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We needed a greater sense of urgency.” So the management…

“We needed a greater sense of urgency.” So the management team decided that field managers would not be eligible for promotion unless their branch or group of branches matched or exceeded the company’s average scores. That’s a pretty radical idea when you think about it: giving customers, in…” quote by Harvard Business School Press
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““We needed a greater sense of urgency.” So the management team decided that field managers would not be eligible for promotion unless their branch or group of branches matched or exceeded the company’s average scores. That’s a pretty radical idea when you think about it: giving customers, in effect, veto power over managerial pay raises and promotions. The rigorous implementation of this simple customer feedback system had a clear impact on business. As the survey scores rose, so did Enterprise’s growth relative to its competition. Taylor cites the linking of customer feedback to employee rewards as one of the most important reasons that Enterprise has continued to grow,””

Harvard Business School Press

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Linking employee rewards to customer feedback creates accountability and drives performance.

In simple terms: Tie pay to customer satisfaction.

Key Takeaway

Align incentives with service quality.

Themes

customer focus performance incentives accountability

Mood

analytical strategic

Type

business motivational

When to use this quote

  • retail management
  • call centers
  • hospitality
  • sales teams

Key Concepts

feedback loops behavioral economics

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can we balance customer input with employee morale?
  • What safeguards prevent metric manipulation?
A Different Perspective

May cause short‑term metric gaming or neglect of non‑measured duties.

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