„‚ CONDITIONS THAT HINDER EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

The “Too Much, Too Little” Syndrome
Much has been written in recent years about the need to empower employees to
customize service for customers. Yet most companies are still organized according to
their functional responsibilities, and most perpetuate strong hierarchies. In a traditional
organizational hierarchy, customer-contact employees do not know where to focus their
actions. Although they are told that serving the customer is their most important task,
they receive a different message—less explicit but perhaps more powerful—that
responding to the boss’s concerns and adhering to policies and procedures are the best
ways to earn promotions and to stay out of trouble. This confusion in priorities is not
only frustrating to service professionals; it also results in inconsistent and inflexible
service to customers.
In an attempt to overcome this confusion, many companies have adopted an
inverted-pyramid organizational structure that puts the customer-contact employees at
the top of the organizational chart. These companies also redefine the role of
management in such a way that the primary responsibility of managers is to be
responsive to the needs of the service professionals. Rigid rules are replaced with
flexible guidelines so that employees will be better able to serve the customer.
Although changing the leader’s role from “controlling” to “responsive” is a
prerequisite to successful service delivery, it is not enough. The authors have found that
many service-improvement efforts fail despite the change in management’s role because
leaders have not effectively set the stage for people to be responsible and accountable
for their service efforts. An organization must ensure that the desired service outcomes
are well defined, that the service-delivery process is clearly communicated and
perceived to be flexible, that core values governing every employee’s actions are
established, and that every employee understands his or her role. Otherwise, front-line
employees are often unwilling or unable to take the risk necessary to embrace their
changed roles and to deliver service in a way that consistently exceeds customer
expectations. A culture that enables the delivery of successful service is one that
balances direction and autonomy, flexibility and accountability, and the freedom to
customize and a predictable delivery process.
FUNDAMENTAL 6: DEFINE THE PLAYING FIELD
People’s reactions to being introduced to a new game are predictable: “How do you
score? Which actions are permitted and which are not?” No matter what game is being
played, people demand to know how the winners and losers will be judged.
Similarly, front-line employees must understand the rules of play and how to win
before they can successfully customize service. There must be a clearly defined
direction (a goal line that indicates how to score) and predefined parameters (the “rules”
or boundaries) that outline the limits of responsibility and decision making. Employees
must feel secure that within these boundaries they are free to use their intelligence,
creativity, and direction to exceed the customer’s expectations.
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The Pfeiffer Library Volume 6, 2nd Edition. Copyright ©1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer