title: Quality management: the influence of staff morale on customer focus.
abstract: Staff morale can be an indicator of an organization's progress towards developing a customer-focused culture, which is necessary for delivering quality services. While not a new concept, customer focus is the force that drives Quality Management. It is, however, only one of the essential components of quality management. The methodology for assessing staff morale and relating it to customer satisfaction in a large rural hospital is outlined and discussed. Results suggest that staff are willing to respond to the present external customer focus initiative demanded by the New South Wales Health Department, provided management plays its role in creating a work environment conducive to the delivery of satisfying services.
authors.affiliation: North West Health Service, Tamworth, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hartley
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009013:Morale; D009517:New South Wales; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce