Lori S. Cook

Human issues in service design

Abstract A heightened awareness of the fundamental behavioral science principles underlying human interactions can be translated directly into service design. Service encounter design can be approached with the same depth and rigor found in goods production. Service encounters can be designed to enhance the customer’s experience during the process and their recollection of the process after it is completed. This paper summarizes the key concepts from a panel discussion at the DSI National Meeting in Orlando in November 2000. The panel brought together a number of leading academic researchers to investigate current research questions relating to the human side of the design, development and deployment of new service technologies. Human issues from the customer and service provider vantage are illustrated and challenges to researchers for exploring this perspective are presented.

The moderating effect of supply chain role on the relationship between supply chain practices and performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between specific supply chain practices and organizational performance and whether this relationship is moderated by the role that a company assumes in its respective supply chain.Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses regression analysis and the relative weights method to analyze a set of survey data from respondents within the non‐academic, North American membership of the Institute of Supply Management.Findings – The results show that the supply chain role for a company makes a difference in terms of the specific supply chain practices that lead to better performance. Further, there is a clear indication that the relative importance of a specific practice varies across the supply chain roles thereby indicating that a general link between practice and performance may be erroneous without considering the specific context of the company concerned.Research limitations/implications – Supply chain practices are complex constructs. Whi...

Exploring the Linkages Between Quality System, Service Quality, and Performance Excellence: Service Providers' Perspectives

This study explores the linkages between quality system, employee service-quality culture, and performance excellence in the banking industry operating in a turbulent business environment. Properly conducted quality culture and strategic consensus assessment has the potential of informing a service organization of its current position and possible areas for improvement. The opinions, values, and practices of employees regarding quality are the fundamentals that define quality culture in many service organizations. Management must apply this knowledge to plan for the successful implementation of service-quality related activities. In an exploratory study the authors tested the linkages between quality system, service quality, and performance as perceived by the employees of a large banking institution in Hong Kong. Results of a detailed case study and empirical analysis show that employees perceive strong linkages between quality system, service quality, and performance measures.

An Exploratory Analysis of Textbook Usage and Study Habits: Misperceptions and Barriers to Success

The authors explore how and to what extent students use their textbooks. Data was collected through a survey regarding when reading is primarily done, how the textbook is used for studying, and which specific study strategies the students used. The results indicate that students know it is important to read, know the professor expects them to read, and know it will impact their grade, yet most students still do not read the textbook. Finally, we also examine what students feel would motivate them to increase their usage of the textbook.

Examining Quality Improvement Programs: The Case of Minnesota Hospitals

OBJECTIVE To determine if there is a hierarchy of improvement program adoption by hospitals and outline that hierarchy. DATA SOURCES Primary data were collected in the spring of 2007 via e-survey from 210 individuals representing 109 Minnesota hospitals. Secondary data from 2006 were assembled from the Leapfrog database. STUDY DESIGN As part of a larger survey, respondents were given a list of improvement programs and asked to identify those programs that are used in their hospital. DATA COLLECTION/DATA EXTRACTION: Rasch Model Analysis was used to assess whether a unidimensional construct exists that defines a hospitals ability to implement performance improvement programs. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship of the Rasch ability scores with Leapfrog Safe Practices Scores to validate the research findings. Principal Findings. The results of the study show that hospitals have widely varying abilities in implementing improvement programs. In addition, improvement programs present differing levels of difficulty for hospitals trying to implement them. Our findings also indicate that the ability to adopt improvement programs is important to the overall performance of hospitals. CONCLUSIONS There is a hierarchy of improvement programs in the health care context. A hospitals ability to successfully adopt improvement programs is a function of its existing capabilities. As a hospitals capability increases, the ability to successfully implement higher level programs also increases.

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT: AN ACTIVITY FOR TEACHING PROJECT MANAGEMENT

This article describes an experiential learning activity (ELA) for illustrating foundational project-management principles. The activity simulates a “real world” application of a project-management scenario requiring teams to plan, design, and build structures to achieve stated objectives within a limited time frame. ELAs provide students with a common shared experience that serves as a building block to facilitate higher levels of learning. The article provides an overview of the exercise, detailed instructions for classroom integrations and evidence of effectiveness. The activity may be adapted for use in a variety of course settings to emphasize various learning objectives within a course.

Healthcare technologies, quality improvement programs and hospital organizational culture in Canadian hospitals

BackgroundHealthcare technology and quality improvement programs have been identified as a means to influence healthcare costs and healthcare quality in Canada. This study seeks to identify whether the ability to implement healthcare technology by a hospital was related to usage of quality improvement programs within the hospital and whether the culture within a hospital plays a role in the adoption of quality improvement programs.MethodsA cross-sectional study of Canadian hospitals was conducted in 2010. The sample consisted of hospital administrators that were selected by provincial review boards. The questionnaire consisted of 3 sections: 20 healthcare technology items, 16 quality improvement program items and 63 culture items.ResultsRasch model analysis revealed that a hierarchy existed among the healthcare technologies based upon the difficulty of implementation. The results also showed a significant relationship existed between the ability to implement healthcare technologies and the number of quality improvement programs adopted. In addition, culture within a hospital served a mediating role in quality improvement programs adoption.ConclusionsHealthcare technologies each have different levels of difficulty. As a consequence, hospitals need to understand their current level of capability before selecting a particular technology in order to assess the level of resources needed. Further the usage of quality improvement programs is related to the ability to implement technology and the culture within a hospital.

A Rasch model analysis of technology usage in Minnesota hospitals

PURPOSE To identify whether the level of difficulty varied among various healthcare technologies. In addition, to examine the whether the degree of healthcare technology adoption was related to patient safety. METHODS The data on healthcare technology usage came from a survey of hospitals in Minnesota. There were responses from individuals within 104 hospitals for an effective response rate of 72.7%. The data on patient safety was taken from the Hospital Compare database. Rasch model analysis and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. RESULTS Rasch model analysis revealed that the difficulty of implementation of healthcare information technologies varied by the particular technology. That is, some technologies were more difficult than other technologies. Further, it was found that the degree of healthcare information technology implementation within a hospital was significantly related to patient safety. CONCLUSION This study identified design and policy implications for hospital decision makers. In particular, it was shown that the technological capability of a hospital is a key consideration in determining the level of resources that are necessary to implement specific healthcare technologies within a hospital.