„‚ CONDITIONS THAT HINDER EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

5. Use representative work activities and outcomes from service and product areas.
Distinguish between services and products where possible. Try to view products
and services from the “other” person’s perspective.
6. Encourage people to take ownership in both the process of developing a
definition and the definition itself. People who believe in the definitions they
help create are likely to use them.
7. If possible, determine where the organization is in its growth cycle. Mature,
fully functioning organizations, for example, will have a strong culture; their
visions, missions, goals, and strategic plans will be different from those of new,
energetic, flexible, start-up companies.
8. Look for cultural differences in operating procedures, viewpoints, and leadership
style; in spin-off, newly merged organizations or organizations in which
outsourcing is common, determining a clear-cut culture can be difficult.
9. Use a systems feedback approach to generate definitions and keep them current.
Follow the sequence of (1) input, (2) throughput, and (3) output. Feedback that
cycles through the system may re-enter at any point. Feedback on the “fit” of the
definition may be directed to customers, clients, partners, and numerous end
users.
10. Ensure that definitions incorporate the changing nature of work and the
workplace. However, avoid improvement that is an end unto itself.
USING OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS TO BENCHMARK
Applying the process of developing operational definitions to benchmarking naturally
begins with defining benchmarking. This key process in quality change and
improvement initiatives reflects many personal and organizational factors, including the
service sector, in product-based and materials-processing industries (Smith, 1995a).
Benchmarking
“Benchmarking,” a term first used in surveying, is a standard or point of reference from
which measurements can be made. In organizations, benchmarking is a continuous,
systematic process of measuring a company’s current business operations and
comparing them to the operations of “best practices” companies.
Benchmarking plays a prime role in total quality management and is a key factor in
many processes that organizations use to evaluate “quality status.”
Definitions of benchmarking and benchmarking processes are still evolving. Some
examples of operational definitions of benchmarking follow (Pulat, 1994):
■
In 1979, Xerox redefined benchmarking as a continuous process used to measure
products, services, and practices against those of companies recognized as world
leaders or competitors.
452 ❘❚
The Pfeiffer Library Volume 6, 2nd Edition. Copyright ©1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer