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Rather than take the usually futile approach of repeatedly addressing the symptoms of service problems, managers should dig deeper until they reach the root causes of those problems. Even better is to enlist employees’ participation in determining the causes. To that end, managers could apply the time-tested approaches from total quality management and systems thinking, including the “5 Whys” (repeatedly asking why until the cause is revealed) and process flowcharting (creating a timeline of the service process). The process of listing hot spots and touch points can help work groups see where problems exist (hot spots) and identify chances to impress guests with excellent service (touch points). Managers can also use an employee-tools grid, which lists specific steps that can be taken to improve service in any of the following five categories: (1) define and communicate issues, (2) train and educate employees, (3) improve processes, (4) evaluate results and provide feedback, and (5) celebrate successes.

Development of a compelling organizational culture continues to be an imperative for organizations seeking a competitive advantage. Identifying culture deficiencies or gaps is an important step in creating such a culture. For culture development efforts to be successful, leaders must first know the reality of the current organizational culture, however assessing the organizations' true culture may be more complicated than it appears. Several theoretical frameworks illustrate how highly committed mangers may have difficulty in this regard. The following study links theory with application providing an action research based model of culture assessment. First, the rationale and conceptual model of cultural analysis is provided based on past research. Next, a five-step model analyzing ten cultural areas is proposed, and recommendations are provided for implementation.