To read this content please select one of the options below:

Notes from the search for deep indicators in services

James L. Heskett (Harvard Business School, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

Journal of Service Management

ISSN: 1757-5818

Article publication date: 10 June 2014

696

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a retrospective look at the search for deep indicators that explain service performance as well as an illustrative example of this kind of work.

Design/methodology/approach

The work described involved constructing a complex model, using it to predict performance, and then exploring data that helped disclose even deeper indicators. Data were collected in operating units of a single organization to ensure comparability.

Findings

The primary challenges in this type of work are the availability of data and data comparability, not the availability of hypotheses or analytic techniques. Also, trust was found to be a deep indicator of performance not often identified in service management research.

Research limitations/implications

The example study described requires replication within the organization studied, more sophisticated analysis, and application across service businesses. It contains numerous hypotheses requiring further validation.

Originality/value

The research employs a predictive model to elicit management cooperation in the search for even deeper indicators. The paper calls for care but less caution if research in service management is to be advanced more rapidly and made more relevant for practitioners.

Keywords

Citation

L. Heskett, J. (2014), "Notes from the search for deep indicators in services", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 298-309. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2014-0105

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles