1

Empowering Service Personnel

PG Diploma in Hospitality Management

Customer Service and Quality Systems – Session 4

2

Objectives

• Understand theories of motivation in the work place.

• Understand the need for employee empowerment in the hospitality industry

• Understand the means by which employees may be empowered

• Understand the organisational conditions in which empowerment may be implemented

3

Review

• What is the difference between data and information – give examples?

• Explain PMS, CRS and GDS.

• Questions on knowledge management – final slide of last week’s presentation

4

Characteristics of Hospitality

• Active participation of employees interacting with guests

• Limited opportunity for inspection or testing of service

• Employee is the representative of the organisation

5

Importance of Employees

Managers have limited power to:• Change products or services• Use different processes• Change premises or locationTherefore, Managers must find:• Better ways for employees to do their jobs• Ways to motivate employees to exceed

expectations

6

What Motivates Employees?Give your own ranking to these work-related goals:1. Training opportunities to improve skills or learn new ones2. Challenging work giving sense of accomplishment3. Freedom to adopt own approach to the job4. Keep up-to-date with technical developments5. Fully use your skills and abilities on the job6. Opportunity for advancement to higher level job7. Receiving recognition when you do a good job8. Opportunity for high earnings9. Work with people who co-operate well with one another10.Have a good working relationship with your manager11.Have sufficient time for personal life and family12.Work in a congenial and friendly atmosphere13.Job that allows you to make real contribution to success of your organisation14.Work in a department that is run efficiently15.Security that you will keep job as long as you want it16.Live in an area desirable to you and your family17.Have good fringe benefits18.Good physical working conditions19.Work in a company that is regarded in your country as successful

7

Theories of Motivation

• McGregor – Theory X and Theory Y

• Maslow – hierarchy of needs

• Herzberg – hygiene and motivation factors

• Vroom – expectancy theory

8

McGregorTheory X• People dislike their work• Most people must be

controlled and threatened before they will work hard enough

• The average person prefers to be directed

• People dislike responsibility• People like unambiguous tasks• Employees desire security

above all else

Theory Y• Work is as natural as play or

rest• Employees will direct

themselves if committed to the aims of the organization

• Job satisfaction leads to commitment to the organization

• Under proper conditions people not only accept but seek responsibility

• Employees will use their imagination, creativity and ingenuity to solve problems

• Intellectual potential of average employee are only partly used

9

Maslow – Hierarchy of Needs

10

Maslow’s Assumptions

• Lower level needs must be satisfied before higher level needs become motivators

• Once a need is satisfied it is no longer a motivator

• There are more ways to satisfy higher level needs than lower level needs

11

Maslow and Job Types

Researchers asked people from different job types to rank work related goalsYou have already done this yourself – see slide 6

• Professionals gave priority to goals corresponding to high Maslow needs

• Clerks gave priority to goals corresponding to middle Maslow needs

• Unskilled workers gave priority to goals corresponding to low Maslow needs

12

Maslow and Culture• Nevis suggests that Maslow’s hierarchy reflects

western culture focusing on needs of individuals• For Chinese he suggests:

• Other research suggests that Maslow’s hierarchy is about the same from one culture to another

Self actualisation in service of society

Safety

Physiological needs

Social belonging

13

Herzberg – Hygiene and Motivators

Hygiene Factors• working conditions • security• salary• interpersonal relations• status• policies and

administration

Motivation Factors

• achievement

• recognition

• responsibility

• growth / advancement

• interest in the job

14

Content Theories

Maslow and Herzberg are known as “content theories”:

• Based on the concept of hedonism

• Assume that individuals seek to satisfy all needs

• Assume homogeneity of needs and individuals

15

Vroom – Expectancy TheoryIndividuals have different sets of goals and can be

motivated if they believe that:• positive correlation between efforts and performance• favorable performance will result in a desirable reward• reward will satisfy an important need• desire to satisfy the need is strong enough to make the

effort worthwhile

EXPECTANCY 1Ability to Produce

EXPECTANCY 2Work will be Rewarded

PERSONis motivated

TASK GOALto produce work

OUTCOME 1to receive pay

OUTCOME 2to buy house

INSTRUMENTALITYprediction of final outcome

16

Vroom’s Three Variables• Valence - Management must discover what

employees value.• Expectancy - the belief that output from the

individual is linked to the success of the situation e.g. “If I work harder then this will be better.”

• Instrumentality - the belief that the success of the situation is linked to the expected outcome of the situatione.g. “It's gone really well, so I expect praise.”

Vroom’s theory questions the assumption that people know or feel that action leads to a result.

17

Motivation Theories

• How useful is each of the theories we have discussed so far?

• What do you feel are their limitations?

18

Hofstede

• Power Distance - expectations regarding equality among people

• Uncertainty Avoidance – tolerance of ambiguity and unstructured situations

• Individualism/Collectivism – relationship between the individual and the group

• Masculinity – tendency to support traditional gender roles

19

Scores on Cultural Dimensions

Country Power Distance

Uncertainty Avoidance

Individualism Masculinity

UK 21 12 96 84

US 30 21 100 74

Arab 89 51 52 58

China 89 44 39 54

France 73 78 82 35

Germany 21 47 74 84

India 82 17 62 63

Percentile rankings: 100 highest, 50 middle

20

Pay and Motivation

• Research shows no simple relationship between pay and motivation

• Attempts have been made to stimulate employee interest in company financial performance through:– Profit-sharing– Share ownership

• Linked with consultative managerial style which may be the more motivating

21

Empowerment

• Give employees authority to make decisions

• Open and decentralised communication system

• Reward and recognise those who assume responsibility and perform well

22

Participative Management Style• Encourage people to express their concerns• Describe a proposal as tentative• Record ideas and suggestions• Look for ways to build on ideas and suggestions• Be tactful in expressing concerns about a

suggestion• Listen to dissenting views without being

defensive• Try to utilise suggestions and deal with concerns• Show appreciation for suggestions

23

Ritz-Carlton Credo

“We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen”

• The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is a place where genuine care and comfort of our guests is our highest mission

• We pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities for our gests who will enjoy a warm, relaxed yet refined ambience

• The Ritz-Carlton experience enlivens the senses, instils well-being, and fulfils even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests

24

Blanchard – Three Keys

• Key 1 – Sharing information with everyoneLet employees decide what they need to know to do the job

• Key 2 – Autonomy through boundariesEmployees should work within organisational values and goals with an understanding of roles

• Key 3 – Self-directed work teamsGroups who have responsibility for a specific service or product

25

Enabling and Inhibiting Factors

Enabling Factors• Front line staff are

responsible for service quality

• Employees must operate independently

• Supervision often difficult• Service tradition

Inhibiting Factors• Managers uncomfortable

with empowerment• Employees feel asked to

do more for same pay• Low wages + high turnover• Lack of training• Pressure for profits

26

Tools for Implementation

• Executive Leadership – commitment from the top

• Policies in Place – boundaries and autonomy established

• Training – employees must be equipped

• Information Sharing – free dissemination of all relevant information

• Organisation and Structural Change – enable self-directed work groups

27

Case Study

• Discuss the Grand Hotel case study in groups and make recommendations