Thomas Stewart: what leaders need to know about the new design revolution in services

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 16-22
Author(s):  
Brian Leavy
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Design Strategy ◽  
Harvard Business Review ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Customer Delight ◽  
Modern Manufacturing ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose With the growing importance of services in the overall economy, it is surprising that the notion of service firms investing in systematic and dedicated innovation activities has taken so long to materialize. This is now set to change as service firms undertake the kind of research, design and development disciplines which for more than a century have been mainstays of modern manufacturing. Design/methodology/approach S&L interviews the well-known former editor of Harvard Business Review Thomas A. Stewart and his co-author, former BloombergBusinessweek.com editor Patricia O’Connell, in their latest book, Woo, Wow and Win: Service Design, Strategy and the Art of Customer Delight (Harper Business, 2016). They believe we are on the cusp of a “design revolution” in services. Findings The central thesis of their book is that services “should be designed with as much care as products are” and they include service “delivery” in that premise. Practical implications Service design principles offer powerful new ways to address the three basic strategy questions: What do we sell? To whom? And how do we win? Originality/value Service design helps you understand how to configure a set of activities, behaviors and touchpoints–a journey–that allows you to serve that customer well.

The moderating role of previous venture experience on breadth of learning and innovation and the impacts on SME performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanhaiya K. Sinha ◽  
Chad Saunders ◽  
Simon Raby ◽  
Jim Dewald
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Leadership Team ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Curvilinear Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of previous venture experience on the relationship between learning breadth and innovation breadth, defined as the range of innovation types within a firm, and the impacts on SME performance.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical model was developed, and hypotheses were tested using step-wise multivariate regressions on survey data from 509 North American SME respondents.FindingsThe results demonstrate that the previous venture experience of a firm's top management plays a key role in enhancing the innovation breadth for a given level of learning breadth. There is a curvilinear relationship between innovation breadth and learning breadth, and increases in innovation breadth lead to increases in firm performance.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that organizations seeking higher performance returns by expanding their breadth of innovations need parallel attention on higher learning breadth in order to adequately capture the value from this broader set of innovations.Originality/valueThe paper contextualizes learning and innovation in the SMEs and argues that the consideration of diversity (breadth) of learning and innovation can help us understand their performance implications across industries. It also extends the effect of previous venture experience (PVE) of the leadership team in explaining performance. Beyond their ability to address external factors, PVE has a moderating effect on the relationship between learning and innovation breadth across the organization. Previous venture experience serves as both a guide and catalyst for investments in learning activities that lead to a broader range of innovation activities across the firm.

Simply the best … customer service

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 41-42
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Delight ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The customer has not been coming first for decades, but a new pressure to create customer delight is changing the service industry. This review looks at how customer delight can benefit employees as well as customers. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Examining relationships among process quality, outcome quality, delight, satisfaction and behavioural intentions in fitness centres in Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 374-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Behzad Foroughi ◽  
Mohammad Iranmanesh ◽  
Hassan F. Gholipour ◽  
Sunghyup Sean Hyun
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Process Quality ◽  
Outcome Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behavioural Intentions ◽  
Fitness Industry ◽  
Process And Outcome ◽  
Customer Delight ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of process and outcome quality on fitness members’ delight and satisfaction. Furthermore, the relationships between delight, satisfaction and behavioural intention are investigated. Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from a survey of 379 members of fitness centres in Malaysia and analysed using the partial least squares technique. Findings The results indicated that process quality and outcome quality had a significant effect on customer delight and satisfaction. Furthermore, customer delight influenced customers’ satisfaction and behavioural intentions. Practical implications The findings of this study will help fitness centre managers to understand the importance of outcome quality and delight in addition to process quality and satisfaction in shaping the members’ behavioural intentions, thereby allowing them to differentiate their service from their customers. Originality/value This study is the first attempt to investigate the importance of outcome quality and customer delight in the fitness industry.

