Achieving service excellence – measuring the impact of leadership and senior management commitment

This paper considers the relationship between leadership strategy and practice and operational performance within the service sector, identifying significant associations between various measurements with respect to an organisation’s theoretical world class status, size (as defined by number of employees) and sector. The paper identifies business‐wide strengths in practice and performance and areas where “across‐the‐board” improvements can be made. Empirical evidence is provided using data collected as part of a region‐wide study within the North East of England. A number of issues specific to the achievement of service excellence are addressed.