Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Managing Service Productivity

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Driving Service Productivity

Part of the book series: Management for Professionals ((MANAGPROF))

  • 1157 Accesses

Abstract

Productivity management is gaining importance in the service industry, therefore this chapter provides a deep insight into business practices of German service productivity management. Its results can be used to extrapolate trends for other industrialized and service intensive countries. Perhaps of concern is the finding that on the one hand 99 % of all participants of the study expect a constant or growing relevance of service productivity but on the other hand, one third (33 %) of the surveyed companies do not conduct any productivity management. Part of this challenge facing managing service productivity is the lack of appropriate methods and tools. Although several academic approaches exist, such as Data Envelope Analysis (DEA), they can often not be used in business practice due to their complexity.

So what does the management of service productivity look these days? The following chapter addresses this question. The contribution by Stephan Klingner, Stephanie Pravemann, Michael Becker and Klaus-Peter Fähnrich is an empirical study conducted in 1,990 German service companies from February to November in 2012. The main focus of this study was to analyse the state of the art in managing service productivity within these companies and to show the correlation between managing service productivity and economic success. It examines the methods and tools actually used in practice for measuring and improving service productivity and highlights existing challenges for managing service productivity as well as the current needs and trends of companies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Amir, A. M., Ahmad, N. N. N., & Mohamad, M. H. S. (2010). An investigation on PMS attributes in service organisations in Malaysia. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 59(8), 734–756.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bendapudi, N., & Leone, R. P. (2003). Psychological implications of customer participation in co-production. Journal of Marketing, 67(1), 14–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bettencourt, L. (1997). Customer voluntary performance: Customers as partners in service delivery. Journal of Retailing, 73(3), 383–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blois, K. J. (1984). Productivity and effectiveness in service firms. The Service Industries Journal, 4(3), 49–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Böttcher, M., & Klingner, S. (2011). Providing a method for composing modular B2B services. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 26(5), 320–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Böttcher, M., Klingner, S., Becker, M., & Schumann, K. (2012). Produktivität von Dienstleistungssystemen: Ergebnisse eines Arbeitskreises (Leipziger Beiträge zur Informatik). Leipzig: XXXI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Böttcher, M., & Meiren, T. (Eds.). (2012). Anforderungen an die Produktivität und Komponentisierung von Dienstleistungen: Ergebnisse einer Studie unter technischen Dienstleistern. Stuttgart: Fraunhofer-Verl.

    Google Scholar 

  • Da Silveira, G., Borenstein, D., & Fogliatto, F. S. (2001). Mass customization: Literature review and research directions. International Journal of Production Economics, 72(1), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edvardsson, B., Gustafsson, A., & Roos, I. (2005). Service portraits in service research: A critical review. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 16(1), 107–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fogliatto, F. S., da Silveira, Giovani, J. C., & Borenstein, D. (2012). The mass customization decade: An updated review of the literature. International Journal of Production Economics, 138(1), 14–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freitag, M., Lamberth, S., Klingner, S., & Böttcher, M. (2011). Method of collecting and categorising performance indicators to measure the productivity of modular services using an IT tool. In W. Ganz, F. Kicherer, & A. Schletz (Eds.), RESER 2011. Productivity of services next Gen - beyond output/input. Conference Proceedings. Stuttgart: Fraunhofer Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grönroos, C., & Ojasalo, K. (2004). Service productivity: Towards a conceptualization of the transformation of inputs into economic results in service. Journal of Business Research, 57(4), 414–423.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gummesson, E. (1998). Productivity, quality and relationship marketing in service operations. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 10(1), 4–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Häder, M. (2010). Empirische Sozialforschung: Eine Einführung (2., überarb. Aufl.). Lehrbuch. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Harmon, E. P., Hensel, S., & Lukes, T. (2006). Measuring performance in services. McKinsey Quarterly, 1, 30–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, R., & Jones, P. (2004). Service productivity: Towards understanding the relationship between operational and customer productivity. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 53(3), 201–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1992). The balanced scorecard: Measures that drive performance. Harvard Business Review, (January-February), 172–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kauermann, G., & Küchenhoff, H. (2011). Stichproben: Methoden und praktische Umsetzung mit R. Springer-Lehrbuch. Heidelberg: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Klassen, K., Russell, R., & Chrisman, J. (1998). Efficiency and productivity measures for high contact services. The Service Industries Journal, 18(4), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klingner, S., Pravemann, S., & Becker, M. (2015). Service productivity in different industries, an empirical investigation. Benchmarking. An International Journal, [accepted for revision].

