Measuring Service Orientation with Biodata

Abstract

In the U.S. economy the service sector is growing and the goods producing sector is declining. Currently, 80% of the U.S. work force, or 97.3 million people, are employed in the service sector compared with 60% in 1950 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1997). More importantly, between 1994 and 2005, the economy is expected to add 16.2 million service jobs while losing 1.3 million manufacturing jobs (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1995). The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between a biodata measure and service orientation. We are interested in ascertaining whether a biodata instrument developed by McBride et al. (1997) may be predictive of service-oriented behavior. We begin by summarizing the literature related to the changing workplace and the increasing need for useful screening devices for selecting service-oriented personnel (McBride et al., 1997). A description of the methods is then followed by the results and a discussion of some of the implications of the current research. We conclude the article with several suggestions for future research on service orientation. LITERATURE The change in the workplace from an industrial production orientation to a service orientation has stimulated research and theory development aimed at understanding the factors contributing to quality service (e.g., Czepiel et al., 1985a; Fulford and Enz, 1995). Understanding the service processes is obviously important to companies that provide services, especially when it may require a change in the culture of the organization and a shift in the interests of the customers (Arbaugh and Sexton, 1997; Bennett et at., 1994). As Bowen and Schneider (1985) explain, a service is produced and consumed at the same time, and there is no opportunity to rework the product. They also point out that, for the customer, the quality of the company is often judged by the quality of the service. Manufacturing companies have even begun using service orientation strategically (Bowen et al., 1989), and they too have a stake in successful implementation of a strategy for enhancing customer satisfaction. One theoretical approac h is to view the service encounter as an interactive process in which the service provider or agent plays an important role (Klaus, 1985; Czepiel et al,, 1985b; Bowen and Schneider, 1985; George and Jones, 1991). This perspective is reinforced by research which studied the service encounter from an inter-actionist perspective (e.g., Rafeli, 1989). Taking this viewpoint a step further, some writers assert that quality service depends, in part, on the skills, attitudes and personality traits of the service provider. Klaus (1985) refers to the agent's friendliness and warmth as contributing to clients' perception of quality service. Bowen and Schneider (1985) suggest that personal qualities such as flexibility, adaptiveness and empathy on the part of the agent are related to a quality service experience. In a study of Citibank, Fiebelkorn (1985) found that satisfaction with teller and telephone service was associated with agent qualities that included friendliness, interest in helping, and competence. This line of reasoning has led to the suggestion (Bowen and Schneider, 1985; Bowen et al., 1989; George and Jones, 1991) that the quality of service can be enhanced if the employer selects individuals for service positions who have the requisite personal characteristics. Because some of these characteristics are not readily amenable to training, the implication for management is that companies may want to include some form of personality testing as part of the process of selecting individuals for service positions (George and Jones, 1991). At the same time, evidence was accumulating that personality testing may appropriately be used in the personnel selection process. Barrick and Mount (1991), using a meta-analysis technique, studied the relationship between personality factors and performance outcomes in five different types of jobs. …