Abstracts
Abstract
Communities of practice are presented as a stimulating organizational form because they provide an answer to the formal organizational limits. This article mobilises the concept of CoP in the context of coping with customer misconduct in services, recognized today as a major issue in service management. The literature on coping offers insight on employees’ practices for dealing with difficult customers, but it overlooks the critical process of these practices’ development. Through an ethnographic study of a social agency, we suggest a CoP perspective to reveal how frontline employees interact in their community to develop coping practices related to customer misconduct.
Keywords:
- Communities of Practice,
- Coping practice,
- Customer Misconduct,
- Frontline employees,
- Service
Résumé
Les communautés de pratique (CP) sont souvent présentées comme une forme d’organisation stimulante au vu de leur capacité à apporter des réponses aux limites de l’organisation formelle. Cet article mobilise le concept de CP dans le contexte de la gestion des clients déviants dans les services. Bien que la littérature offre un aperçu des pratiques des employés dans ce contexte, elle néglige toutefois le processus de leur développement. À travers une étude ethnographique réalisée au sein d’un organisme de sécurité sociale, nous montrons comment les agents au contact interagissent dans leur communauté pour faire face aux clients déviants.
Mots-clés :
- Communautés de pratique,
- Pratiques d’adaptation,
- Déviance des Clients,
- Agents au contact,
- Service
Resumen
Las comunidades de práctica (CoP) se presentan como una forma organizativa estimulante porque brindan una respuesta a los límites organizacionales formales. Este artículo moviliza el concepto de CoP en el contexto de cómo hacer frente a la mala conducta de los clientes en los servicios, reconocida hoy como un problema importante en la gestión de servicios. La literatura sobre afrontamiento ofrece información sobre las prácticas de los empleados para tratar con clientes difíciles, pero pasa por alto el proceso crítico del desarrollo de estas prácticas. A través de un estudio etnográfico de una agencia social, sugerimos una perspectiva de CoP para revelar cómo los empleados de primera línea interactúan en su comunidad para desarrollar prácticas de afrontamiento relacionadas con la mala conducta de los clientes.
Palabras clave:
- Comunidades de Práctica,
- Práctica de afrontamiento,
- Mala conducta del Cliente,
- Empleados de primera línea,
- Servicio
Appendices
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