Stewardship, 2nd Edition

Mandated Supplier

Most staff groups would characterize themselves as a service function. They would call the whole organization their customer, even though they may have a sweet spot for the top. What interferes with partnership, though, is the fact that their customers generally have no choice about the service they receive.

Staff functions within organizations are most often monopolies. If people in the core work group want help on an employee relations matter or a financial matter or have questions about an IT system, they are required to use the internal group. This is why government agencies and internal staff groups have never really had to be too worried about how they are managed or how their customers feel about the nature and quality ...