Towards service‐oriented organisational culture in manufacturing companies
International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences
ISSN: 1756-669X
Article publication date: 15 June 2012
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to bring new insight into the barriers of service business development in installed base manufacturing companies by studying the transformation from an organisational culture perspective. It proposes a new framework that can be used both in studying the transition and in supporting the change within an organisation.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study‐based approach was applied together with conceptual work based on literature in order to construct the framework. The study was carried out in two manufacturing companies and the framework was tested on four other occasions. The data collection methods included interviews, organisational culture surveys and workshops.
Findings
The paper provides a service culture and capability framework with tentative descriptions of transformations in the basic elements needed to facilitate the significant progress of a service business. It also gives empirical examples of how the transformation can manifest itself in organisational culture.
Research limitations/implications
The framework is promising, but further research is needed in terms of theoretical and empirical validation.
Practical implications
The paper contributes to supporting the transformation from a product‐oriented culture towards a more customer‐oriented and service‐oriented culture. It suggests that the transformation can be facilitated by exploring and communicating new core task demands and synchronised development of customer relations, management, service development practices and service business understanding. It argues that this is also a possibility for renewing an entire organisation and improving its readiness for the future.
Originality/value
This paper offers an essential, but little known organisation culture perspective to the theoretical discussion on industrial service business development.
Keywords
Citation
Nuutinen, M. and Lappalainen, I. (2012), "Towards service‐oriented organisational culture in manufacturing companies", International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 137-155. https://doi.org/10.1108/17566691211232882
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited