Mounting effective IT based customer service operations under emergent conditions: Deconstructing myth as a basis of understanding

Recent research studies have revealed how social structures or contexts can lead to unanticipated and dynamic outcomes in IT based activities. However, they have not sufficiently addressed the question of how organizations can act effectively under such emergent conditions. This research sought to address this gap, by adopting a semiotic framework of analysis, and undertaking an in-depth, interpretive case study of the customer service operations at the call center of a large retail firm. The analysis of these operations takes into account the call center’s ‘myth’ – the underlying image on which its customer service aim or vision is based. This myth is used to highlight key tensions and incompatibilities arising in the center’s operations. These incongruities are used to identify improvements in the effectiveness of the center’s service practices and its use of IT. This research illustrates the potential value of using rhetorical formulations of performance aims as a means to engender useful understanding on the properties of IT use or organizational design in emergent contexts.