Improving innovation and customer satisfaction through systems integration
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02635571211255005 |
| Pages | 1026-1043 |
| Date | 17 August 2012 |
| Published date | 17 August 2012 |
| Author | Alexandra Simon,Luc Honore Petnji Yaya |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Improving innovation and
customer satisfaction through
systems integration
Alexandra Simon and Luc Honore Petnji Yaya
Departament d’Organitzacio,
Gestio Empresarial i Desenvolupament del Producte, Universitat de Girona,
Girona, Spain
Abstract
Purpose – In recent years, organizations have been for ced to compete in a new environment and t o
become more innovative, provide more quality and respond more effectively to consumers’ needs and
preferences.Within this context,the main objectives of this research are to proposescales and study the
existingrelationshipsamonginnovation,ManagementSystem Standards(MSSs) Integrationand customer
satisfactionin order to help organizationsto manage these elements andincrease their performance.
Design/methodology/approach – Datafor this study derives from a survey carried out in 76 Spanish
organizations registered to at least both ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004. An Exploratory Factor
Analysis (EFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) are utilised to assess and confirm the
proposed scales validity and the relationships of the research model.
Findings – The conceptual model finds significant support based on the empirical study. Three of the
four dimensions of innovation and the four dimensions of MSs Integration are confirmed. Besides, the
findings show that the integration characteristics are positively related to innovation and satisfaction,
whereas, innovation is only partially linked to satisfaction.
Originality/value – This study, which aims to shed light on the integration characteristics, is the first
to propose a model that links the three concepts of integration, customer satisfaction and innovation
together. These are relevant issues for the competitiveness of companies, willing to increase their
performance, especially for companies which have implemented several ISO based systems, which have
become a key part of the organisation’s lifeline and a prerequisite for survival in the twenty-first century.
Keywords Integrationcharacteristics, Innovation, Customersatisfaction, ISO 9001, ISO 14001,Spain
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
In a remarkably short time, economic globalisation has changed the world’s economic
order, bringing with it new challenges and opportunities. Innovation merits a special
attention nowadays, given its importance for firms in order to adapt to the global
market and to provide customized solutions to consumers. Customers are becoming
more sophisticated, segmented and demanding, and expect more in terms of
customization, newness, quality and price (Stark, 2011). To adapt to these customer’s
needs, organizations need to provide quality standardised products that are innovative
and environmentally friendly (Stark, 2011). In this context, the ma nagement
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-5577.htm
This article has been written as part of a project entitled “Mejora de la satisfaccio
´n de los clientes
en las empresas espan
˜olas mediante modelos y esta
´ndares de gestio
´n de la calidad”
(ECO2009-12754-C02-01) financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and as a part of aid
Program for the Formation of University Researchers (FPU).
IMDS
112,7
1026
Received 16 November 2011
Revised 25 January 2012,
28 March 2012
Accepted 29 March 2012
Industrial Management & Data
Systems
Vol. 112 No. 7, 2012
pp. 1026-1043
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/02635571211255005
of innovation, customer satisfaction and the implementation of quality and
environmental standards in organizations are considered essential for organizations
to compete in the markets.
This research is an important step forward in finding out the impact of systems
integrationon innovation and customer satisfaction. This research wants to explorehow
the integration of management systems relates to the process of innovation and how the
innovativeproducts or serviceswill satisfythe customer demand,needs and requirements.
Systems integration can be consideredas a type of organizationalinnovation (Llach et al.,
2011), thus, there exists a strong relationship between these two constructs. Moreover,
innovation increases customer satisfaction as it maximizes the value of their purchases.
In orderto satisfy their customers,companies need to be innovativeand to this, they have
to managethe different systems inthe organization effectively.Therefore, firmsshould be
committed to managing integrated management systems (IMSs), innovation, customer
satisfaction and the existing interrelationships among them.
In this context, the aim of this study is to propose scales to measure MSs integration
characteristics, customer satisfaction and organization innovation as well as to
critically analyse if there is any relationship among these constructs in order to help
organizations to better understand and manage these elements. This yields inside into
the attributes of the integration characteristics that an organization should focus on to
achieve the goal of customer’s satisfaction and organization innovation and hence
increase organization performance.
2. Literature review
2.1 Innovation, customer satisfaction and management system standards
In reviewing the literature on innovation, various definitions have emerged from
different perspectives. An innovation is defined by the Oslo manual (OECD, 2005) as:
[...] a product, process, marketing method or organizational methodthat is new (or significantly
improved) to the firm, including products, processes and methods that firms are the first to
develop and those that have been adopted from other firms or organizations.
On the other hand, customer satisfaction is a business terminology to evaluate how
much a product or service supplied by company has been able to satisfy or please the
customer (Nemati et al., 2010).
In order to achieve customer satisfaction, firms need to create an environment and
culture to find ways to serve customer needs and expectations. For these reason,
management system standards (MSSs) that aim at satisfying customer needs, are
becoming more and more popular. In the last few years, many organizations have
chosen to implement standardised MSs, such as the ones based on ISO 14001 and
ISO 9001. The proliferation of new MSSs, such as the one for occupational health
and safety OHSAS 18001 (BSI, 2007) among others, gives the option that firms
integrate the corresponding MSs into a single system in order to benefit from the
existing synergies among them (Zeng et al., 2007).
2.2 MSSs and innovation
The interrelationships among innovation, MSs standards and customer satisfaction
represent important topics for organizations willing to increase their competitiveness
and they have been examined by numerous authors (Nemati et al., 2010).
Systems
integration
1027
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