Distinguish Needs from Services

Semantic Confusion Matters

Both needs and services define territories; but not necessarily coterminous territories—because needs and services are inherently very different. So never confuse them!

Sloppy Use of Language Causes Trouble

Consulting work with both politicians and senior executives has revealed much unnecessary and disruptive confusion between «needs» and «services».

• Needs and services are talked about as if they were identical—they are not.
• Needs and services are talked about as if they have a one-to-one relationship—they do not.
• Needs are formulated in terms of services e.g. as "we have a need-type X to obtain service-type X", while
• Services are formulated in terms of needs e.g. "we offer service-type X to meet need-type X".

Needs and services actually complement each other because …

• A need is a lack or a want of something important.
• A service is an activity to deal with that lack or want.

Needs for Services or Services for Needs?

No organization or agency (i.e. service) can respond to any need comprehensively.

Example:  The need to communicate well (i.e. the social value of communication) will be met via educational services, speech therapy services, social services, elocution services, and more.

Few organizations or services ever deal with just one need,
Example:  Primary schools address many needs: socialization, literacy, numeracy, citizenship, physical fitness, social skills, health.

Linking this Analysis to Political Territories

• Needs and services are fundamentally different in nature and one must not be used as a synonym or surrogate for the other.

• Needs are articulated through natural communities living within social territories. So needs are political in nature.

• Natural social territories and optimal service territories do not necessarily coincide, and should never be forced to do so. More.

• There are 7 hierarchically encompassing tiers of social territory and political organization—and every person in a society is simultaneously a member of each, like it or not. More.

• Needs must be analysed and different aspects of each basic type of social need must be explicitly assigned to one of the tiers. Examples.

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• Distinguish social territories and service territories.
• More on providing services for the public.

Originally posted: August-2009; Last updated: 15-Nov-2010