Regulated Experience (Rx) a concept for navigating the tensions between service delivery and regulatory delivery

Abstract

This article introduces regulated experience (Rx) as an emerging concept for managing regulatory agencies’ position on the spectrum
between customer service and enforcement. Drawing on regulatory scholarship and case examples from Australia and New Zealand, we demonstrate how customer service frameworks can create unconscious organisational drift towards accommodation, undermining regulatory effectiveness and public value. Rx provides structured guidance through three operational dimensions – governance clarity, differentiated engagement, and systems alignment – for managing inherent regulatory tensions and trade-offs. Analysis of regulatory failures reveals the consequences of inappropriate positioning, while successful regulatory transformations
demonstrate how conscious repositioning can improve regulatory outcomes. Though requiring empirical validation, Rx augments existing frameworks through intentional relationship management that preserves regulatory mandate while maintaining accessibility.