New technology and in-store service encounters: an analysis of coping practices and work experiences among frontline employees

ABSTRACT The digital transformation is rapidly changing in-store service settings. This paper explores how frontline employees experience and cope with technology-related challenges. Based on a qualitative approach and the use of observations and interviews, this research advances our understanding of how such coping is performed in retail stores and how it contributes to defining employees’ work experiences. The paper shows that employees engage in multiple coping practices; involving different forms of problem-solving, but also more proactive coping activities through which employees reconstruct their work. Moreover, the findings improve our understanding of how coping activities contribute to shaping retail work; thus illustrating how employees’ in-store work practices are altered as they cope with new technology. The paper demonstrates that the organizational support that employees receive (e.g. available IT support, opportunities to learn from co-workers) is crucial to how technology-related coping is performed and experienced.


Introduction
In the past few years, the ongoing digital revolution has dramatically changed retail service settings.A central theme in current retail literature is to understand and forecast how technology transforms retailing (e.g.Grewal et al. 2021;Shankar et al. 2021).In the context of physical stores, new technological implementations have redefined service encounters and the interactions between customers and frontline employees (e.g.Bäckström and Johansson 2022;Di Pietro, Pantano, and Di Virgilio 2014;Pantano and Migliarese 2014).Digital devices -in terms of, for example, self-scanning, smartphone apps, in-store kiosks -have changed in-store service settings, giving rise to new forms of service (e.g.self-service), as well as new forms of customer experience (e.g. in terms of customization, enjoyment, social interaction) (see e.g.Kim et al. 2017;Lawry and Bhappu 2021;Pantano and Gandini 2017;Rezaei and Valaei 2017).While previous studies in this field have commonly been concerned with how consumers relate to and perceive new in-store technology, research on how the emerging new service conditions are seen from employees' perspective has been more rare.
Previous studies on service employees have contributed with some important insights as regards to how new technology changes in-store service encounters and frontline employees' work.It has been shown that new technology can have a number of positive effects, for instance by enhancing employees' knowledge level and making their work more effective (e.g.Di Pietro, Pantano, and Di Virgilio 2014;Lariviére et al. 2017; Lewis andLoker 2014, 2017;Marinova et al. 2017;Pantano and Migliarese 2014).However, it is also known that new technology may be perceived negatively by employees, due to, for example, deprivation of jobs or functional deficiencies (e.g.Brougham and Haar 2018;Di Pietro, Pantano, and Di Virgilio 2014;McWilliams, Anitsal, and Anitsal 2016;Shankar et al. 2021).Nevertheless, our knowledge on how employees use and perceive new instore technology is still limited (for similar arguments, see Di Pietro, Pantano, and Di Virgilio 2014;Pantano and Migliarese 2014), not least when it comes to technologyrelated problems and employees' handling of these in retail store settings.While we know that the use of new digital devices has become an integral part of in-store service encounters, we know little about how this affects retail work.Therefore, it is important to learn more about how technology-related challenges affect in-store work practices.
In retail research, studies on in-store technology and frontline employees have commonly been focused on employees' intention to use digital devices and/or the ways in which such tools can enhance their work (e.g.Alomari 2022; Lewis and Loker 2014;Pantano and Migliarese 2014;Renko and Druzijanic 2014).Related work has devoted attention to the negative side of technology, for example by investigating employees' coping strategies, i.e. the behaviours employees engage in to diminish or avoid technology-related stress (cf.Blazejewski and Walker 2018).Previous research has, for instance, examined the relationship between employees' coping behaviours and work-related outcomes (e.g.performance, stress) (e.g.Ashill, Rod, and Gibbs 2015;Pirkkalainen et al. 2019;Yeonjun Kang, Hur, and Shin 2023).However, research has been less concerned with how new technology shapes employees' in-store work practices and how employees experience the use of such devices.While some important contributions have been made in this regard, for example by shedding light on how coping can be enacted in retail settings (see, Blazejewski and Walker 2018), our understanding of how technology-related coping is performed and experienced in retail contexts is scant (for similar arguments, see Blazejewski and Walker 2018;Christ-Brendemühl and Schaarschmidt 2019;Pirkkalainen et al. 2019).By devoting attention to these issues, we can better grasp how the use of digital devices shape employees' work practices, for example, in terms of what activities employees engage in and how work tasks are performed.In addition, exploring how frontline employees cope with technology-related challenges in their daily work, we can learn more about the relationship between in-store technology and retail work experiences, for example by gaining insight into what organizational resources that are important as employees handle new technology.
From previous retail research it is clear that the handling of new digital solutions has become a central part of retail employees' work processes and that technological progress is continuing in the retail sector (e.g.Bäckström and Johansson 2022;Grewal et al. 2021;Shankar et al. 2021).Therefore, it is imperative to further advance our understanding of the relationship between in-store technology and retail work.The aim of this paper is to improve our understanding of how frontline employees experience and cope with technology-related challenges in retail service encounters.In so doing, the paper advances our knowledge on how employees alter their work practices to cope with technology in their daily work.These insights also involve some practical contributions.Most specifically, this study can provide leads as regards how to support employees in their use of new technological devices and how to enhance positive work experiences in today's digitalized stores.In this study, thus, the following questions are explored: • How is technology-related coping performed in the store?
• How does technology-related coping contribute to defining employees' work experiences?
Exploring the questions above, the present study contributes to literature concerned with digitalization and retail work.Theories on coping and work experiences will be used to improve our understanding of how technology-related coping is performed and experienced in retail store settings.Moreover, inspired by Blazejewski and Walker's (2018) notions of technology-related coping in the form of job crafting, this paper draws on the theoretical frame of job crafting (cf.Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001) to explore and provide new insights into how such coping contributes to shaping the in-store practices and work experiences of retail employees.
In this paper, the concept coping practice is used to address the activities which employees engage in to deal with technology-related challenges in the store.Coping practices are here understood as 'a set of actions', involving both bodily and mental activities (cf.Reckwitz 2002;Schatzki 2001, p. 48), directed towards handling technologyrelated problems (for a similar approach, see Fuentes, Samsioe, and Östrup Backe 2022).

New technology and employees' coping activities
Alongside increased digitalization, workplaces and the characteristics of work environments are changing (Duemmler, Felder, and Caprani 2018;Forte, Previtali, and Scarozza 2019).While researchers often refer to the positive aspects of new technology, for example by emphasizing greater flexibility and more efficient work practices (e.g.Lewis and Loker 2014;Pantano and Migliarese 2014), scholars have also turned attention to the negative features of technology.Researchers have addressed technology-related problems at the workplace by investigating, for instance, how employees can cope with challenges induced by technology (e.g. in terms of stress, decrease of autonomy) (e.g.Blazejewski and Walker 2018;Christ-Brendemühl and Schaarschmidt 2019;Tarafdar et al. 2020).
Coping is a phenomenon that has received substantial attention in previous research.The concept has its theoretical foundation within the domain of psychology and has been defined as 'the cognitive and behavioral efforts made to master, tolerate, or reduce external and internal demands and conflicts' (Folkman and Lazarus 1980, p. 223).Coping is often conceptualized in terms of two major forms: 'Problem-focused coping' has been described as the active handling of stressful situations, e.g. by engaging in problem-solving behaviours; whereas 'emotion-focused coping' has been referred to as 'the regulation of stressful emotions', involving aspects such as reframing one's viewpoint and engaging in positive thinking (Folkman and Lazarus 1980, p. 223;Folkman 1984; also see, Folkman and Moskowitz 2004).However, in the literature, various forms of coping have been described and referred to using terms such as problem-solving, information-seeking, reappraisal, avoidance and acceptance (see e.g.Folkman 1984;Folkman and Lazarus 1980;Folkman and Moskowitz 2004).As scholars have argued, individuals engage in different forms of coping depending on the situation, and different forms of coping strategies can also be used in combination (Blazejewski and Walker 2018;Folkman and Lazarus 1980;Folkman and Moskowitz 2004).
In previous research on coping and technology, a number of different strategies to handle technology-related problems have been recognized.For example, based on their literature review, Guo, Shao and Zuo (2012) outline several technology-related coping strategies, including for instance seeking social support, avoiding new technology, and adapting to the new situation at hand.Moreover, Tarafdar et al., (2020) argue, for example, that coping behaviours which involve employees' emotional handling of stress, actions to improve their technological expertise, and restrained technology use, can be useful for handling technology-related problems in efficient ways (Tarafdar et al. 2020).
There is also research that has focused particularly on how coping activities are performed by employees, for instance by devoting attention to coping activities which involve employees' adjustment of how work is performed or related to (Blazejewski and Walker 2018;Christ-Brendemühl and Schaarschmidt 2019).Christ-Brendemühl and Schaarschmidt (2019) refer to two such forms of coping -'constructive process deviance' and 'destructive process deviance ' (pp. 936-937).As the authors describe, 'constructive process deviance' involves behaviours where employees diverge from their regular work practices to fulfil customer requests.'destructive process deviance', on the other hand, refers to behaviours which can be problematic from an organizational point of view, for example if employees refrain from informing perceived problems to their supervisor (Christ-Brendemühl and Schaarschmidt 2019, pp. 936-937).
Taken together, previous research has devoted significant attention to the different kinds of coping activities which individuals' handling of technology may involve.Hence, such work can inform the analysis of what forms of activities employees engage in while coping with technology.However, much of this work has relied upon psychological perspectives, typically focused on quantitative measurements to investigate relationships between coping strategies and variables such as performance, emotions and/or stress (e.g.Fuglseth and Sørebø 2014;Hauk, Göritz, and Krumm 2019;Pirkkalainen et al. 2019).Research has been less concerned with exploring how such coping activities are performed and experienced by employees.Using the concept job crafting to understand and explore employees' coping practices, the present study will look closer into how coping is carried out and how it contributes to shaping retail work experiences.Blazejewski and Walker (2018) propose an alternative way of understanding technologyrelated coping activities, by using the concept job crafting to explore how employees cope with technology-related stress.In so doing, they use and develop Wrzesniewski and Dutton's (2001) conceptualization of the phenomenon.

Job crafting as an alternative approach to understand coping activities
Job crafting is defined by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001) as 'the actions employees take to shape, mold, and redefine their jobs' (p.180).It has commonly been described in terms of employees' reshaping of work to enhance its satisfaction and meaningfulness (e.g.Blazejewski and Walker 2018;Buonocore, Russo, and de Gennaro 2023;Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001).Relying on a social constructivism, Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001) argue that by adapting how they perform and relate to their work, employees take active part in constructing it.According to the authors, such job crafting can encompass alterations of employees' work along three dimensions, or 'job boundaries ' (p. 179).As outlined by the authors, these dimensions can be described as follows: (1) employees' 'task boundary' refers to what form of tasks the work comprises; (2) 'relational boundary' concerns the form of social interactions which the work comprises; and (3) 'cognitive task boundary' regards how employees think about their work, with respect either to various elements of it, or their overall work role (Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001, pp. 185-186).As researchers have emphasized, employees may be more or less prone to engage in job crafting (e.g.depending on their skills, motives, personality), and individuals' prospects of undertaking such activities may also differ due to work-related circumstances (e.g.perceived autonomy, support) (Buonocore, Russo, and de Gennaro 2023;Tims and Bakker 2010;Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001).
While coping is often seen as individuals 'responding to work stressors' (Palm and Eriksson 2018, p. 629), definitional discussions of job crafting typically emphasize its proactive character (Palm and Eriksson 2018;Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001).In line with this, job crafting is commonly seen as something which individuals engage in on a continuous basis rather than to handle a certain problem (Blazejewski and Walker 2018;Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001).Other scholars have described job crafting as 'proactive coping behaviours' which employees engage in to deal with work-related challenges (Yeonjun Kang, Hur, and Shin 2023, p. 3; also see, Buonocore, Russo, and de Gennaro 2023).As argued by Palm and Eriksson (2018), employees' work practices can entail a combination of coping and job crafting where it is hard to distinguish one from the other.
Following Wrzesniewski and Dutton's constructivist perspective, Blazejewski and Walker (2018) use job crafting to explore how employees' work practices are altered to cope with stress.Employing case study research and focusing on the implementation of a new software system, the authors illustrate that technology-related coping can involve both employees' re-evaluation of their work role (e.g.work tasks and responsibilities) and their divergence from prescribed ways of performing tasks (e.g. by manually regulating technological processes) (Blazejewski and Walker 2018).The authors thus contribute to an improved understanding of how retail employees actively adjust and make sense of work in new ways through processes of job crafting, and thereby how they diminish technology-related stress.
In this study, job crafting is used to learn more about how technology-related coping is performed and experienced in the context of retail stores.Using theories on job crafting as analytical tool, this paper delves further into the multiple ways in which coping is performed in retail stores; thus exploring how work practices are adapted to cope with new technology and how such coping contributes to define employees' work experiences.

