Marketing culture of Finnish research libraries : an analysis of marketing attitude, knowledge and behaviour

The aim of the present dissertation is to investigate the marketing culture of research libraries in Finland and to understand the awareness of the knowledge base of library management concerning modern marketing theories and practices. The study was based onthe notion that a leader in an organisation can have large impact on its culture. Therefore, it was considered important to learn about the market orientation that initiates at the top management and flows throughout the whole organisationthus resulting in a particular kind of library culture. The study attempts to examine the marketing culture of libraries by analysing the marketing attitudes, knowledge (underlying beliefs, values and assumptions), behaviour (market orientation), operational policies and activities, and their service performance (customer satisfaction). The research was based on the assumption that if the top management of libraries has market oriented behaviour, then their marketing attitudes, knowledge, operational policies and activities and service performance should also be in accordance. The dissertation attempts to connect all these theoretical threads of marketing culture. It investigates thirty three academic and special libraries in the south of Finland. The library director and three to ten customers from each library participated as respondents in this study. An integrated methodological approach of qualitative as well as quantitative methods was used to gain knowledge on the pertinent issues lying behind the marketing culture of research libraries. The analysis of the whole dissertation reveals that the concept of marketing has very varied status in the Finnish research libraries. Based on the entire findings, three kinds of marketing cultures were emerged: the strong- the high fliers; the medium- the brisk runners; and the weak- the slow walkers. The high fliers appeared to be modern marketing believers as their marketing approach was customer oriented and found to be closer to the emerging notions of contemporary relational marketing. The brisk runners were found to be traditional marketing advocates as their marketing approach is more `library centred¿than customer defined and thus is in line of `product orientation¿ i.e. traditional marketing. `Let the interested customers come to the library¿ was appeared to be the hallmark of the slow walkers. Application of conscious market orientation is not reflected in the library activities of the slow walkers. Instead their values, ideology and approach to serving the library customers is more in tuneof `usual service oriented Finnish way¿. The implication of the research is that it pays to be market oriented which results in higher customer satisfaction oflibraries. Moreover, it is emphasised that the traditional user based service philosophy of Finnish research libraries should not be abandoned but it needs to be further developed by building a relational based marketing system which will help the libraries to become more efficient and effective from the customers¿ viewpoint. The contribution of the dissertation lies in the framework showing the linkages between the critical components of the marketing culture of a library: antecedents, market orientation, facilitators and consequences. The dissertationdelineates the significant underlying dimensions of market-oriented behaviour of libraries which are namely customer philosophy, inter-functional coordination,strategic orientation, responsiveness, pricing orientation and competition orientation. The dissertation also showed the extent to which marketing attitudes, behaviour, knowledge were related and impact of market orientation on the serviceperformance of libraries. A strong positive association was found to exist between market orientation and marketing attitudes and knowledge. Moreover, it also shows that a higher market orientation is positively connected with the service performance of libraries, the ultimate result being higher customer satisfaction. The analysis shows that a genuine marketing culture represents a synthesis of certain marketing attitudes, knowledge and of selective practices. This finding is particularly significant in the sense that it manifests that marketing culture consists of a certain sets of beliefs and knowledge (which form a specific attitude towards marketing) and implementation of a certain set of activities that actually materialize the attitude of marketing into practice (market orientation) leading to superior service performance of libraries.

National Library and Library Network in Finland - Cooperation Being the Driving Force of Success

Kristiina Hormia-Poutasen esitys Danish Research Association -tapahtumassa Tanskassa 15.9.2011

Is it worth while driving without a trailer?

kuv., 22 x 31 cm

Organisational purchasing of service design – Agency and client perspectives

There has been an increase in the interest in service design, as companies have become more customer-centric and their focus has shifted to customer experiences. The actual organisational purchasing of service design has been given little attention, until recent years. The purpose of this study is to explore the purchasing of service design from the perspectives of sellers (service design agencies) and buying clients (business organisations). In order to understand the phenomenon, also agencies and clients’ approaches to service design discipline, purchasing processes, challenges related to purchasing and ways of facilitating the purchasing are explored. The research follows qualitative research method and utilises abductive reasoning. A proposition framework was formed by combining services marketing, design and organisational buying behaviour literatures, and was tested against real-life business cases. Empirical data was gathered by interviewing eight service design agency representatives and five client representatives in Finland. The results of semi-structural interviews were analysed by finding repetitive themes. The proposition framework was updated according to interview findings. There were both similarities and differences in service design agencies and clients’ approaches to service design. Service design represents a strategic activity to both parties, and it helps in clients’ business development and in discovering opportunities. It is an ideology; a way of thinking and working. The driving force for purchasing service design seemed to be something else than service design itself. Projects have been bought for 1) change and innovation related development, 2) channel related development or for 3) customer experience related development. Seven purchasing challenge themes were recognised: 1) poor or differing service design understanding, 2) selling of service design, 3) varying expectations, 4) difficulty of pre-evaluation, 5) buyers and buying companies, 6) project process and nature and 7) unclear project results. These all can be considered to cause challenges in organisational service design purchasing. Challenges can be caused by either participant, the agency or the client, and take place at any point of the purchasing process. Some of the challenges could be considered as barriers to purchasing or they play a role in an unsuccessful service project – and therefore, result in an unsuccessful organisational purchase. Purchasing could be facilitated in various ways by either participant; some ways are more attitude based, others actionable improvements. Thesis’s theoretical and managerial findings can be utilised to both improve the selling and purchasing of service design services.

Organisaatiokulttuuri, arvot ja sisäinen yrittäjyys kasvuyrityksen kulmakivenä

Yritysten menestystä on perinteisesti pyritty määrittelemään ulkoa käsin. Vain vähän tutkimuksia on pystynyt linkittämään sisäisiä ilmiöitä kuten organisaatiokulttuuri tai sisäinen yrittäjyys kasvuun ja suorituskykyyn. Tutkimus on laadullinen tapaustutkimus, jossa syvennyttään tarkastelemaan ICT-toimialan kasvuyritykseen yrityskulttuurin olemusta, ilmenemismuotoja sekä yrityksen arvopohjaa ja sisäisen yrittäjyyden elementtejä. Syvällisen ymmärryksen saavuttamiseksi tutkimuksen empiirinen aineisto tuotetaan aineistotriangulaatiolla hyödyntäen sekä puolistrukturoituja yksilöteemahaastatteluja (2), sosiaalisen median työkalua virtuaalikeskusteluun (170) ja ryhmähaastattelu (3). Ilmiötä tarkastellaan sosiaalisen rakentumisen näkökulmasta. Tuotetun aineiston analyysin perusteella voidaan todeta, että organisaatiossa oleva kulttuuri koetaan tärkeäksi ja siitä löytyvät toimintamallit vahvasti omaksi. Kulttuuria leimaavat yrityksen toimintaa ohjaavat filosofiat ja periaatteet, eli arvot, joita viedään organisaatioon vahvan verkostoitumisen ja vuorovaikutuksen kautta henkilöstöön. Arvot kumpuavat asiakaslähtöisyyden lisäksi. yrittäjähenkisyydestä, reiluudesta, henkilöstön hyvinvoinnista, vastuullisesta tekemisestä sekä kasvuyritysasenteesta. Ne konkretisoituvat toimintamalleihin ja –tapoihin, jotka yrityksessä mielletään omaksi, erityiseksi kulttuuriksi. Sosiaalinen identiteetti ja yhteisöllisyys ovat erittäin vahva. Henkilöt kokevat voivansa sisäisen yrittäjyyden kautta vaikuttaa yrityksen kasvutarinaan ja he kokevat organisaation mahdollisuuksien alustana, näin ollen he kokevat itsensä ja osaamisensa tarpeelliseksi yritykselle.