Designing Service Excellence

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Designing a Service Dream: Excellence

from Merging Public and Private Service

In this chapter we present two case studies: one each from the private and

public sectors. We have based these case studies on our respective experiences

in these types of organizations. We have combined details from several orga-

nizations into each case study description. We see merit in blending together

attributes of each organization for the purposes of analysis and discussion.

The details are from real, living organizations that exist and thrive. We detail

key features of each type of organization and discuss the benets for design-

ing service-driven organizations. Our descriptions are multifocused. We

describe and discuss detailed attributes of organizational structures, human

resources (HR), and employee competence development and leadership. We

meld each of these features into frameworks for organizational development.

At the heart of our descriptions are key attributes that, in combination, could

form the design of a new type of organization. This organization would

incorporate the best of both worlds. As such, the organization’s managers,

executives, and staff would be well placed to shape the organization’s future

by mobilizing, focusing, and aligning internal resources (physical capital,

nancing, and human capital, including explicit and implicit competencies).

In concluding, we share our reections on this new organization, the chal-

lenges it will face in an increasingly technological world from an operational

standpoint, and the ways in which service design will enable organizations

not only to meet these challenges, but also to continually reshape themselves

for futures unknown, but certain to beturbulent.

Excellence in a Private and in a Public Organization

Below we describe three hypothetical organizations. One is a private sector

organization, and the second a public sector organization. The third is an

amalgam of the two. We have developed our ideas over time from many dif-

ferent locations and environments in which we have been privileged to work.

In our careers we have worked in countries on several continents. Wethere-

fore draw on many different organizational and national cultures in which

we have enjoyed working. These organizations might exist somewhere in

the real world—at least we would certainly like to think so. In our current