Customer stewardship behavior and stewardship fatigue: a conceptual framework

The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to develop the concept of customer stewardship fatigue (CSF) in service marketing literature; second, to reveal three processes through which CSF arises; and third, to identify contextual resources that can accentuate or diminish the processes, thereby influencing the development of CSF in service employees.

This conceptual paper builds on the job-demand resource model and the conservation of resources theory to identify positive and negative contextual resources that can accentuate or diminish the translation of a frontline service employee’s (FLSEs) stewardship orientation into stewardship fatigue (SF).

The findings highlight how low perceived organizational support, low customer gratitude and high customer cynicism could create situations in which display of stewardship behaviors will be associated with SF.

The paper can aid practitioners to formulate strategies that can curb the development of SF among FLSEs and help service organizations maintain healthy relationships with customers.

The authors fill an important gap in the literature with regard to stewardship through this study. Though researchers have attempted to broaden the concept of stewardship, they have failed to explain the costs and challenges that might be associated with the frequent display of stewardship behaviors. The SF framework developed herein closes this gap, and conceptually develops an early understanding of the negative consequences of continuous engagement in stewardship behaviors.