Cultural Artifacts
These include heroes, rituals, stories, jargon, and
tangibles like the appearance of employees and
facilities. Again, given the espoused value of customer
service, if jargon used to characterize customers
is usually derogatory, then a strong service
culture is unlikely to emerge.
In contrast, if espoused values are enacted—
and thus reflected in policies, management behaviors,
and cultural artifacts^then a culture may
emerge in which senior management and employees
share similar service-relevant thoughts, feelings,
and patterns of behavior. This behavior has
the potential to enhance customer value and contribute
to competitive advantage.