Influence of perceived quality on customer satisfaction in different stages of services

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunchang Xie ◽  
Ziqi Sun
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Perceived Quality ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Formation Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Preparation Stage ◽  
Credence Services ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose In response to the call for research on customer experience across the customer journey, this study aims to analyze and compare the effects of perceived quality on customer satisfaction among the different stages of search, experience and credence services. Design/methodology/approach This paper constructs a formation model of customer satisfaction based on service stages. Data on perceived quality and customer satisfaction in different stages of search, experience and credence services was collected through experiments and practical survey and the model was empirically tested through multiple linear regression. Findings The results show that perceived quality in the preparation and departure stages of search and credence services has a greater influence on customer satisfaction than in the delivery stage. While compared to the preparation stage, the perceived quality in the delivery and departure stages of experience service has a greater influence on customer satisfaction. Practical implications This research will help service firms optimize the allocation of service resources according to the importance of different service stages within the three indicated service types, promoting customer satisfaction. Originality/value This is the first study of its kind to compare the effects of perceived quality on customer satisfaction among the stages of search, experience and credence services.

International management challenges of professional service firms: a synthesis of the literature

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara O’Higgins ◽  
Tatiana Andreeva ◽  
Nekane Aramburu Goya
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
International Management ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to identify what international management challenges professional service firms (PSFs) face and why they face them. Design/methodology/approach This study carries a focussed thematic literature review of 102 empirical articles. This paper uses content analysis to extract and aggregate challenges identified by researchers in their fieldwork and then analysed this data using qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings This study identifies 10 international management challenges that PSFs face and a number of causes for these challenges. The analysis also suggests that the distinctive characteristics of PSFs generate some of the international management challenges for PSFs. Practical implications This study helps PSF managers understand the international management challenges they may face depending on the specifics of their company, thus helping them better prepare their internationalisation. Originality/value This study contributes to providing a greater understanding of what is holding PSFs back in their internationalisation and why. It demonstrates that distinctive characteristics of PSFs may predict the challenges that PSFs will face, thus paving the way for further research on international management in PSFs and for the development of the diagnostic tool for practitioners that could help them to identify which challenges they should prepare for most.

Co-creating dementia care: manoeuvring fractured reflexivity in service design

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ane Bast ◽  
Maria Taivalsaari Røhnebæk ◽  
Marit Engen
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeThis study aims to theorise and empirically investigate how vulnerable users suffering from cognitive impairments can be involved in service design.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through an ongoing field study following the processes of designing new forms of dementia care. The data consist of document studies, observations and interviews with actors involved in the service design process.FindingsThe findings demonstrate how the involvement of vulnerable users with cognitive impairment in service design requires the ability to manoeuvre users' “fractured reflexivity”. The design process was found to be constrained and enabled by three interrelated features: cognitive aspects, social aspects and representativeness.Practical implicationsThis paper provides insight into concrete ways of involving vulnerable user groups in service design. The introduced concept – fractured reflexivity – may create awareness of how the involvement of users with cognitive impairment can be difficult but is also valuable, providing a means to rethink what may enable involvement and how to manage the constraints.Originality/valueAlthough design processes rely on reflexivity, there is limited research addressing how reflexivity capacity differs among actors. The authors contribute by exploring how fractured reflexivity may aid the analysis and understandings of intertwined issues related to the involvement of users with cognitive impairment. Therefore, this study initiates research on how service design entails enactments of different modes of reflexivity. The paper concludes with directions for future research avenues on service design and reflexivity modes.

Extent of employee turnover in Nigerian SMEs

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 967-985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tejumade Omowumi Siyanbola ◽  
Mark W. Gilman
Keyword(s):  
Employee Turnover ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Employment Relationship ◽  
First Century ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Survey Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the magnitude of employee turnover (E-turnover) in Nigerian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with particular focus on the manufacturing and service firms adjudged as central to the growth and development of Nigerian economy. Design/methodology/approach Data from 602 employees and 94 owner/managers of SMEs located in three Southwestern Nigerian states were collected through survey questionnaire and analysed quantitatively. Findings Employees’ and management’s responses indicated that E-turnover still pervades the Nigerian SMEs surveyed with most employees leaving their jobs in less than a year of employment. Multiple exits also occurred; additionally, employees were more prone to exiting if they were male, older, had a smaller family size and/or worked in the manufacturing rather than service SMEs. Research limitations/implications More needs to be done to comprehend owner-managers’ apparent deliberate disguise of employee over-casualisation in the SMEs studied, an act that appeared to limit the interpretation of status-related turnover extent among employees. Practical implications Twenty-first century businesses need to stimulate sustainable cost-effective employment relationship capable of thwarting the threat accompanying high E-turnover in businesses. Originality/value Through this research, extant global E-turnover literature (largely on western businesses) is enriched by dedicated empirical data on Nigerian SMEs that this study offers.

Observing delightful experiences of other customers: the double-edged sword of jealousy and joy

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine L. Ludwig ◽  
Donald C. Barnes ◽  
Matthias Gouthier
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Level Of Service ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cognitive Reactions ◽  
Customer Delight ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Deciding on the appropriate level of service is one of the paramount decisions a firm must make. Making this decision more complicated is the debate regarding the viability of aiming for the highest level of service or customer delight. One avenue of research missing from the literature is the impact of providing delight to one customer while in the presence of others. In response the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the emotional and cognitive reactions of the observing customer. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was utilized to evaluate a sample of 272 respondents. Additional moderation analysis was conducted on the impact of perceived deservingness. Findings Findings indicate that the observing customer experiences the dual effects of joy and jealousy which both impact perceptions of unfairness and subsequent behaviors of complaining and repurchase. The perceived deservingness of the customer experiencing the delight is shown to reduce the impact of jealousy on unfairness. Research limitations/implications The main limitations include cross-sectional data and the fact that the data were retrospective. Practical implications This research suggests that firms should embrace the positive contagion that occurs between the delighted customer and observer while attempting to minimize the impact of jealousy. Originality/value This is the first research to quantitatively evaluate the impact of a customer viewing another customer receiving delight.

Sydney Finkelstein: what makes a “superboss” super?

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 9-15
Author(s):  
Brian Leavy
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Harvard Business Review ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Know How ◽  
Talent Pool ◽  
Or Team ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Better Than

Purpose Strategy and leadership guru, Sydney Finkelstein believes that “regenerating the talent pool is the single most important thing that any leader can do” to help his or her organization to “survive and prosper.” His new book, Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent (Harvard Business Review Press, 2016), studies “those few individuals” in any given industry who “grow human capital better than anyone else.” Design/methodology/approach Strategy & Leadership contributing editor Brian Leavy asks Prof. Finkelstein what can managers learn from these exceptional talent developers that might be more widely emulated? Findings According to Prof. Finkelstein, “The superboss playbook is not about being nice or empathic. It’s about giving proteges the motivation, guidance, wisdom, creative licence, and other elements they need to learn and grow” Practical implications Prof. Finkelstein notes, “While many businesses today focus on getting closer to the customer, superbosses are very much focused on getting closer to their employees or team members.” Originality/value Prof. Finkelstein asserts, “Superbosses have cracked the code on how to make organizations work better by designing a playbook that helps people accomplish more than they ever thought possible in their careers, or their lives. By studying the superbosses and what they do, we now know how genuinely unusual talent comes to populate an organization.?

Delight and the grateful customer: beyond joy and surprise

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 250-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Ball ◽  
Donald C. Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Firm ◽  
Customer Delight ◽  
Psychological Sense ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to combine the evolving fields of customer delight and positive psychology to investigate a broader conceptualization of customer delight. Furthermore, to investigate antecedent variables that impact this broader conceptualization. Design/methodology/approach This research employed structural equation modeling in a hedonic context. Findings Key findings indicate that aside from joy and surprise, gratitude also has a positive impact on customer delight. Furthermore, psychological sense of brand community (PSBC) and transcendent customer experiences (TCE) were shown to positively impact the proximal antecedents of customer delight. Research limitations/implications Extending the domain of customer delight beyond joy and surprise contributes to the theoretical discussion on what customer delight represents to the service firm. Further, this research identifies new theoretical relationships between PSBC/TCE and customer delight. Practical implications By offering the broader conceptualization of customer delight, this research contributes to the discussion of whether delight is possible or even profitable. Namely, by moving past joy/surprise, this research suggests that managing gratitude can be a strategic lever that the modern service firm can utilize. Originality/value This is the first research to evaluate gratitude as an antecedent to customer delight. Further, by combining positive psychology and delight research this research identifies new predictors of positive customer experiences.

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