Phenomenological is a term we inherit from service-dominant logic where it is used to convey the nature of value determination:

value is always uniquely and phenomenologically determined by the beneficiary

#10

We inherit that same use into the progress economy when talking about seeker and helpers’ judgements of progress and other decisions.

Dictionary-wise we find phenomenological defined as:

of, or relating to, someone’s awareness or experience of something rather than the thing itself

Dictionary.com

Think of it as the baggage you bring to a decision – all your lived experiences. Then add what you’re experiencing right now at the decision/judgement point (your living experience).

That previous and current experience affects your judgements of progress potential, reached, sizes of progress hurdles, value recognition or destruction, and whether to proceed or abandon progress attempts.

It’s why you might hate a particular proposition right now, but loved it yesterday; or why you’ll never engage it, ever!

You fickle, wonderful, human being!

Why not just use “experiential ”?

Over to you Vargo & Lush:

…we chose the word “phenomenological” rather than “experiential”. This is partly because of the fact we have found when many people encounter the term “experiential“ it often invokes connotations of something like a “Disney-world event”. Of course, the word experience has several other meanings as well, including previous interactions. However, to the extent that the word experience is intended in a phenomenological sense, we are comfortable with the terms being used interchangeably

Vargo & Lush (2008) “Service-dominant logic: continuing the evolution”; J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. (2008) 36:1–10

Which I presume is a way of them distinguishing service-dominant logic from Pine & Gilmore’s Experience Economy.

That sees a progression of economic value as:

extracting commodities » making goods » delivering services » staging experiences

(see 1998’s “Welcome to the Experience Economy”).

They reflect that “…experiences have always been at the heart of the entertainment business – a fact that Walt Disney and the company he founded have creatively exploited”.