Retail work experiences
Within marketing and organization research, a considerable number of studies have focused on employees' perceptions and/or behaviours at the workplace.In such research, employees' work experiences have commonly been conceived of in terms of three major dimensions: work involvement, organizational support, and role stress (Babin and Boles 1996, p. 58; also see e.g.; Kim, Knight, and Crutsinger 2009;Knight, Crutsinger, and Kim 2006).Work involvement is a concept used to denote employees' engagement and work motivation (Kim, Knight, and Crutsinger 2009;Babin and Boles 1996).Organizational support is described as the appreciation that employees receive from their surrounding organization, and the support they are given when fulfilling their tasks (Babin and Boles 1996;Kurtessis et al. 2017).Furthermore, role stress has commonly been described in terms of two related terms: role conflict and role ambiguity (Babin and Boles 1996;Knight, Crutsinger, and Kim 2006).Role conflict may occur when a person perceives that their work role is associated with expectations that are contradictory (Babin and Boles 1996;Rizzo, Haus, and Lirtzman 1970).Role ambiguity refers to when a person experiences uncertainties regarding the tasks and/or authorities that the work role involves (Kawai and Mohr 2014;Rizzo, Haus, and Lirtzman 1970).
In previous research, many studies have examined how employees relate to the three dimensions outlined above, thereby contributing with knowledge on how various aspects of the work environment influence employees' experiences and/or behaviours (e.g.Kim, Knight, and Crutsinger 2009;Babin and Boles 1996;Chung, Rutherford, and Park 2012;Kawai and Mohr 2014;Knight, Crutsinger, and Kim 2006).For example, research has shown that employees' perceived role stress and the organizational support provided influence both their performance and job satisfaction (Babin and Boles 1996;Chung, Rutherford, and Park 2012;Kawai and Mohr 2014).However, we know less about the role of such dimensions in settings where employees handle and cope with new technology.
There are also studies that have been particularly focused on work-related demands and support.One model that has been particularly influential within this field is 'the job demands-resources model' (JD-R model), which conceptualizes the demands and resources that individuals' work environment involves and their related outcomes (Demerouti et al. 2001; also see; Bakker and Demerouti 2007).A number of studies have used the JD-R model to investigate the relationship between job-related demands and/or resources on the one hand (e.g.organizational support, feedback, autonomy, new technology) and work-related outcomes on the other (e.g.employees' engagement, performance, stress) (see e.g.Demerouti et al. 2001, Christ-Brendemühl andSchaarschmidt, 2020;Lee, Patterson, and Viet Ngo 2017;Menguc et al. 2013).Such work has shown, for instance, that job resources in terms of organizational support and feedback can affect employees' engagement and productivity (Lee, Patterson, and Viet Ngo 2017;Menguc et al. 2013).In related work, it is argued that technology-related aspects can be seen as both a resource and a demand (e.g.Blazejewski and Walker 2018;Christ-Brendemühl and Schaarschmidt, 2020).
Taken together, prior research has provided important insights into how employees' work experiences can be conceptualized and what work-related dimensions that are vital in forming such experiences.In this paper, such work will be used to improve our understanding of how employees' handling of new digital technologies contributes to define their work experiences.Hereby we can advance our understanding of the role played by central dimensions (e.g.role stress, organizational support, feedback) as to how technology-related coping is performed and experienced.

Method
This study takes an interpretivist stance in its orientation towards achieving an in-depth understanding of how employees' experience and handle new in-store technologies.Following this, a qualitative approach was chosen since it offers good opportunities for gaining an understanding of subjective viewpoints (Patton 2002).Data collection was performed using a combination of two methods -observations and interviews -to obtain 'thick description' and allow for a rich understanding of the research phenomena (cf.Lincoln and Guba 1985).
The study is inductive in the sense that its aim and focus evolved from our previous investigations of the empirical material, performed as part of a related research project.That initial study was focused on the role of in-store employees in retail service settings, where employees' experiences and handling of new in-store technology was an important subject of inquiry.It provided insights regarding the prevalence of technologyrelated challenges as perceived by employees in today's retail settings (see, Bäckström and Johansson 2022).As such, it was our investigations of the empirical material that incited the interest for exploring this subject further and led this study into the theoretical domains of coping.
Data were collected from 5 different retail organizations.The retailers were selected to allow for wide-ranging explorations of how retail digitalization affects in-store service encounters and retail work.To achieve this purpose, retail organizations from disparate industries were included in the study (i.e.grocery, books, home electronics, clothing, and furnishing).All represented multichannel retailers with prior experience of implementing and using new in-store technology.However, as regards the level of digital maturity, there were some differences among the retailers.While three of the organizations displayed a high level of digital development, seen in their implementation of various forms of new digital devices (e.g.iPads, smartphone apps, in-store kiosks), in two of the organizations a slower pace of development was seen (with fewer devices being used and implemented).Data collection was performed from September 2018 until early 2020.This conformed well with the inductive elements of our research since it allowed for moderate continuous adjustments of the data collection (e.g.regarding the type of interview questions posed).
To achieve a profound understanding of employees' use of in-store digital implementations, we engaged in 'shadowing' which can be described as a form of observation where the researcher goes along with a person to learn about his/her working life (Czarniawska 2007(Czarniawska , 2014)).A main advantage with this observation technique is that it offers the opportunity to follow an individual over time and observe the researched phenomena as it is played out in real life settings (Quinlan 2008).The sample involved employees with different variables such as gender, age, and working life experience.All employees who we accompanied were informed about the overall aim of the research and had given their consent to participate in the study.Altogether, we shadowed frontline employees in 16 retail stores, for a total of 130 hours (we visited each store for two days and followed at least two employees in each store).Informed by Spradley (1980), we used an observation protocol -focusing primarily on three of the aspects suggested by the author (i.e.activities, events, objects).This implies that we focused on queries such as: What technological devices do employees (and customers) use in the service encounters?How do the technological devices used influence the service encounter and employees' work practices?What challenges do employees' use of new technology involve and how do they cope with these?We kept careful notes during our observations.Detailed documentation was important to our purpose of achieving a rich empirical material and is also a way to improve credibility of data (Koch 2006;Lincoln and Guba 1985).As has been argued before, a limitation in coping research relates to the subjects' capacity to remember and describe their previously performed coping behaviours (Folkman and Moskowitz 2004).In this research, we overcame such limitations by partaking in the situations where technology-related problems occurred, thus being able to study such coping behaviour as it was performed in the context of the physical store.
Interviews with frontline employees were also conducted to learn more about how employees use technology in their daily work and how they handle and experience the challenges such devices may present.In-depth interviews are suitable for understanding subjective experiences and learning about the investigated phenomena from the respondents' perspectives (Gubrium and Holstein 2012).Our interviews were semi-structured to provide guidance, while also allowing respondents to influence the content of the conversation (cf.Morse 2012).The interview guide included questions concerning how employees use and experience new digital implementations, referring to in particular three areas: (1) what digital tools employees use in their work and how they experience the use of these, (2) what challenges the implementation and use of new technology can involve for employees and how they can handle these in the store, and (3) how employees view their work in the digitalized store and how their work role has changed due to increased digitalization.In most instances, we interviewed the same people who we were shadowing.This gave us opportunities to have more in-depth conversations about employees' work experiences and to ask questions regarding events that we observed in the store.These interviews (32 in total) were scheduled in advance, recorded and later transcribed verbatim.However, during our observations we also performed more informal interviews (around 12) with employees in the stores.These were typically shorter and documented in our field notes.In total, 44 interviews were conducted during our visits in the stores, lasting between 30 to 80 minutes.
Data were analysed in two main phases, where the different data sets (interview transcripts and field notes) were analysed and coded all together.In the first phase, thematic analysis was performed to identify and understand the various forms of coping which employees use to deal with technology-related challenges.Data were analysed in a stepwise procedure according to the suggestions provided by Braun and Clarke (2006).The data was manually coded whereby interesting parts were copied into a separate document and organized in a table -guided by the aim of finding central themes to describe the different coping practices seen across the material.
Themes were at first more tentative in their form (e.g.'problem-focused coping' and 'passive coping'), but were gradually refined as the analysis progressed and more categories of data were included; resulting eventually in four major themes (i.e.Using support and information, Using alternative work tools, Avoiding to use new technology, Re-framing of work role).Thematic analysis is characterized as being 'iterative and reflective' and can thus entail continuous shifts between data and theory (Nowell et al. 2017, p. 4).In line with this, the analysis entailed both deductive and inductive elements.Previous theories provided tools for identifying and making sense of the different modes of coping in the material, however attention was also devoted to understanding the ways in which such practices were performed and perceived from the subjects' perspectives.In the second phase of the analysis, the data was revisited to provide further insights into how employees' work practices were altered as they cope with technology-related challenges.To achieve this, job crafting was used as analytical tool, particularly by focusing on the three job crafting dimensions outlined by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001, pp. 185-186) (i.e.task, relational, cognitive) to understand how technology-related coping contributes to define employees' work practices.In these analytical processes, the job crafting dimensions were applied to the empirical material in a deductive manner to explore how the various dimensions could be seen in the material -focusing particularly on each of the major coping forms previously identified.Following this, questions that guided these processes were: How are work practices altered to cope with technology?How does such coping interfere with (tasks, relational and cognitive dimensions of) employees' work?
In the following sections, the findings of the study are presented.All respondents have been renamed to ensure their anonymity.

Findings: an analysis of employees' coping practices and work experiences in retail stores
The findings of this study are outlined and discussed in two main parts: The first part focuses on illustrating how employees cope with technology-related challenges in retail store settings, thus shedding light on the multiple forms of coping practices which employees engage in, and how such coping shapes their work practices.Building on this section, part two focuses particularly on how technology-related coping contributes to defining retail work experiences.
However, to lay the ground for the analytical sections, a short description of the form of challenges that employees encounter as they use new in-store technology is first provided.

Setting the scene: technology-related challenges in the store
It was clear from our material that the implementation of new digital devices was high priority in several of the stores that we observed; referring mainly to technology such as in-store kiosks, iPads, smartphone apps, and new computer systems.While a common ambition related to the inclusion of such technologies was to improve customer service and allow for more effective work practices, our material reveals that the implementation of such technologies involves substantial challenges for frontline employees.Employees report various types of problems which the implementation of new technology can be associated with, referring mostly to dysfunctional technology (e.g. an iPad/app that does not work as intended or is out of order), inconvenient technology (e.g. computer systems/in-store kiosks which are complicated to work with and/or offer insufficient solutions), and unstable or weak internet connection (e.g.restraining employees' opportunity to place orders, search for information, manage customer credits).
Our material reveals that such technology-related problems affected employees' work in several ways.For example, as referred to by employees, dysfunctional technology often meant that work tasks became more complicated and that employees' opportunities to serve customers requests were restrained.From employees' descriptions, it is evident that the use of new technology can involve challenges which make store work more difficult, and which can imply that work cannot be performed as intended.The sections below, illustrate how employees cope with and experience such challenges in their everyday work.

Coping with new technology: employees' handling of technology-related challenges
To handle the challenges evoked by new in-store technology, employees engage in various forms of coping activities.These are here described and referred to in terms of four different coping practices: using support and information, using alternative work tools, avoiding the use of new technology, reframing the work role.In the following sections, these coping practices are described to account for the multiple ways in which employees perform technology-related coping activities.As will be seen here, such coping can involve all three of the job crafting dimensions described by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001), thus changing how work tasks are performed (task dimension), the form of social interactions which take place among employees (relational dimension), and how employees think about and relate to their work role (cognitive dimension).
While the coping practices described here are discussed separately, it should be noted that employees may also combine them as they handle technology-related problems.In line with previous research, and as will be shown below, our material suggests that employees sometimes combine and use multiple forms of coping (see also, Blazejewski and Walker 2018;Folkman and Moskowitz 2004).

