Killing two birds with one stone: Enhancing service agility and frontline well-being in healthcare services

BackgroundService agility is increasingly critical for maintaining high-quality care in complex and unpredictable healthcare environments. Despite its importance, research on service agility in healthcare remains limited and has primarily focused on macro-organizational rather than micro-level factors.ObjectiveDrawing on dynamic capability theory and self-determination theory, this study investigates the associations among employee self-efficacy, collaboration, service agility, perceived training quality and employee well-being.MethodUsing a mixed-methods approach, we first conducted semi-structured interviews and refined a questionnaire. We then collected 217 valid responses from healthcare workers. Structural equation modeling was subsequently employed to examine the relationships among the study variables.ResultsEmployee self-efficacy and collaboration were both positively associated with service agility, which, in turn, was positively associated with employee well-being. Service agility partially mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and employee well-being and fully mediated the relationship between collaboration and employee well-being. However, perceived training quality did not significantly moderate the relationships between self-efficacy and service agility or between collaboration and service agility.ConclusionThis study provides empirical evidence of the relationships among self-efficacy, collaboration, perceived training quality, service agility, and employee well-being. It also extends dynamic capability theory and self-determination theory while offering practical insights for healthcare managers seeking to enhance both service agility and employee well-being.