What Goes Wrong in Company-Wide Service-Quality Initiatives?

Christopher M. Payne A. Ballantyne D. Relationship Marketing 1991 Butterworth Heinemann Oxford

For a discussion on the logic embedded in mixed messages, and how to avoid the pitfalls, see Argyris C , “Reinforcing Organisational Defensive Routines: An Unintended Human Resources Activity”. Human Resource Management, Vol 25, No 4, 1986, pp 541–555.

The subject of Organizational Learning is an evolving one. For an introduction to the topic, see Garratt B. , The Learning Organisation, London, Fontana, 1987 For “single-loop learning” see Bateson G. , Steps to an Ecology of Mind, New York, Ballantine, 1972, and for “double-loop learning” see Argyris and Schon, D, Organisational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective, Reading M.A., Addison Wesley, 1978.

Schein E.H. Organisational Culture and Leadership 1985 Jossey-Bass London

Under the Pareto principle a “vital few” of work processes will account for most of the quality defects. This is a phrase coined by Joe Juran; see for example Juran J.M. , Juran on Leadership for Quality, an Executive Handbook, London, The Free Press, 1989, p150.

Ways and means of overcoming barriers to creative involvement is discussed in Pace L. , and McMullen T.B. , “What is True Involvement?”, Journal for Quality and Participation, Vol 11, No 3, 988, pp36–38.

Juran J.M. , 1989, Vol 11, No 3, P360.

For an operational description of Quality Function Deployment, see Burn G.R. , “Quality Function Deployment”, in Dale B.G. , and Plunkett J.J. Managing Quality, Hemel Hempstead, Phillip Allen/Simon and Schuster 1990: or for a more conceptual treatment, see Hauser J.R. , and Clausing D. , “The House of Quality”, Harvard Business Review, May-June 1988, pp63–73.

For a useful description of standard setting in service industries, see Kacker R.N. , Quality Planning for Service Industries”, Quality Progress, August 1988, pp39–42.

Ballantyne D.F. Coming to Grips with Service Intangibles using Quality Management Techniques Marketing Intelligence & Planning Vol 8 1990 No 6

Oakland J.S. Total Quality Management 1989 Heinemann Professional Series Oxford pp30-35

For an account of how Japanese management accounting systems have played a major role in integrating new business strategies, see Morgan J.J. , and Weerakon S.J. , “Japanese Management Accounting: Its contribution to the Japanese Economic Miracle”, Management Accounting, June, 1989, pp40–43.

See for example Ballantyne D.F. , “Turning the Wheel of Quality Improvement”, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Vol. 8 No. 2, 1990.

Ballantyne D.F. “Energizing, Code Breaking and Border Crossing as Internal Marketing Activity Modes”, First International Colloquium in Relationship Marketing, Monash University, Australia, 1993 (unpublished paper).

Levitt T. The Marketing Imagination 1983 Free Press NY