Examines the implementation of quality measures at Swissair, a mixedeconomy limited airline corporation. This was encouraged by theintroduction of ISO 9001 certification. Suggests…
Abstract
Examines the implementation of quality measures at Swissair, a mixed economy limited airline corporation. This was encouraged by the introduction of ISO 9001 certification. Suggests that this was strange in a company where quality is an essential ingredient of air safety and indeed is a permanent state of mind. Concludes that ISO 9001 was a catalyst for progress at both the technical level and in the challenge which it called on Swissair to face.
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Gyan Prakash and Shefali Srivastava
The purpose of this paper is to identify the antecedents and outcomes of internal service quality (ISQ) in a health-care environment. The relationships among the heterogeneous…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the antecedents and outcomes of internal service quality (ISQ) in a health-care environment. The relationships among the heterogeneous health-care environment, coordinated care, perceived organisational support (POS), ISQ, internal customer satisfaction and patient-centred care were explored.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a review of the literature, a structural model was developed. A 37-item questionnaire was circulated among service providers in the health-care system, including doctors, nurses and system staff, all over India. The random sampling method was adopted to collect data. A total of 238 valid responses were received. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results show that the heterogeneous environment, coordinated care and POS act as antecedents of ISQ, which drives internal customer satisfaction and patient centricity in health care.
Research limitations/implications
The paper contributes to the health-care literature by identifying the antecedents and consequences of ISQ and developing a structural relationship among ISQ, the heterogeneous health-care environment, coordinated care, POS, internal customer satisfaction and patient-centred care.
Practical implications
Hospital administrators may use various constructs of POS, ISQ and coordinated care to measure process and employee performance, which may aid the design of appropriate processes and improve employee selection. The constructs of patient centricity and internal customer satisfaction may be used as benchmarking tools to facilitate the formulation of immediate corrective actions and policies for future courses of action.
Social implications
This paper highlights how patient centricity may be achieved by focussing on ISQ, coordinated care processes and a facilitative internal environment. This understanding may aid the design of processes that in turn deliver health as a social good in an effective manner.
Originality/value
This paper extends past research on ISQ by showing that ISQ affects internal customer satisfaction and, in turn, the quality of service delivery in the system. In the health-care context, heterogeneity in patient needs, coordinated care and organisational support play crucial roles in determining ISQ, which in turn influences the level of patient-centred care.
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Alistair Brandon‐Jones and Rhian Silvestro
This paper aims to build upon the debate in the service quality literature regarding both the theoretical and practical effectiveness of expectations data in the measurement of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to build upon the debate in the service quality literature regarding both the theoretical and practical effectiveness of expectations data in the measurement of internal service quality (ISQ). Gap‐based and perceptions‐only approaches to measuring ISQ are tested and their respective benefits and limitations evaluated.
Design/methodology/approach
The internal service context used in this study is the provision of e‐procurement software, training, and user support in four organisations. The two approaches are evaluated in terms of reliability and validity, as well as pragmatic aspects of survey administration.
Findings
The various tests carried out indicate that both the gap‐measure and perceptions‐only measure are reliable and valid, the latter being the marginally higher performer. Both approaches were found to have benefits and limitations, and so the empirical study, combined with contributions from the literature, generates some understanding of the internal service context in which the two approaches might be appropriate.
Research limitations/implications
The survey was based on an internal e‐procurement service; as such, the variables and dimensions selected to measure ISQ in this context inevitably limit the scope of the research.
Practical implications
For operations managers, the paper clarifies the basis on which they might choose between the two approaches to ISQ measurement.
Originality/value
This study is the first to directly test and compare the relative merits of these two approaches to ISQ measurement. The paper also offers insights as to the operational contexts in which each approach might be appropriate.