Using support and information
A coping practice commonly performed by the employees involved their use of various forms of support and information.This may refer to different types of activities directed towards solving a technology-related problem at hand, thus taking the form of 'problemfocused coping', as referred to in previous literature (Folkman and Lazarus 1980, p. 223).As described by employees, and as witnessed during our observations, these incorporated activities include seeking support from IT helpdesk, asking colleagues for assistance, or searching for information on how to get around the problem.
One form of action that employees engaged in to handle technology-related challenges was to seek support from their colleagues.During observations, we frequently saw that employees encountered technology-related problems which required the involvement of more than one co-worker.Employees also reported that collegial support is seen as an important asset as they cope with technology-related challenges.Hence, it was clear from our material that coping can be performed both individually and collectively.
"If there's something in our system, a lot can be controlled via that system.Often, it's like, 'Ok, can you help me with this?How do I fix this?I need this'.(. ..)I feel that everyone explains very well and really takes their time to help each other.(. ...) So, the system fails now and then, but we still do our best to make the system work.I mean, correct flaws and find our own solutions to make the system work as well as possible."(Interview with Lina) Technology-related coping contributes to shaping work practices by incorporating new forms of social interactions among employees (e.g.seeking assistance from co-workers or sharing advice on how new devices can be handled).Such coping thus involves employees' engagement in the relational dimension of job crafting as referred to by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001), seen in our material for example in employees' attempts to help and learn from each other to create better work situations.
When shadowing employees, we also commonly encountered situations where different types of technological issues (e.g.non-functioning iPad, cash desk, self-checkout system) were reported to the organization's helpdesk or department for IT support.While this was sometimes a good -and often the only -solution to the problem, it was clear that getting assistance from internal IT helpdesk was by no means a fast and straightforward solution to a problem.As reported by employees, they oftentimes had to wait a long time for such assistance: "How long have these problems been going on?It's only since last weekend.So it's not that long.The difficulties with the iPad started last weekend, so we made a report digitally and then our IT department can connect to it.We usually get a message in the email when it is ready to use again."(Interview with Ulrika) "You report the issue and then. . .(. ..)They have a look at it.(. ..)At the weekends there isn't much to do about it.(. ..)We have called our IT department, they are on it, it will just take some time.Two hours later, it's already quite late."(Interview with Ronny) Thus, in many situations employees are more or less dependent on 'finding their own solutions', either on their own or together with a colleague.In practice, reporting a problem to helpdesk often meant that employees also needed to engage in other forms of coping activities to handle the situation at hand.
As our findings show, employees' coping practices involve activities directed towards immediate problem-solving, but also more proactive activities to create betterfunctioning work situations.Proactivity has previously been defined as a core dimension of job crafting (Palm and Eriksson 2018;Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001).In our material, such proactivity was seen in employees' enduring involvement in learning how to use technological devices (e.g.participating in educational activities, seeking information about new devices) and sharing advice with colleagues concerning new implements.As previous research has also shown, enhancing their digital skills can be an important part of employees' coping (Tarafdar et al. 2020).
While it is clear that employees commonly use various type of support to deal with technological challenges -for example by reporting problematic issues to an internal helpdesk -our findings show that employees' responses to technology-related problems can also take opposite forms.Reports from employees revealed that they may also refrain from reporting such problems, as exemplified in the quotation below: "I've had some complaints from customers about the app, and then I usually just say that they are looking at it, because I guess that is what they do when they have their meeting to optimize everything (. ..)Is this something that you have passed on in the organization?Not to the managers, I have just told those that I work with.But maybe it's something that should be addressed, I have just assumed that they are working on it up there."(Interview with Robert) As we learn from this statement, employees do not necessarily report perceived problems to the store management, they may also presume that the management is already looking into the issue.This can be seen as coping in the form of 'deconstructive process deviance', as referred by Christ-Brendemühl and Schaarschmidt (2019, pp. 936-937), described by the authors as problematic from an organizational point of view since it may imply that the organization is not aware of the prevailing problems.

Using alternative work tools
Another coping practice commonly performed by employees involved their adaptations of work practices to use other alternative work tools.As seen in our material, this form of coping embraces different types of activities, including for example employees' use of other technological devices (e.g.use of a computer instead of an iPad/smartphone), alternative equipment (e.g.brochures), or change of work station (e.g.moving to a place where the Wi-Fi is better) to handle technology-related problems.Such activities can thus also be seen as a form of problem-focused coping (cf.Folkman and Lazarus 1980, p. 223).
By far the most common way of coping with technology-related problems through the use of alternative tools was seen in situations when employees switch to another technological device to overcome technological challenges.During observations, we frequently witnessed that, due to technological deficiencies, employees had to interrupt their work to complete their tasks using alternative means.The passage below reflects how such coping is performed in the in-store service encounter: "It is completely impossible to find what you need (. ..).It cannot be used (a new computer system).Then you use the customer terminal and if you have to mess with that tool, hopefully you can get it to work on the website."(Interview with Amanda) It is apparent from our findings that technology-related coping shapes work practices in various ways.As seen in our material, switching to an alternative work tool often meant that work became more complicated to perform, for example by involving more tasks (e.g.employees need to go through several steps to complete tasks), or making work more difficult to perform (e.g.alternative tools can be more laborious to work with, interrupt work practices, and/or offer restrained solutions).
Adapting work practices to cope with technology commonly implies that employees' work is being interrupted since they need to use additional resources and/or move to other work areas to perform their tasks.As Blazejewski and Walker (2018) have also pointed out, coping with technology can thus be seen as disrupting employees' work.As our findings suggest, such coping can also involve changes to how employees use the store, implying that work needs to be performed in places other than intended.
"And then it's like; ‛I'm sorry I cannot check the price, we have to bring it to the computer'.And the customers get involved in this as well.They must spend even more time in the store."(Interview with Lina) As exemplified in the passage above, to handle the various problems that a weak internet connection can involve (e.g.inability to search for information, complete purchases, handle credit requests, book services), employees sometimes have to move around in the store and perform their work in alternative places not intended for these tasks.This is seen as another example of how employees, to cope with technological challenges, need to alter their work practices in ways that make work less convenient to perform.Such activities can be interpreted as a form of task-related job crafting, as described by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001), seen here in employees' altering of work practices to complete their tasks.
While coping commonly involved employees adjusting their work practices to use other forms of work equipment, our material also reveals that coping can involve using work tools in ways other than intended.During our observations we witnessed employees' experimental use of dysfunctional work tools where they tried out new ways of using these tools to fulfil customers service requests and perform their tasks.
Charlotta is about to complete an order on the in-store kiosk which is used for online orders.She is standing with the customer in front of the screen, trying to complete the purchase.For some reason the process cannot be completed.They are trying a few times.Charlotte seems hesitant and unsure about why it is not working."Let's try again" she says, but then immediately she changes her mind and says to the customer that they can solve it in another way.She succeeds in getting the purchase through.Then she points out to the customer that when she comes to the store to collect her package, she must tell staff that 'a repurchase must be made'.(Notes from shadowing) As seen in this excerpt, coping can also involve employees' deliberate use of an incorrect set-up to provide service in efficient ways.Such activities can be interpreted as the form of coping that Christ-Brendemühl and Schaarschmidt (2019) refer to as 'constructive process deviance' (p.936), to denote coping activities whereby employees diverge from their usual ways of performing tasks to serve the customer.As our material suggests thus, coping can also involve the altering of work practices in ways that exceed what is required by the prescribed work role.For example, committed to serving customers' need, employees may try out various solutions to accomplish their goal.Using the lens of job crafting, such altering of work can be understood as crafting initiatives performed by employees to improve their work.As Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001) state, job crafting can involve employees' creative revising of work practices in ways that extend their work role.
As can be seen, our findings show that employees commonly cope with technology by altering their practices in ways that involve using work tools other than those intended for the task.In so doing, their work practices are shaped in ways that incorporate various elements of the task dimension, as described by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001), thus affecting what works tools employees use to perform their work, as well as how and where these tools are used.Hence, taken together, our findings show that coping with technology involves employees' juggling of more and new form of tasks.

Avoiding the use of new technology
As seen above, employees' coping often involves work practices devoted to the active handling of technology-related challenges.However, from employees' descriptions, it was clear that technology-related coping also involves altering work practices in ways which imply that employees refrain from using certain devices.This is similar to what scholars have previously referred to as coping in terms of individuals' 'avoidance' or 'escape' from a problematic situation (e.g.Folkman and Lazarus 1980;Folkman and Moskowitz 2004;Guo, Shao, and Zuo 2012).Our findings show that such coping can be performed in proactive ways, seen for example in employees' altering of practices to make work smoother.
A man in his 50s enters the store.Linda approaches him immediately, asking if he wants help.He tells her what type of product he is looking for.Linda takes him to a shelf, only to realize that all of these products are out of stock."You can try in our city store," she says and continues, "I'll give them a call to hear what they have".She explains to the customer that she will use the phone instead of checking it up in the computer since that would involve searching for each item separately.After a short conversation with staff in the other store, she informs the customer that it has one sort of the product that he is interested in.(Notes from shadowing) Although there is a computer system that can be used for such tasks, this salesperson chose to contact staff in another store using the phone instead, since she finds the system cumbersome to use.Such coping takes the form of task-related job crafting, as referred to by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001).This employee thus crafts her work by altering how the task is performed, thereby reconstructing work to make it more convenient and to satisfy customer requests in better ways.
A similar form of coping is exemplified in the passage below, where an employee describes an app that the organization has for employees to use, but which he has no personal experience of since he chooses not to use it: "I think we have an app for employees too, but I've heard a lot of complaints about it, so I don't use it.It's like the one we have on the computer where we can check our stock balance and all of that, but I have no experience from using it myself.(. ..)I have heard from two colleagues that it is sluggish and poor when it comes to stock updates and such things."(Interview with Robert) As this quotation reveals, hearing colleagues complaining about new technological devices may be a reason for co-workers refraining from trying them out.As this example also illustrates, coping activities can thus shape (and be shaped by) social interactions between co-workers.Moreover, as this quotation indicates, when employees' handling of technology-related problems becomes too cumbersome, they may cease their attempts to deal with the technological device in question and avoid using it altogether.Examples of this was seen in relation to employees' use of new technologies (such as iPads or smartphone apps) that were perceived as too slow or too complicated to use: "Many co-workers have given up.It's not fun to just stand there for about a minute every time, just trying.And then you're like, 'OK, I go to a computer instead'.It's better to go straight to the computer instead.But if it had worked as it should, it would have been really great."(Interview with Robert) As this passage suggests, employees who repeatedly experience problems with certain devices may start to avoid them and use a back-up solution instead.Such coping involves the cognitive dimensions of job crafting as described by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001), in the sense that employees alter their practices to experience work in more positive ways.As seen in our findings, by avoiding the use of certain devices, employees can perform work more efficiently, perceive less frustration, and maintain their confidence.This is also reflected in the passages below: Karin described the iPad as "complicated" to work with and tells me that all functions do not work as intended.Searching for products using the iPad is time-consuming, she says.She explains that they need to enter search terms verbatim, unlike when she uses the computer for this.She tells me that the main idea with implementing iPads were that these should be used in the service encounter to find customized solutions together with the customer.But she points out that she "doesn't dare" use the iPad together with a customer since is works so badly.She continues by explaining to me: '"f you cannot manage the technology, you lose your authority as a salesperson."(Notes from shadowing) As seen in these examples, coping with dysfunctional technology in the service encounter can be associated with employees' concern for not being perceived as competent -or as one employee put it, 'losing face' in front of the customer.Avoiding the use of such technologies can be seen as a means whereby employees craft their work to feel more confident in their role.As described by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001) thus, through processes of job crafting employees can enhance their self-esteem and promote a positive view of their work efforts to other people.

