Professional Interaction: Exploring the Concept of Attraction

This paper explores the role of attraction in the initiation, development and maintenance of relationships. Building on the extant social exchange literature and incorporating recent work in the marketing domain, attraction in professional services is defined as the extent to which relational partners perceive past, current, future or potential partners as professionally appealing in terms of their ability to provide superior economic benefits, access to important resources and social compatibility. A conceptual model is developed that (1) posits the determinants of attraction as economic, social and resource-based, and (2) incorporates the proposed relationships between attraction, trust, commitment, interaction and accommodation/assimilation. The legal sector provides the context for the empirical research reported here. Specifically, the paper addresses relationships between barristers, solicitors and barristers' clerks. Findings on the determinants of attraction are presented and a data-driven model developed which substantially expands previous under-standings. This model presents the conditions for attraction, the lens through which attraction is viewed, and the elements of attraction. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications and directions for further research.