The internal customer and the management of shared commitment

I revisited this article I wrote in 2023 because, several years later, I still find in it concepts that have much to do with the way I understand work environments and the relationship between people and organizations today.

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At the time, I wrote about employees as internal customers and about the importance of organizational climate, recognition, empathy, and clarity within companies. Today, I can see these ideas from a broader perspective. Professional experience also teaches us that the relationship between a person and the organization they work for operates in more than one direction. Organizations have an important responsibility for the conditions they provide, but those of us who are part of them also participate in how those conditions are experienced and in the environment we ultimately help create.

Perhaps that is why I decided to preserve much of the original text and add some ideas that were left unfinished in the first version. In 2023, I wrote about what organizations can do to care for their employees and support their development. Today, I want to incorporate the other side of the equation: the responsibility we assume when we occupy that place within an organization. So, at last, I can check that unfinished item off my list.

The idea of the internal customer still makes sense to me. A person who works for a company experiences an environment shaped, to a significant extent, by the organization’s decisions, processes, and leadership practices. At the same time, that person also influences the experience of colleagues, relationships with customers, and the culture that is built through everyday interactions. This does not mean that both sides have the same responsibilities. An organization establishes conditions, makes decisions, and has a direct influence on aspects such as workplace climate, processes, communication, recognition, and opportunities for development. Employees, in turn, have responsibilities related to their performance, commitment, the way they interact with others, and their willingness to contribute to the organization of which they are a part.

Over the years, I have come to understand that a healthy work environment depends neither solely on finding a good company nor on having good employees. It also depends on the relationship built between the two and on each party’s willingness to assume its respective responsibilities.

This article builds on that earlier reflection and expands it from this perspective. It first revisits the importance of the employee as an internal customer and the conditions organizations can foster to create healthier work experiences. It then considers the other side of the relationship: the commitment and responsibilities that also belong to those of us who are part of an organization. Working for a company involves both contributing and receiving, and understanding that relationship from both sides can help us build better environments for everyone.

THE INTERNAL CUSTOMER

There are professional experiences that stay with us because of what happened, but also because of what they helped us understand. The experience that gave rise to this article took place during a particular period in both my professional and personal life.

You’re like a rollercoaster, an executive who had been invited to the first meeting of the morning said to me in a dismissive tone after I greeted him while feeling somewhat unwell, experiencing constant and severe morning sickness as a result of being four months pregnant. The conversation took a different turn when the results were presented during the meeting. My team had achieved the #1 position at our location in the sales and service ranking, as well as the #2 position among the 37 offices worldwide that made up that U.S. account.

I have never viewed pregnancy as a disability. I do believe, however, that there are personal circumstances that require understanding and consideration in the workplace. That experience made me think about something that goes far beyond that particular meeting: people bring responsibilities and circumstances into organizations that are not always visible on a performance report. This is why, when I refer to employees as internal customers, I am not referring simply to people who receive a salary in exchange for their work. I am referring to people who are part of the experience an organization creates and who, in turn, have a direct influence on the experience received by external customers.

Karl Albrecht, in his work on internal customer service, emphasizes the importance of recognizing people within an organization as key contributors to value creation. This idea becomes even more relevant when we consider that employees have direct contact with processes, products, services, and, in many cases, the end customer.

The external customer experience begins long before it reaches the customer. It is also shaped by the people who represent the organization, the way they work, and the conditions in which they are expected to do so. From this perspective, there are several management practices that can contribute to a healthier relationship with internal customers:

Build an organizational climate that fosters belonging. People need to understand where the organization is headed and feel that they are part of what they are helping to build. An environment grounded in shared goals and healthy professional relationships can strengthen a sense of community.

Recognize performance. Making employees’ results and contributions visible allows their work to be valued and can support motivation and professional development. Recognition also communicates which behaviors and results matter to the organization.

Listen to the ideas of those who understand the processes from within. Alan Robinson and Dean Schroeder argue in The Idea-Driven Organization that employees who interact directly with customers, manufacture products, or provide services are in a particularly strong position to identify problems and opportunities for improvement. Listening to their experience can become an important source of innovation.

Provide clarity around processes and responsibilities. Knowing what needs to be done, who to coordinate with, and where to turn when a situation arises makes everyday work easier. When roles are clearly defined, people can focus their energy on doing their jobs well rather than trying to figure out how the organization works.

Practice empathy in leadership. Those of us in positions of responsibility have a particular influence on the experience of the people who make up our teams. Understanding that every employee has a reality that we may not always know can change the way we lead and relate to others.

The experience that gave rise to this article ultimately had an interesting effect on my own professional path. During my maternity leave, I received an offer to take on a managerial position at another company and decided to accept it. There, I once again had the opportunity to build a team that achieved outstanding results, received international recognition, and found opportunities for growth. Perhaps that is why, when I think about that first meeting, I am less interested in holding on to the comment that opened it. I am more interested in everything that came afterward and in what that experience helped me understand about the people who make organizational results possible.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RELATIONSHIP

So far, I have focused on what an organization can do to care for the people who are part of it. But the relationship also works in the other direction. Being an internal customer means receiving an experience from the organization, but it also means participating in that experience. Our professional commitment is reflected in the quality of the work we do, the way we communicate, our willingness to receive feedback, and the initiatives we are prepared to bring forward when we identify an opportunity for improvement.

We also contribute to organizational culture. From the way we interact with colleagues to the tone we use when responding to a difficult situation and the decisions we make within our roles, each of these actions helps shape the environment in which we work. Organizations have responsibilities toward their employees, and employees also have responsibilities toward the organizations of which they are a part. Recognizing this two-way relationship allows us to speak about commitment without turning it into a one-sided expectation.

Taking on this responsibility can also support our own professional development. Working with quality, communicating clearly, proposing improvements, and remaining willing to learn allow us to build a professional path with greater autonomy and credibility within the organization. Chapman and White (2012) highlight the importance of recognition and appreciation in workplace relationships, as well as their influence on satisfaction and the quality of relationships between employees and leaders. Commitment, understood in this way, is not only about meeting the expectations of the company; it can also become a way of expanding our own opportunities.

For an organization, having employees who actively participate in shaping their work environment means having people who can identify opportunities, anticipate challenges, and contribute solutions based on their everyday experience. When this willingness meets a company that listens, recognizes contributions, and provides appropriate conditions for development, the benefit is no longer one-sided. The relationship becomes stronger, and so can the teams, the results, and the organization itself.

A good work environment requires appropriate conditions, leadership, recognition, and opportunities for growth. It also requires people who are committed to doing their work well, communicating respectfully, contributing ideas, and assuming the responsibilities associated with their roles. The employment relationship is not static. It is built every day through what the organization provides and what people do with it. Perhaps that is the main reflection I take from revisiting that article: a good place to work is not simply something we find. It is also something that, from our own role, we help build.

REFERENCES

Albrecht, K. (1990). Service within: Solving the middle management leadership crisis. Dow Jones-Irwin.

Chapman, G. D., & White, P. E. (2012). The 5 languages of appreciation in the workplace: Empowering organizations by encouraging people (Rev. & updated ed.). Northfield Publishing.

Robinson, A. G., & Schroeder, D. M. (2014). The idea-driven organization: Unlocking the power in bottom-up ideas. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.