Zooming out: actor engagement beyond the dyadic
ISSN: 1757-5818
Article publication date: 5 January 2018
Issue publication date: 19 June 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to broaden extant understanding of actor engagement behavior beyond its currently dominant dyadic (micro-level) focus, by examining it from multiple levels of aggregation within a service ecosystem framework.
Design/methodology/approach
This conceptual paper draws on service-dominant logic and structuration theory as theoretical lenses to inform engagement research.
Findings
By means of a stepwise exercise of “zooming out,” the paper introduces a multi-perspective (micro-, meso-, macro- and meta-level) view of actor engagement that develops understanding of multiple engagement contexts, and suggests that balancing multiple roles may result in actor disengagement behavior. The role of reference groups and role conflict associated with balancing multiple roles is critical to understanding why engaged actor proclivities may wax and wane between contexts.
Research limitations/implications
The paper offers a set of five propositions that can be utilized by engagement scholars undertaking further research in this area.
Practical implications
Firms need to understand the values and norms embedded in diverse engagement contexts which can affect actor groups’ needs and motivations. Firms should develop appropriate organizational mechanisms to facilitate (rather than impede or obstruct) the desired behaviors of engaged actors.
Originality/value
The broader context within which engaged actors operate, and its effects on engagement, has been largely overlooked to date. By broadening the analytical perspective on engagement beyond the dyadic this paper reveals previously unaddressed aspects of this phenomenon, such as the role of disengagement behavior, and the effects of multiple engagement contexts on actors’ future behaviors.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Professor Steve Vargo for providing valuable comments on the manuscript.
Citation
Alexander, M.J., Jaakkola, E. and Hollebeek, L.D. (2018), "Zooming out: actor engagement beyond the dyadic", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 333-351. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-08-2016-0237
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited