The impact of internal market orientation on staff service behaviours

The impact of service direction, service training and staff behaviours on perceptions ofservice delivery are examined. The impact of managerial behaviour in the form of internalmarket orientation (IMO) on the attitudes of frontline staff towards the firm and itsconsequent influence on their customer oriented behaviours is also examined. Frontlineservice staff working in the consumer transport industry were surveyed to provide subjectivedata about the constructs of interest in this study, and the data were analysed using structuralequations modelling employing partial least squares estimation. The data indicate significantrelationships between internal market orientation (IMO), the attitudes of the employees to thefirm and their consequent behaviour towards customers. Customer orientation, servicedirection and service training are all identified as antecedents to high levels of servicedelivery. The study contributes to marketing theory by providing quantitative evidence tosupport assumptions that internal marketing has an impact on services success. Formarketing practitioners, the research findings offer additional information about themanagement, training and motivation of service staff towards service excellence.