Culture’s Impact on Customer Motivation to Engage in Professional Service Enactments

Abstract:     
Although professional service providers increasingly deliver their services globally, little is known about cross-cultural differences in customers’ motivation to participate in service production. To address this lacuna, we survey a total of 2,284 banking customers in 11 countries on their motivation to provide personal information to, and follow the advice of, their service providers. We find differences in both aspects, but only the differences in providing personal information can be explained by the cultural values of uncertainty avoidance, individualism/collectivism, and masculinity/femininity. To perform certain tasks in the service process, global professional service providers should acknowledge cultural differences in customers’ motivations.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 25

Keywords: Co-Production, Culture, Customer Participation, Professional Services

JEL Classification: M31

Accepted Paper Series