Quality in the work environment: a prerequisite for success in new service development

In research on new service development (NSD), the interest has mainly been on structural aspects of the service offering. Not much attention has been paid to work environment conditions forming the basis for service oriented and effective employees. Addresses this issue by focusing on work environment requirements in NSD. Regards employee work environment requirements as a key factor for success when designing and implementing new services. After studying work environment requirements in the working life science literature indentifies five general requirements. These have been used when analyzing data from an empirical study on work environment conditions and requirements in service organizations. The analysis and interpretation shows that many requirements are the same in service organizations as in manufacturing companies but also that there are distinct differences. Based on the analysis presents a sixth requirement. Examples of requirements are: the ability to control the work situation and to be involved in the decision‐making processes, a safe physical work environment and the ability to develop social relationships through the work.