Promoting social resilience in service communities: a molecular biology perspective

• Published in: The Journal of services marketing Vol. 36; no. 7; pp. 895 - 907
• Main Authors: Tang, Elina, Blocker, Christopher
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Santa Barbara Emerald Publishing Limited 06.09.2022; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Consumers; Coping; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Customer services; Marketing; Medical research; Molecular biology; Pandemics; Problem solving; Stress; COVID-19 pandemic; Well-being; Service communities; Transformative service research; Social resilience; Consumer engagement; Customer-to-customer interaction
• ISSN: 0887-6045; 2054-1651; 0887-6045
• DOI: 10.1108/JSM-09-2021-0367

Purpose This research aims to examine pathways for providers to facilitate social resilience in service communities to promote collective well-being and engagement. Design/methodology/approach Using abductive and metaphorical analysis, this study develops insights leveraging: the transdisciplinary field of molecular biology where 150 years of research demonstrates how cells build resilience through clustering together in a hostile environment; and case data collected with nonprofit service communities to help ground and elaborate upon the metaphorical analogues of cellular concepts. Findings This analysis uncovers the emergent processes of communal protection, communal adaptation and communal training within customer-to-customer service interactions. Findings identify novel drivers, such as the sharing of vulnerability markers and pre-training for community stressors, as well as pathways through which social resilience within service communities promotes habitual and transformative value, as well as collective well-being. Practical implications Service leaders can build upon the ideas in this research to understand the nature of social resilience and to intentionally design communal experiences and interactions that promote greater well-being and brand engagement. Originality/value The recent COVID-19 pandemic, along with the UN Development Goal for building a more resilient society, highlights the acute needs for a deeper understanding of social resilience. However, resilience-related research in marketing primarily focuses on individual-level coping. This research provides a deeper understanding of the drivers and outcomes of social resilience in service communities and offers a catalyst for future research on the topic.