A few years ago, one of our hotels was renovating its reception area. Initially, the usually expected players worked together on the project: the general manager, the technical director and an external design firm.
The employees who would use the newly designed space revived Service Value 9: “I am involved in the planning of the activities that concern me,” and gradually asked for input. It was a great idea and the technical director built a full-size model of the new design from some scrap wood. Each desk employee was given the opportunity to try out the design and make notes on its functionality. They even wrote their notes directly on the wood! A number of their ideas have been incorporated into the final design.
What did this experiment yield? First, it resulted in a better, more usable end product that required no adjustments or rework. Secondly, because the employees felt included in the journey, they fully embraced the new design. They were fully involved in the planning of the activities that affected them.
Here’s one last small, but remarkable detail of this story. Did you notice that employees spoke up, reminded their leaders of Service Value 9, and asked to be involved? The culture at The Ritz-Carlton is so powerful that the freedom to hold even our leaders accountable for enlivening the service values is not only tolerated, but expected. Everyone needs a reminder every now and then.
What does ‘being involved in the planning of the work that concerns me’ mean for employees
Being involved in the planning of the work that affects you means that you can determine a large part of the HOW of your daily tasks. This level of autonomy ensures that our ladies and gentlemen feel trusted by their leaders and helps them develop for future roles. Having a voice in what you do and how you do it creates a sense of ownership over the job, which leads to a sense of pride. When we enliven Service Value 9, we also stimulate our creativity. The end result is that the guest experience is improved, and our ladies and gentlemen clearly see their direct contribution to this.
What it means for leaders and the organization
Giving employees the freedom to plan their work benefits both the organization and leadership. At The Ritz-Carlton, ladies and gentlemen are experts in their field. They are intimately familiar with every aspect of the guest journey at their hotel. The best ideas for process improvement and innovation come from them.
Finally, when employees feel confident making decisions about how they complete their work, job satisfaction and engagement increase. And when these factors increase, we typically see a decline in sales.
- Have you ever felt micromanaged? How did that affect your performance?
- How do you think giving your team the freedom to decide the “how” of their work could impact your team dynamics? Your organisation?
To learn more about The Ritz-Carlton’s iconic culture and how its principles can be applied to your organization, we invite you to explore our Culture of Excellence offering, available in many formats – both virtual and in-person.
Reference By: ritzcarltonleadershipcenter.com
