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Service Encounters as Rites of Integration: An Information Processing Model

Author

Listed:
  • Caren Siehl

    (Thunderbird, American Graduate School of International Management, 15249 N. 59th Avenue, Glendale, Arizona 85306-6000)

  • David E. Bowen

    (Business Programs, Arizona State University West, 4701 West Thunderbird Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85069-7100)

  • Christine M. Pearson

    (Center for Crisis Management, School of Business Administration, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-1421)

Abstract

We propose that service encounters (the interaction between customers and employees) can be conceptualized, and managed, as rites of integration. Rites of integration are defined as planned social interactions that have the objective of achieving “a temporary sense of closeness” between customers and service providers. We argue that such rites help to establish the appropriate level of psychological involvement or the appropriate degree of psychological closeness between the service provider and the customer. Psychological involvement facilitates (a) the sharing of information by customers and employees that is necessary for service production and (b) the favorable evaluation, by customers, of the service delivery process. We describe (and give examples of) different types of rites that result in varying levels of involvement. We conclude by offering propositions for the consequences associated with customers having their expectations of involvement confirmed or disconfirmed. These consequences include the importance of a “zone of indifference” around individual expectations of levels of involvement and the negative effects of too much closeness between the employee and customer.

Suggested Citation

  • Caren Siehl & David E. Bowen & Christine M. Pearson, 1992. "Service Encounters as Rites of Integration: An Information Processing Model," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(4), pages 537-555, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:3:y:1992:i:4:p:537-555
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.3.4.537
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Forrest Briscoe, 2007. "From Iron Cage to Iron Shield? How Bureaucracy Enables Temporal Flexibility for Professional Service Workers," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(2), pages 297-314, April.
    2. Fábio Augusto Reis Gomes & Cleomar Gomes da Silva, 2006. "Hysteresis Vs. Nairu And Convergence Vs. Divergence: The Behavior Of Regional Unemployment Rates In Brazil," Anais do XXXIV Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 34th Brazilian Economics Meeting] 161, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    3. Yang, Jie & Wong, Christina W.Y. & Lai, Kee-hung & Ntoko, Alfred Ngome, 2009. "The antecedents of dyadic quality performance and its effect on buyer-supplier relationship improvement," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(1), pages 243-251, July.
    4. Mathieu Lajante & David Remisch & Nikita Dorofeev, 2023. "Can robots recover a service using interactional justice as employees do? A literature review-based assessment," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 17(1), pages 315-357, March.
    5. Mishra, Debi P., 2013. "Firms’ strategic response to service uncertainty: An empirical signaling study," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 187-197.
    6. Julian Gould-Williams, 1999. "The Impact of Employee Performance Cues on Guest Loyalty, Perceived Value and Service Quality," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 97-118, July.
    7. Prior, Daniel D. & Keränen, Joona & Koskela, Sami, 2018. "Sensemaking, sensegiving and absorptive capacity in complex procurements," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 79-90.
    8. Vredenburg, Jessica & Bell, Simon J., 2014. "Variability in health care services: the role of service employee flexibility," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 168-178.
    9. Jahyun Goo & C. Derrick Huang & Chul Woo Yoo & Chulmo Koo, 2022. "Smart Tourism Technologies’ Ambidexterity: Balancing Tourist’s Worries and Novelty Seeking for Travel Satisfaction," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 24(6), pages 2139-2158, December.
    10. Islam, Gazi, 2008. "Rituals in Organizations: A Review and Expansion of Current Theory," Insper Working Papers wpe_136, Insper Working Paper, Insper Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa.
    11. Esi A. Elliot & Carmina Cavazos & Benjamin Ngugi, 2022. "Digital Financial Services and Strategic Financial Management: Financial Services Firms and Microenterprises in African Markets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-15, December.
    12. Viswanath Venkatesh & James Y. L. Thong & Frank K. Y. Chan & Paul J. H. Hu, 2016. "Managing Citizens’ Uncertainty in E-Government Services: The Mediating and Moderating Roles of Transparency and Trust," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 27(1), pages 87-111, March.

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