Service Management Ideas
Service management ideas can be taken to mean new opinions in an organization in which the management uses to enhance organization’s service delivery. Management ideas arise after the assessment of the organization’s service delivery. Once the management service delivery is wanting or if there is inefficiency in the service delivery of the organization, then a need for the organization change develop. During this time, the management of the organization calls for all stakeholders to the organization to come as a team and develop ideas to help the organization increase efficiency in its service delivery.
Service management ideas are directed towards customer expectations and perceptions. Ideally, this is o men that during the generation of these ideas, market research is necessary for the organization in order to understand the customer perception and expectation about service delivery. Fail to consider the customer changing needs in service delivery may make the organization in generating and developing ideas that do not meet the customer ideas. As a result, this may lead to customers’ dissatisfaction hence poor performance on the side of the organization (Floyd, 2002).
The process starts when the management communicates the areas of service delivery that needs amendment. The stakeholders go underground to generate their own ideas the best way to enhance efficiency in the service delivery. Once the organization collects the ideas provided by the stakeholders then goes ahead to evaluate the best ideas from the pool of ideas provided. During this session, ideas are scrutinized to determine whether they fit the planned service delivery objectives and goals by the management. Best ideas are selected during the process and ranked with respect to priority. The best ideas selected and communicated by the management to the stakeholders in order to enhance the level of their acceptability hence their workability.
The ideas are then implemented with control systems developed to monitor whether the ideas work as planned. Corrective action is applied where deviation between the actual results and the planned in order to ensure efficiency in service delivery. Various change models exist that help the organization to enhance change in their service management. An outstanding example is the Lewin’s three-step model. The model involves unfreezing, change and refreezing.
Unfreezing is the first stage of change which involves developing the need for the change after assessing the service delivery and realise there is need for changes in order to enhance its efficiency. Generation of ideas, evaluation and selection of the best ideas is done. The second step involves the implementation of the change in the organization. Finally, in the unfreezing step, the change is monitored and new ways to ensure the workability of the change are discussed among the stakeholders in order to enhance its acceptability and performance (Floyd, 2002).
Poor management of the change development may lead to failure of the change. Participation of all stakeholders in idea generation and development is very important in enhancing change acceptability. However, if the management fails to involve all stakeholders in the development of the service management ideas, low quality ideas will be generated and the change will fail to take place since the stakeholders and especially the employee morale and motivation will go down hence the change will not work.
In addition, proper communication of the change is vital since it helps the organization as a whole towards the implementation and attainment of the change. Poor communication of change need in the organization demotivates employees hence they tend to work against the change. However, when the change is well communicated to all the stakeholders, motivation emerges among them hence work together as a team towards enhancing innovation in the service delivery.
Purpose
New service management ideas play a great role in the enhancing service delivery to the customers. It presents the employees with better ways of producing quality products that meet the customer expectation. In addition, it helps the employees to enhance service delivery to the customers. This implies that the employees will gain better ways on how to handle the organization’s customers. Furthermore, they focus on enhancing efficiency in the organization when it comes to quality decision-making and change management. All this benefits focus on enhancing customer satisfaction. As a result, the organization is able to promote competitive edge relative to its competitors. This will help it to attract customers that are more new and retain many of its existing customers (Schermerhorn, 2005).
Limitations
Development of service management ideas within an organization is subject to various limitations. First, it may change the management’s role in the setting of idea goals and objectives. Ideally, this means that management may become more dependent on the subordinates in the generation of service management ideas. To greater extend, this may lead to poor performance of the organization as a whole.
Besides, generation of the ideas is spends a lot of time and is not cost effective since everybody takes part in the process. Many stakeholders take this exercise as a debate with the management to settle their difference hence leading to time mismanagement. As a result, this wastes time that could have been spending in development of other parts of the organization’s operations. If more value time is poorly utilized, the organization may fail to attain its overall goals and objectives.
Service management theories
There are various management theories that play role in help the management in enhancing quality in managing the organization. First, is the contingency theory that holds that the managers make their decisions with focus on the situation in hand. Ideally, this implies that managers take the appropriate action with respect with the underlying situation. This theory calls for the management to work in collaboration with workers in order to foster success.
According to Sen (2008), this theory is very helpful as the management is able to handle service issues as they emanate. As a result, the management has a big advantage since it is able to address any matter that concern customer expectations and conceptions about the service delivery in the organization. Participation of workers in address situations as they arise motivates employees hence in so doing improving the service delivery. However, this theory is limited in that some situations may require other ways of addressing them not just like the situation arises. This means that the management may not offer quality decision in such problems hence may fail to address customer expectations.
System Theory
Another management theory is the system theory that holds that it is important for the management to recognize various systems that affect workers and the responsible of the workers to the system. Besides, it also argues that the system has various components that combine to enhance goal attainment. The main purpose of this theory is to help the management to coordinate programs of the organization to work as a whole in the attainment of the organizational goals. When the management is able to coordinate these programs, this implies that the organization will stand to address customer needs and preferences as they arise. In addition, it will help the management to address customer needs with respect to their groupings. However, this theory is subject two limitations. First, the system theory fails to specify the tools and techniques that managers utilize in enhancing service delivery efficiency. Lastly, this theory is too abstract and vague and thus cannot be used in solving problems practically.
Theory X and theory Y
This theory explains employee attitude towards work and its effects on productivity and service delivery. Theory X represents those employees who lack ambition and thus require incentives in order to enhance productivity and service delivery. Such workers need close supervision in order for them to work towards organizational goals and objectives. On the other hand, theory Y represents those employees who are naturally driven and take responsibility.
Ideally, this theory is very important as to helping the management in determination of the leadership style to apply in order to enhance efficiency in service delivery. For instance, theory X employees require autocratic leadership style that focuses on centralization of power and authority. On the other hand, theory Y employees require application of democratic theory that calls for decentralization of powers and authority. This theory is limited in that the management may fail to understand the correct attitude of the employees
Service management techniques
There are various management techniques that play a great role in enhancing management of an organization hence quality service delivery to the customers. First, is the management by objective technique that encourages the managers to plan. It strongly emphasizes on emphasizes on participative management approaches. In this management technique, top management sets the goals and objectives of the organization as a whole then they communicate to the lower level management. Lower managers sit down with their employees and discuss this goals and objectives further thus coming up with feedback.
The purpose of this technique is to enhance participation of all the levels of organization. In so doing, this technique acts as a motivation and promotes self-control. As a result, it promotes individual development thus improving individual productivity. Organization that practises this technique is able to address customer needs and preferences hence able to deliver as per their expectations. Ideally, the method promotes efficiency in production and service delivery. However, this technique is subject to various limitations. First, there is a lot of time wastage as all the individuals participate in decision-making. In addition, poor decisions may find their way in the process if the lower level management lacks enough management knowledge and skills.
Another management technique is team building. Team building is a management technique that involves the use of work groups’ teams to focus on problem solving with the aim of building effective management teams. During the session, the team leader presents a problem to the team hence the team analyses the problem and proposes various solutions that they feel can help in address the problem. After proposing the solutions, the group leader with the help of the other group members select the most suitable solution to the problem (Sen, 2008).
The main purpose of the team building technique of management is to help in problem solving. This technique is very vital in establishing problems within the service delivery from the customers hence able to come up with a solution that takes care of the customer needs and demands. However, this technique has the limitation that it wastes time. The discussions among the member the members may take much time before coming with a concrete solution to the problem.
Furthermore, sensitivity training is another management technique that involves a leaderless discussion groups discussing on how to handle a given problem within the management. In such discussion there is a great openness among the members of the group in handling the issue thus increasing the degree of attaining the solution to a given management problem. Customer concern is taken as the most important part in solving any management problems. Ideally, this is to mean that the groups handle the problem with respect to customer expectations. As a result, the solution provided is able to help the organization in satisfying its customers. However, this technique is subject to various limitations. First, it leads to wastage of time. In addition, since the group is leaderless, the group may divert from the original problem hence failing to come up with correct solution as it is expected (Wang, 2011).
Finally, total quality management is another management tool that plays a great role in enhancing efficiency in service management. Total Quality Management technique focuses on enhancing quality in all aspects of the organization operations. These aspects include quality management, quality in production, quality in delivering service to customers and quality control systems among other areas of organizational operations. Since the technique focus on enhancing quality at all levels of organization operations, customer needs and preferences attainment is key focus of the management
References
Floyd, P., 2002. Organizational change. Oxford [England: Capstone Pub.
Schermerhorn, J., 2005. Management (8th ed.). New York: J. Wiley.
Sen, M., 2008. Business management. Jaipur, India: Oxford Book.
Wang, Y., 2011. Destination marketing and management theories and applications. Wallingford, Oxfordshire: CABI
