Aim: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between the perceived quality of organisational exchange and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours.
Background: Hospitals face increasing competitive market conditions. Registered nurses interact closely with patients and therefore play an important front-office role towards patients.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Registered nurses (n = 151) of a Belgian hospital received a questionnaire to assess the fulfilment of administrative and professional organisational obligations and their customer-oriented behaviours.
Results: We found a positive relationship between psychological contract fulfilment and nurses' customer-oriented behaviours. More precisely administrative and professional psychological contract fulfilment relates significantly to nurses' service delivery and external representation. In case of internal influence only administrative psychological contract fulfilment was significantly related.
Conclusions: Nurses' perceptions of the fulfilment of administrative and professional obligations are important to their customer-oriented behaviours.
Implications for nursing management: Nurse managers must be aware of the impact of fulfilling both administrative and professional obligations of registered nurses in order to optimise their customer-oriented behaviours.
Keywords: customer-oriented behaviour; hospital; psychological contract; registered nurse.
© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.