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Applies service quality theory to facilities management (FM), resulting in a more customer‐orientated approach to FM. Uses a questionnaire as the main source of data collection…
Abstract
Applies service quality theory to facilities management (FM), resulting in a more customer‐orientated approach to FM. Uses a questionnaire as the main source of data collection. Uses factor analysis to establish basic underlying concepts or dimensions. Proposes a “gap” model which makes a comparison between service quality and the level of importance that customers place on each service dimension. The implications are that FM managers can use service dimensions to measure the qualitative elements of FM service provision. Segmentation analysis allows FM managers to determine whether different service levels are required for customer segmentation groups. Allows the concepts and theories that are currently applied in the service quality literature to be applied in an FM context. This moves the debate about FM performance metrics more towards measuring and understanding customer perceptions and ultimately to customer management strategies.
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Piyush Sharma, Titus Tak Chuen Kong and Russel P.J. Kingshott
The purpose of this paper is to use “positive organizational behavior” and “transformative service research” paradigms to introduce “employee well-being” as a focal construct in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use “positive organizational behavior” and “transformative service research” paradigms to introduce “employee well-being” as a focal construct in the process by which internal service quality (ISQ) drives employee satisfaction, commitment and performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A field-survey using a structured questionnaire is employed to test all the hypotheses with 250 employees and their 25 supervisors in a manufacturing unit in Guangdong province of the People’s Republic of China.
Findings
All the eight hypotheses are supported. ISQ has a positive effect on employee satisfaction, commitment and employee well-being, which in turn positively influence employee performance. Employee well-being also positively moderates (strengthens) the effects of employee satisfaction and commitment on employee performance.
Research limitations/implications
This paper uses data from a single factory in China and focuses on a few key constructs, which may restrict the generalizability of its findings. Moreover, no significant differences were found among the supervisor-workers units.
Practical implications
Managers in non-service industries should focus on improving ISQ and employee well-being in their organizations because both these constructs have significant direct and indirect effects on employee performance.
Originality/value
This paper extends past research on ISQ by showing that it affects employee performance via satisfaction and commitment, and that employee well-being moderates the effects of employee satisfaction and commitment on performance.
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Chieh-Peng Lin, Na-Ting Liu, Chou-Kang Chiu, Kuang-Jung Chen and Ni-Chen Lin
The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a model of team performance by applying social exchange and social capital perspectives in a single model setting. It hypothesizes…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a model of team performance by applying social exchange and social capital perspectives in a single model setting. It hypothesizes that team performance is indirectly affected by politics through leader–member capitalization (LMC) and by ethical leadership through leader–member exchange (LMX). Meanwhile, team identification is hypothesized to moderate the relationships between politics and LMC and between ethical leadership and LMX.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypotheses of this study were empirically tested using a survey of work teams from the banking and insurance industry in Taipei, Taiwan.
Findings
The relationship between team performance and ethical leadership is fully mediated by LMX, while the indirect relationship between team performance and politics is mediated via both LMC and LMX. Team identification positively moderates the relationship between ethical leadership and LMX.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few to examine the mediating roles of LMC and LMX simultaneously in team performance development. This study provides several key findings that complement the existing literature by evaluating fresh associations among LMC, LMX and their determinants and moderator.
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Majd Megheirkouni and Ammar Mejheirkouni
The purpose of this paper is to understand challenges facing organizations in the twenty-first century and address these challenges through suggesting future leadership…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand challenges facing organizations in the twenty-first century and address these challenges through suggesting future leadership development based on relevant leadership theories, which would motivate and guide future research directions in a streamlined manner.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study adopted the exploratory literature review, using the integrative method, to review the theoretical and empirical literature on leadership development published since the 2000s, primarily focusing on research published in the Journal of Management Development.
Findings
The findings of the current review confirmed that leadership theories are the base for leadership development theories, particularly if the purpose is to address and overcome the current challenges facing organizations. The authors suggest that leadership theories and leadership development theories do not exist in isolation from one another, nor do they exist in isolation from challenges facing organizations.
Research limitations/implications
This review does not cover all studies before the 2000s nor other journals in the field of leadership.
Originality/value
Given that most organizations are suffering from one or more of the following issues: sexual scandals, unethical behaviors, individualism, crises and a low level of performance or productivity, the development of particular leadership skills has become a priority. This study is one of few studies guiding both future leadership development research directions and leadership development initiatives.