The significance of cognitive dissonance for the "hard and soft FM" paradigm and quality assessment practices
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to report on a study based around a commercial facilities management (FM) service provider's creation of an internal benchmark of how services for an acute hospital perform in terms of service quality.Design methodology approach - The paper presents findin...
Saved in:
Published in | Journal of facilities management Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. 243 - 262 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
02.10.2007
|
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to report on a study based around a commercial facilities management (FM) service provider's creation of an internal benchmark of how services for an acute hospital perform in terms of service quality.Design methodology approach - The paper presents findings of a hard and soft FM application of the widely-recognised SERVQUAL performance assessment tool; including its use and usefulness in a healthcare FM context. The paper proceeds to a conceptual discussion on emergent issues. It offers a questioning framework which the authors identify requires further study and debate but raises potentially profound issues for FM. Further replication-related and conceptual development research is underway.Findings - Principally, the paper discusses the emergence and significance of the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance within the datasets for the private finance initiative hospital case study. The paper also briefly discusses the scope for using the service consumers' zone of tolerance as a management datum.Practical implications - The paper concludes with a discussion on the implications of cognitive dissonance, which we believe poses radical and hitherto-unaddressed questions about the appropriateness of some core aspects of POE, satisfaction measurement used in FM contract management, and the wider FM performance management paradigm. This appears to open a whole new perspective for soft FM and FM service integrators.Originality value - The paper challenges the conventions and major assumptions of the FM service quality assessment paradigm. It suggests cross disciplinary implications for the FM research field, and is relevant to suppliers, clients, facilities managers, service consumers, and customers, including procurement manager. Overall, the paper raises a lot of questions about the FM service quality management paradigm(s) and assumption(s). |
---|---|
Bibliography: | href:14725960710822240.pdf filenameID:3080050402 istex:BE70C3176C5AB99D82B4EEC40F2080071C6D09C9 ark:/67375/4W2-FKN9TLD8-C original-pdf:3080050402.pdf |
ISSN: | 1472-5967 1741-0983 |
DOI: | 10.1108/14725960710822240 |