Reframing the work role
In our material we also saw examples of coping activities which involve employees reframing their work situations and their ways of relating to technology.In previous literature, such coping has been referred to as 'emotion-focused coping' (Folkman and Lazarus 1980, p. 223), involving individuals' 'reappraisal' of the situation, for example by seeing it in a more positive light (Folkman 1984, p. 844;Folkman and Lazarus 1980, p. 224).In our empirical material, it was emphasized that to handle the challenges which new technology poses, it is important to hold a positive attitude to change: "I need to change my approach to all of this, the way I am (. ..)Change is the new thing and you better go along and like change, otherwise it is tough to work within retailing today."(Interview with Tobias) As the quotation indicates, and following coping theory referred to above, an important part of technology-related coping can involve employees altering how they think about their work.As the citation reveals, this may also include employees' acceptance that 'change is the new thing', suggesting a form of enduring coping that digital transformation entails.Similar to these findings, Blazejewski and Walker (2018) have also successfully shown how the handling of new technology can involve employees re-evaluation of their work role.
However, from our results it is clear that employees relate to new technology in different ways.While some employees were positive to new digital technologies, others were more resigned to the challenge and thus found it more difficult to revise how they view work.As our findings suggest, a more reluctant acceptance and use of new technology may prevail.This is seen in the example below, where an employee gives her view on a new digital system that she perceives as troublesome and less functional than the previous one.
"It is way too slow.Unfortunately, a lot is too slow.(. ..)It takes so much time, time that I could have used doing something else.(. ..)The one we had before we changed the checkout system, it was so smooth.(. ..)But there is always a reason why they do things.It is a development, of course.And of course it has got better, but you just have to learn it.Just honk and run."(Interview with Mikaela) As this quotation suggests, while employees may be reluctant to accept the new situation, their handling of it may also involve a re-evaluation, where they focus on the positive aspects.Following Folkman (1984), this can be interpreted as the emotional handling of a problematic situation -seen in this employee's notion that 'there is always a reason why they do things' and 'it has got better'.Hence, trying to see the situation in a more positive light becomes an important part of her coping, making it easier for her to accept the situation and 'just honk and run'.As reflected in our material thus, coping can involve employees' shaping of work practices to focus more on the positive aspects of work.As we can see in our material, such reframing of work can take different forms in employees' work practices.This is further exemplified below: "What we want is not there.Then it is also important to focus on when we can use it, when is it good?Rattling off everything that's not good will not bring the service encounter forward either, but when it is good for the customer and for the salesperson, so you just feel, wow." (Interview with Carolina) As seen in this statement, by focusing on the positive effects of new technological devices and those aspects which contribute to 'bring the service encounter forward' employees can relate to work tasks in new ways.This can be seen as cognitive job crafting, which thus is described as a change in how employees think about work and how it is seen as meaningful (Wrzesniewski and Dutton 2001).However, it is evident that their reevaluation of the situation may require 'a lot of work'.
"Sometimes I can crack up over things, but I try not to put energy into the things I cannot affect.So, this is something I put a lot of work into myself, but also with my co-workers.(. ..)Not to put too much energy into these things.But it can be challenging.(. ..)It doesn´t always work, then you get frustrated of course."(Interview with Carolina) As this quotation shows, the handling of technology-related problems for employees may involve both dealing with their own emotions (e.g.frustration) and supporting coworkers' coping.This illustrates the multifaceted character of coping, also reminding us that coping can be perceived both individually and collectively.

Employees' coping practices and retail work experiences: the importance of organizational and individual resources
The sections above show that employees coping practices involve various forms of activities which contribute to defining retail work in multiple ways.Evident from our material is the complex relationship between employees' coping practices and their work experiences.In the following section, this relationship is further addressed.
As we have seen, employees' coping practices often entail activities directed towards problem-solving and task accomplishment, but coping extends beyond thatinvolving also different forms of job crafting.Technology-related coping is here revealed as a multifaceted phenomenon, connected to various forms of experiences.As seen in our study, through processes of coping, individuals can craft their work and reconstruct it in ways that lead to personal growth and development (e.g. by learning and sharing information on how to use new technology, creatively trying out different solutions, reframing their view on work).However, it is also evident that much coping affects retail work experiences in negative ways; involving work practices that are described in terms of frustration, resignment, or loss of confidence.Inability to use newly implemented technology in smooth ways was often described as a hassle by employees.
"Our wi-fi is terrible.Almost 50% of all customers who try to do something, book our service through their phone, it just keeps spinning around.And then it says: 'no connection'.You get nowhere, half of the time it does not work."(Interview with Ronny) From employees' perspectives, the handling of technology-related challenges can thus be seen as hard work.This is further exemplified in the passage below, where a woman describes her use of a new computer system (which employees use to search for product information and place orders) with functional deficiencies.
"You cannot find what you search for.They have made it worse than before.It's a lot harder (. ..)They think that they have made something good but it's not good (. ..)No it's really hard to find stuff, I can't find it (. ..)I mean, it cannot be used."(Interview with Amanda) As these quotations suggest, new digital implements can involve new forms of job demands for frontline employees, thus supporting previous research which has shown that technology can be described as both a resource and a demand (Blazejewski and Walker 2018;Christ-Brendemühl and Schaarschmidt, 2020).When a digital device is out of order or when it does not work as intended, employees perceive a loss of resources, which can make it difficult for them to perform their work according to the script.In such situations, there is a contradiction between work-related demands and the support that employees provide, thus similar to the 'role conflict' referred to in previous literature (Babin and Boles 1996;Rizzo, Haus, and Lirtzman 1970).
From our findings, it is clear that organizational resources are central to understanding the intricate relationship between coping practices and employees' work experiences.Organizational support thus plays a key role both in how coping can be performed and how it is experienced by employees.
"When I call (support company) they say 'yeah, we will check this out.We'll get back to you.' Then I feel, um, but I need help now (. ..)And then they say, 'we don't know what the problem is, we'll have to get back to you'.And here I stand with long queues.I need it up and running now.‛Yes, we'll report this, they will come back to you within two days'.Then I feel, no, that's a lack of support."(Interview with Marcus) As the quotation above illustrates, when there is discrepancy between the technology-related challenges which employees face and the resources they have to handle those challenges, coping may be perceived as particularly demanding.This study thus supports previous research, which has pointed out that the organizational support that employees receive is essential in forming their work experiences (e.g.Kim, Knight, and Crutsinger 2009;Babin and Boles 1996;Knight, Crutsinger, and Kim 2006).
However, based on our results, it is important to note that employees' individual resources can also be important as to how they relate to and experience coping.Our material suggests that employees differ both regarding their knowledge (e.g. on how to use new technology or how to handle technology-related problems) and their motivation to learn about and use new digital devices.This implies that employees are differently equipped when it comes to handling new technological implementations, which may have a bearing on how they experience technology-related coping.As previous research has shown, individuals can be more or less inclined to engage in proactive forms of coping, due to, for example, their knowledge and personality (Buonocore, Russo, and de Gennaro 2023; Tims and Bakker 2010).In line with this, our findings also testify to differences in co-workers' ways of relating to the digital transformation that they are part of.Individuals who appreciate change and the reframing of their work role may be more likely to see the positive side of the encountered challenges, which the following quotation indicates: Taken together, employees engage in various forms of coping which contributes to defining their experiences in multiple ways.Apparent from our findings is that employees' resources -in both organizational and individual terms -can play a vital role as to how coping can be performed and how it contributes to forming employees' work experiences.

