The Effect of Group Interactions on Satisfaction Judgments: Satisfaction Escalation

Jonathan D. Bohlmann (bohlmann@msu.edu), José Antonio Rosa (jarosa@uic.edu), Ruth Bolton and William J. Qualls (wqualls@uiuc.edu)
Additional contact information
Jonathan D. Bohlmann: Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, N370 Business Center Complex, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1122
José Antonio Rosa: Liautaud Graduate School of Business, University of Illinois at Chicago, 601 South Morgan Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607-7123
William J. Qualls: College of Business, 350 Wohlers Hall, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 South 6th Street, Champaign, Illinois 61820

Marketing Science, 2006, vol. 25, issue 4, 301-321

Abstract: This study investigates how people's satisfaction judgments are modified after they interact with other group members. It integrates research on customer satisfaction and social influence to develop hypotheses about how an individual's satisfaction is influenced by discrepancies between her expectations about the satisfaction of other group members and their actual opinions as revealed in group discussion. It also considers how this effect is moderated by the individual's susceptibility to social influence and perceptions of group cohesiveness. Two empirical studies demonstrate significant social influence effects on satisfaction judgments in groups. Study One analyzes group satisfaction data collected over time using a mixed-effects regression. It shows that an individual's perceived discrepancy between others' satisfaction judgments and expected group satisfaction has an important influence on her postdiscussion satisfaction judgments. Moreover, individuals discount the prediscussion satisfaction judgments of other group members in favor of perceived satisfaction and its discrepancy with expectations. Group cohesiveness accentuates the perceived discrepancy with expected group satisfaction. Study Two analyzes survey data from dyads drawn from a cross-sectional sample of organizational buyers who purchase from the same supplier. It models the decision maker's satisfaction with a service supplier as a function of end-user satisfaction. It shows that social influence effects exist in purchasing groups within organizations. Both studies demonstrate that individual-level postdiscussion satisfaction judgments tend to become more extreme, a phenomenon we call .

Keywords: satisfaction; social influence; organizational buying decisions; group cohesiveness; escalation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ormksc:v:25:y:2006:i:4:p:301-321

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