavior. However, psychological empowerment has a stronger impact on customeroriented behavior than does structural empowerment. Only three dimensions of structural empowerment (communications, training, and knowledge and skills) have a significant positive impact on the dependent variable. In addition, three dimensions of psychological empowerment (meaning, competences and impact) have significant and positive impacts on customer-oriented behavior. This study offers new insights into the existing literature and provides implications and directions for future research.