Every model is an abstraction that adds noise to the communication.
It's the risk of over-simplification.
However, the advantage of a model is that it offers a starting-point for a discussion.
A starting point for communication.
The Spanish economic society could be modeled into two separate parts that have very little in common:
When I was still a visitor of Spain I was always impressed by the service oriented approach in the shops.
In the Netherlands, a shop closes at 18:00 or a half hour earlier and shop attendances are eager to close the shop a minute earlier.
Nothing like that in Spain: if you enter the very last minute before closing time, you get all the time and the same attention you need.
One of the most famous example of a companies that excels in offering a high quality of service is "El Corte Ingles," another example is "Zara" (Inditex).
But there are other companies too.
For example the insurer Mapfre.
The current challenge is that these two approaches do not meet somewhere in the middle.
Most larger companies that are traditionally product oriented now must make a shift to a service oriented approach.
Another problem in this change is the differences in male and female salaries and status.
Women earn less than men and the Spanish government has just introduced a minister of equality to get rid of this problem.
Feminism has never flourished in Spain, but there is a tendency that woman want more freedom to dress if they please.
A recent incident in a Spanish hospital showed that women were cut in their salaries if they would no longer wear a dress (1).
One thing is offering a service and a service mentality, the other thing is the "usage" of the opposite sex (woman in this case) to ease the sales process.
This is the dilemma Spain is facing today; a need to more service orientation which is in general the accepted strategy to win from cost-effective competitors from the BRIC countries.
The other side of the dilemma is a change in the structure of the society, with equal rights and chances between man and women.
This all in a context of a production and construction dominated stock market.
Hans Bool (1)- http://www.
truveo.
com/Hospital-To-Nurses-No-Skirts-No-Bonuses/id/1228835524
It's the risk of over-simplification.
However, the advantage of a model is that it offers a starting-point for a discussion.
A starting point for communication.
The Spanish economic society could be modeled into two separate parts that have very little in common:
- One part could be labeled as the strong sector; a male dominated culture that is focused on products and production.
- The other part could be labeled as the weaker sector; a more feminine culture that is focused on services.
When I was still a visitor of Spain I was always impressed by the service oriented approach in the shops.
In the Netherlands, a shop closes at 18:00 or a half hour earlier and shop attendances are eager to close the shop a minute earlier.
Nothing like that in Spain: if you enter the very last minute before closing time, you get all the time and the same attention you need.
One of the most famous example of a companies that excels in offering a high quality of service is "El Corte Ingles," another example is "Zara" (Inditex).
But there are other companies too.
For example the insurer Mapfre.
The current challenge is that these two approaches do not meet somewhere in the middle.
Most larger companies that are traditionally product oriented now must make a shift to a service oriented approach.
Another problem in this change is the differences in male and female salaries and status.
Women earn less than men and the Spanish government has just introduced a minister of equality to get rid of this problem.
Feminism has never flourished in Spain, but there is a tendency that woman want more freedom to dress if they please.
A recent incident in a Spanish hospital showed that women were cut in their salaries if they would no longer wear a dress (1).
One thing is offering a service and a service mentality, the other thing is the "usage" of the opposite sex (woman in this case) to ease the sales process.
This is the dilemma Spain is facing today; a need to more service orientation which is in general the accepted strategy to win from cost-effective competitors from the BRIC countries.
The other side of the dilemma is a change in the structure of the society, with equal rights and chances between man and women.
This all in a context of a production and construction dominated stock market.
Hans Bool (1)- http://www.
truveo.
com/Hospital-To-Nurses-No-Skirts-No-Bonuses/id/1228835524
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