Mediating roles of frontline employees in transformative service processes
ISSN: 0887-6045
Article publication date: 28 February 2024
Issue publication date: 19 June 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the role of frontline employees (FLEs) as mediators in transformative service processes within services targeting vulnerable users.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on a case study of the development and implementation of a dementia village, and the data consist of documents, in-depth interviews and field observations.
Findings
The analysis identifies FLEs as mediators in six different roles. These roles highlight how FLEs perform as mediators, acting in between and for vulnerable users and thus supporting their well-being. Specifically, the roles explicate the mediating role of FLEs in the design and planning of transformative changes and in daily work practices.
Practical implications
The different mediating roles of FLEs presented here should inform care providers and managers of how employees can become assets for supporting vulnerable users’ well-being during the design and planning stages of transformative change and through daily service work.
Originality/value
This paper offers novel insights into the multifaceted roles of FLEs in transformative services. The findings add to the current debate on mediation in transformative services and contribute to the literature by extending and refining the established conceptual and empirical understandings of the role of transformative service mediators in consumers’ well-being.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work received funding from the Norwegian Research Council under grant number 282044.
Citation
Bast, A., Engen, M. and Røhnebæk, M. (2024), "Mediating roles of frontline employees in transformative service processes", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 38 No. 5, pp. 549-563. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-09-2023-0350
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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