    Google Scholar 

  • Kutsch, H., Bertram, M., & von Kortzfleisch, H. F. O. (2013). DEA als Lösungsansatz zur Messung der Produktivität von B2B-Dienstleistungen?: Evaluation der Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) als Messmethode für die Dienstleistungsproduktivität auf Basis einer qualitativen Studie in der B2B-Softwarebranche. In O. Thomas & M. Nüttgens (Eds.), Research. Dienstleistungsmodellierung 2012. Product-Service Systems und Produktivität (pp. 192–207). Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann, C., Koelling, M. (2010). The productivity of services: A systematic literature review. In 2010 RESER Conference. Gothenburg, Sweden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann, C., Neyer, A.-K., & Möslein, K. M. (2011). Service productivity: Towards an understanding of performance determinants in services. In W. Ganz, F. Kicherer, & A. Schletz (Eds.), RESER 2011. Productivity of Services Next Gen - Beyond Output/Input. Conference Proceedings. Stuttgart: Fraunhofer Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, X., & Prescott, D. (2009). Measuring productivity in the service sector. Retrieved January 10, 2014, from http://cthrc.ca/~/media/Files/CTHRC/Home/research_publications/productivity/Measuring_Productivity_Service_SectorSept_EN.ashx.

  • Markland, R. E., Vickery, S. K., & Davis, R. A. (1995). Operations management. Concepts in manufacturing and services. Saint Paul: West Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin, C. P., & Coffey, S. (1990). Measuring productivity in services. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 1(1), 46–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pine, B. J., & Davis, S. (1999). Mass customization: The new frontier in business competition. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sahay, B. S. (2005). Multi-factor productivity measurement model for service organisation. International Journal of Productivity & Performance Management, 54(1), 7–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silberholz, M. B., Golden, B. L., & Baker, E. K. (1991). Using simulation to study the impact of work rules on productivity at marine container terminals. Computers & Operations Research, 18(5), 433–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spohrer, J., Maglio, P. P., Bailey, J., & Gruhl, D. (2007). Steps toward a science of service systems. Computer, 40(1), 71–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swart, W., & Donno, L. (1981). Simulation modelling improves operations, planning, and productivity of fast food restaurants. Interfaces, 11(6), 35–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vuorinen, I., Järvinen, R., & Lehtinen, U. (1998). Content and measurement of productivity in the service sector: A conceptual analysis with an illustrative case from the insurance business. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 9(4), 377–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Stephan Klingner, Stephanie Pravemann, Michael Becker & Klaus-Peter Fähnrich

Authors
  1. Stephan Klingner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephanie Pravemann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael Becker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Klaus-Peter Fähnrich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephan Klingner .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Exeter Business School, Exeter, United Kingdom

    John Bessant

  2. Center for Leading Innovation and Cooperation (CLIC), HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Leipzig, Germany

    Claudia Lehmann

  3. HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen - Nuremberg, Nuremberg, Germany

    Kathrin M. Moeslein

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Klingner, S., Pravemann, S., Becker, M., Fähnrich, KP. (2014). Managing Service Productivity. In: Bessant, J., Lehmann, C., Moeslein, K. (eds) Driving Service Productivity. Management for Professionals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05975-4_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation