Workshop 11: Service Climate: Tactics and Measures 2004

Presenters: Benjamin Schneider, University of Maryland and PRA
Susan S. White, PDRI

Coordinator: Marcus Dickson, Wayne State University

Services are an important part of our economy, and more attention must be given to issues of how to effectively manage a service organization. One critical aspect is establishing an organizational climate that supports the delivery of quality service, as service quality is a prime mechanism for retaining current customers and attracting new ones. This workshop focuses on how to create a strong Service Climateand on how to KNOW when youve created one. The workshop will be of interest to practitioners who are focused on enhancing internal or external customer service, or who consult with organizations with those concerns.

This workshop will include:

Background on the development of the climate construct and climate research
Discussion of the different types of climates, with a focus on the role of Service Climate in service organizations
Explanation of how a specific strategic initiative can be converted into climate concepts and measures
In-depth case studies of organizations that have linked Service Climate to important organizational outcomes and used these results for guiding the implementation of organizational interventions
Discussion of how the Service Climate approach could be expanded to other climates, like Safety Climate or Climate for Innovation

Benjamin Schneider is professor of psychology at the University of Maryland and a senior research fellow with Personnel Research Associates, Inc. In addition to Maryland, he has taught at Michigan State University and Yale University. His academic accomplishments include more than 90 professional journal articles and book chapters, as well as seven books. His interests concern service quality, organizational climate and culture, staffing issues, and the role of personality in organizational life. He was awarded SIOPs Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award. In addition to his academic work, he has consulted with numerous companies, including Chase-Manhattan Bank, Citicorp, AT&T, Allstate, Sothebys, the Metropolitan Opera, Prudential, the States of Alabama and Pennsylvania, GEICO, IBM, American Express, and Giant Eagle.

Susan S. White is a research scientist with the Washington, D.C. office of Personnel Decisions Research Institutes, Inc (PDRI). She received her PhD in I-O psychology from the University of Maryland. Her current work focuses primarily on the design and implementation of human resources systems in organizations, including selection, performance management, and training programs. She has also worked extensively in the area of service climate and service quality, and has published her work on these topics in the Journal of Applied Psychology and the Journal of Service Research.

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