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The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of servicer and cross‐seller functional performance on salesperson perception of cross‐functional conflict.

Frontline employees often specialize in selling, servicing, or cross‐selling to customers. Two studies separately examine the effect of servicer and cross‐seller functional performance on salesperson perception of cross‐functional conflict.

In Study 1, salesperson conflict with frontline specialists who do not directly sell, called servicers, is examined and it is found that salespeople perceive less cross‐functional conflict when servicers perform well. Group cohesion decreases conflict directly. The effect of servicer performance on conflict is less pronounced as cross‐functional training increases. In Study 2, salesperson conflict with employees who cross‐sell additional goods and/or services to customers, called cross‐sellers, is evaluated and it is found that salespeople perceive more cross‐functional conflict when cross‐sellers perform well. Cross‐functional training decreases conflict directly. The effect of cross‐seller performance on conflict is less pronounced as group cohesion increases.

The research was carried out in a single setting, automobile dealerships, and only two controls, one formal and one informal, were examined.

The results indicate that salespeople view the performance of each type of specialist differently depending on the specialists' goals. Based on this finding, the paper provides guidelines for which formal and informal controls are likely to be effective for reducing conflict between different frontline functions.

The paper shows that salespeople view servicer performance positively and cross‐seller performance negatively. Thus, the research adds to the understanding of cross‐functional relationships among specialized frontline employees.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the link between the organizing of service networks and interorganizational learning strategies.

By deepening the conceptual understanding of service networks and their central properties, an overview of the learning challenges for improved performance is provided. The implications of learning are then discussed using four conceptual types to advance our understanding of learning in various service networks. Two different frameworks are combined, one designed to analyze the properties of service delivery and the other to understand their interorganizational learning implications for different types of service networks.

This paper examines the central properties of service network delivery and explains their implications for interorganizational learning strategy operationalized in a service network typology.

The proposed framework deepens the understanding of the concept of service networks and brings attention to properties that have implication for interorganizational learning. Knowing the central properties in detail and their major organizing challenges allows for learning strategies to improve service network performance.

The value lies in the deepening the understanding of interorganizational learning in service networks, which is much needed in the growing body of literature on both concepts.

Self‐service technology is challenging the traditional concept of provider‐client interaction in the retail banking industry. Following a review of the literature, this paper discusses the experts' opinions of the role of self‐service technologies and human bank staff in New Zealand retail banking to the years 2000 and 2010. These opinions were identified through a Delphi study held with leading executives from various sectors of the economy. The research indicated that in the future utilisation of home banking by television will be limited to a specific and small market segment. Home banking by personal computer will be relatively more widespread, although it is unlikely to be used by more than twenty per cent of the banking population. Home banking by automated telephone service will be more widespread still, yet acceptance is unlikely to be greater than thirty per cent of the banking population. ‘Staffless branches’ (which are staffed predominately by self‐service technology) will be available in all main city centres before the turn of the century. Automatic Telling Machines (ATMs) will be the most utilised self‐service technology in the future.