Despite extensive examination in academic and management literature, internal marketing remains ill defined and poorly operationalized.  This article develops a new, multidimensional construct termed internal market orientation (IMO) that provides:

• A single, clear understanding of the internal marketing construct
• An instrument for measurement
• Empirical evidence of its impact
  

A set of 42 items designed to assess the dimensions of IMO was derived from literature, focus groups and in-depth interviews. A panel of marketing and human resource academics then reviewed the item pool. and added validation items to measure attitude of managers to IMO and internal-marketing-oriented behaviors. The main survey by mail, had 766 completes. IMO can be used to develop intelligence relating to the wants and needs of employees and solutions to meet these wants and needs. The article focuses on the  development of a valid and reliable instrument to measure IMO as  demonstrated in a retail services context. The proposed scale can be used to establish baselines for IMO in organizations and to benchmark against competitors. Relationships between IMO and important organizational factors are also explored. Results indicate positive consequences for customer
satisfaction, relative competitive position, staff attitudes, staff retention and staff compliance.

“Measuring Internal Market
Orientation,” Ian N. Lings and
Gordon E. Greenley, Journal of
Service Research, Vol. 7, No. 3
(February 2005): pp. 290-305.