Internal service quality and the psychosocial work environment: An empirical analysis of conceptual interrelatedness

There is a need to integrate service quality concepts with concepts from other research fields, such as the psychosocial work environment, to help us better understand and create a basis for quality control in services. The main aim of this paper is to explore empirically the relationships between the psychosocial work environment and internal service quality. We use concepts and measures derived front psychosocial work environment theory and service quality theory respectively Data were collected from 555 employees in a Swedish computer service company using questions from a Stress Profile as well as from a Quality Profile. All 52 items from the Stress Profile and 20 items from the Quality Profile were entered into a factor analysis. The main result of the study is not the exact outcome of the factor analysis per se, but rather the point that questions derived from two different research fields appear to measure different mental representations of work conditions. Clearly interdependence exists between the psychosocial work environment and internal quality It is quire common to map and restructure service processes in order to improve internal quality in an attempt to solve quality problems created by organisational changes. We suggest that it should be equally important to take measures to increase work satisfaction by improving psychosocial work conditions.