Concluding discussion
Retail digitalization is currently transforming in-store service settings and retail work.In retail research, scholars have provided some important insights into how new technology changes the work conditions of frontline employees, for example by illustrating how such devices can serve to improve their work (e.g.Alomari 2022; Pantano and Migliarese 2014; Renko and Druzijanic 2014).However, employees' handling of technology-related problems in retail store settings has received limited attention in the field.
This study has improved our understanding of how technology-related coping is carried out in retail stores, how such coping defines and alters employees' in-store practices, and how it contributes to form their work experiences.More specifically, this research has enhanced our knowledge on (1) how technology-related coping is performed in retail store settings, thereby providing new insight into the multiple coping practices which frontline employees engage in.The study has also informed our understanding of (2) how technology-related coping contributes to shape employees' in-store work practices, for example, by revealing how work practices are shifted, interrupted, or reconstructed as employees cope with technology.Finally, this paper has also (3) improved our understanding of the relationship between technology-related coping and retail work experiences.It has thus advanced our knowledge on how such coping contributes to define employees' work experiences and what is the role of work-related dimensions (e.g.organizational support) in these processes.In the following sections, these theoretical insights are further addressed.
First of all, by identifying and outlining four coping practices (i.e. using support and information, using alternative work tools, avoiding the use of new technology, and reframing the work role), this paper has improved our understanding of how technology-related coping is performed in retail stores.Moreover, it has advanced our knowledge about the multiple coping practices which in-store employees engage in to cope with new technology, thus giving insight into the multiform character of such coping.As the findings have shown, employees' coping practices take multiple forms, involving different kinds of problem-solving as well as more proactive coping activities.While previous studies have examined relationships between coping activities and retail outcomes (e.g.performance, stress) (e.g.Ashill, Rod, and Gibbs 2015;Yeonjun Kang, Hur, and Shin 2023), this paper has illustrated how technology-related coping is enacted in the store.Although there is previous research that has provided valuable insights in this regard (see Blazejewski and Walker 2018), the present study has further advanced our knowledge on this subject by providing a more extensive understanding of the various forms of coping performed by retail employees.By incorporating organizations from different retail industries, this study has contributed to a broader understanding of technology-related coping and the ways in which it is manifested in retail settings.
Secondly, this research has also provided new insights into how technologyrelated coping contributes to shape retail work.As our findings has shown, to handle technological challenges, employees alter their work practices in multiple ways.For example, such alterations can involve the interrupting of work (e.g. when tasks cannot be performed as intended), the handling of new work tasks (e.g.contact IT support, learn how to use new devices), and the adjusting of work practices (e.g. to accomplish tasks in alternative ways).As has been seen, such work adaptations may imply that work is performed in ways that reach beyond employees' formal work role.Using the theoretical lens of job crafting, and in particular the three job crafting dimensions described by Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001), has allowed for an in-depth understanding of the various ways in which employees modify their work practices to cope with technology; referring thus both to what and how work tasks are performed (task dimension), the form of social interactions that employees engage in (relational dimension), and the ways in which employees think about their work (cognitive dimension).Following Wrzesniewski and Dutton's (2001) notion of job crafting, this study has thus shown that through the practice of technology related-coping, employees also actively reconstruct their work.From previous studies we have learnt that new technology has changed both how employees perceive their work and how it can be performed (e.g.Di Pietro, Pantano, and Di Virgilio 2014;Pantano and Migliarese 2014;Renko and Druzijanic, 2014).However, this is still an under-researched area, not least concerning the negative facets of new technology.By devoting particular attention to the ways in which employees handle technology-related problems, this study has further advanced our understanding of how new technology shapes in-store work practices.
Thirdly, this study has also provided new insights into the relationship between technology-related coping and retail work experiences.By uncovering the various coping forms which employees engage in to handle technological challenges, this study has provided insight into the multiple ways in which such coping can contribute to defining work experiences.As such, this study has improved our understanding of the diversified imprint which technology-related coping can make on retail work experiences.While we know from previous research that new technology can affect retail work in both positive and negative ways (e.g.Di Pietro, Pantano, and Di Virgilio 2014;McWilliams, Anitsal, and andAnitsal 2016;Pantano and Migliarese 2014), this study has advanced our knowledge on how employees perceive technology-related challenges and how this in turn contribute to shaping their work experiences.In addition, this study has improved our understanding of the crucial role that organizational resources play in how coping can be performed and how it is experienced by employees.As this study has shown, organizational resources -for example available IT support, the opportunity to learn from more experienced co-workers, and educational activities -are imperative both to enable technology-related problem-solving and to encourage more proactive crafting initiatives.Hence, such organizational resources play a key role in how the digital transformation affects employees' work experiences.

Practical implications
From the findings we learn that employees engage in various forms of coping that come with different consequences -both for employees and retail organizations.From retailers' point of view, it appears as important to encourage some forms of coping and counteract others.For instance, retailers should promote coping activities which imply that employees take active measures to deal with technologyrelated problems in appropriate ways (e.g.seeking support, learning and sharing information of how to use new digital devices), while working against more passive forms of coping (e.g.not reporting IT-related problems, avoiding the use of new technology).To this end, it is important that retail organizations provide the type of resources that employees need to handle technology-related problems in positive ways (e.g. in terms of available IT support, information about how to deal with technology-related problems, education on how to use new digital implementations).Moreover, it is also important for retailers to recognize that employees have different resources to cope with technology (e.g. in terms of their knowledge and motivation) and may also need different forms of support.However, taken together, it is clear from our findings that much technological development remains to ensure well-functional technological infrastructures in retail contexts (e.g. in terms of stable internet connection, more user-friendly solutions).Further progress in this sense is thus imperative in supporting employees to handle technology-related challenges and to enhance positive retail work experiences.

Suggestions for future research
This paper has focused on achieving an extensive understanding of the various coping practices which employees perform in retail store settings.Future research can focus on more in-depth explorations of the different coping forms identified in this study, for example to learn more about the role of organizational resources in supporting different coping activities.Moreover, following the qualitative approach, this study has been concerned with coping as subjectively experienced, thus focusing on a relatively small sample.While our findings have shed some light on individual differences in employees' ways of relating to technology-related coping (e.g. as regards their knowledge and motivation to learn about new technology), more systematic examinations of such differences have been without the scope of this study.Hence, exploring variations in how employees perform coping is also an avenue for future studies, for example by examining the relationship between employees' coping practices and organizational resources or their individual characteristics (e.g.education, motivation, age).

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I have sought to scrutinize myself through these years as a salesperson, and I have realized that things change.(. ..)You better keep up with the development (. ..) be open to change.You have to like change.(. ..)It is first at that point you can truly understand your part in all of this.It's hard to describe, but be open to change, and like it, otherwise this will be difficult."(Interview with Tobias)