Service Shitshows Delivery Prevention: Live-Action Role-Playing (LARP) Bad Service

Abstract

Frontline service workers and/or their supervisors delivering clearly inaccurate, bad, and/or unlawful service to customers or other “persons of interest” (POI) that causally precedes negative outcomes is one category of shitshow service-failure performance. The study presents both case studies and findings from national data showing that shitshow service enactments by performing professional public servants (PPSs) occur daily and more frequently in the U.S. than in other economically developed nations. Substantial case evidence supports the view that shitshow performances readily occur even when service protagonists have decades of job experience and/or have trained newly hired professional public servants. “Professional public servants” (PPS) includes employees working in various government agencies, departments, and branches (e.g., clerks in a branch of the U.S. Postal Service, a frontline service provider in a state department of motor vehicles, public libraries, and local/state/federal police officers). This study proposes “LARP” (i.e., live-action role-playing) by PPSs as actors with protagonists, POI (i.e., “person of interest”), and additional collaborative roles) in face-to-face enactments in recorded, actual shitshow performances (i.e., the psychological equivalent of a live virus immunization) provides the emotional heat needed to help prevent subsequent real-life shitshow reenactments.