Moving from fire‐fighting to fire prevention: what service organizations need to know

Abstract

Managers in manufacturing environments often engage in fire‐fighting rather than taking a more proactive approach to management. It is argued that, although often necessary, fire‐fighting has negative consequences associated with a focus on solving organizational symptoms rather than problems or predicaments. Additionally, many believe the empowerment of front‐line service workers is key to a successful service recovery procedure or program. Three different types of empowerment – service recovery, problem solving, and customer service – are presented and it is shown that service recovery empowerment is associated with fire‐fighting. The practical, managerial implications of these three types of empowerment, and of fire‐fighting, are discussed.

Citation

Young, C.A., Corsun, D.L. and Shinnar, R.S. (2004), "Moving from fire‐fighting to fire prevention: what service organizations need to know", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 27-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110410516534