Validation of an instrument to measure service-orientation

Hogan, Hogan, and Busch (1984: 167) define service-orientation as “the disposition to be helpful, thoughtful, considerate, and cooperative.” To measure this construct they developed the Service Orientation Index (SOI), an 87-item true false questionnaire. The purpose of the present study was to test whether or not a biodata inventory could also be used to measure the service-orientation construct. Subjects were given the inventory in order to predict their service-oriented performance in a simulated customer interaction. The service-orientation ratings were consistently highly correlated with three topical scales: “the need to make a good impression,” “sociability,” and “helpfulness.” The correlations of these scales with service-orientation were as high or higher than those generally obtained with the SOI; and thus, it was concluded that service-orientation may effectively be measured by biodata.