Personal 1

Abstract:
The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is famous for its excellent service and for providing
customers with the experience of a lifetime. In his Harvard Business Review article,
Paul Hemp describes techniques used by the company to train employees with its
special service philosophy. New employees are chosen for their particular qualities –
including a willingness to serve others, drive and enthusiasm, and an optimistic attitude.
Each employee always carries a fold-out card, covering the company’s Gold Standards
– an array of service principles. Training sets about bringing these principles to life and
giving them meaning.
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++ Font | Font --
Ritz-Carlton's Human Resource Bottom of Form

Management Practices and Work
Culture: The Foundation of an
Exceptional Service Organization
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Case Details:
Excerpts Contd...
HR Practices and Work Culture Contd... Case Code : HROB100
Ongoing Training Case Length : 23 Pages

After the first year, employees Period : 1983-2007
received an average of 100
Pub Date : 2007
hours of training every year.
Equal importance was given Teaching Note : Not Available
to imparting technical skills Organization : The Ritz-Carlton

and helping employees
Hotel Company LLC
assimilate Ritz-Carlton's
culture. The company Industry : Hotels and Hospitality
conducted workshops and Countries : US

classes on a monthly or
quarterly basis on subjects
To download Ritz-Carlton's
like 'Appreciating Individual
Differences,' 'Planning and Human Resource Management
Running Team Meetings,' Practices and Work Culture:
'Assessing Your Co-worker's
The Foundation of an
Performance,' etc...
Exceptional Service
Employee Empowerment Organization case study (Case
All employees of the
company, regardless of
Code: HROB100) click on the
position or rank, were
empowered to spend up to button below, and select the case
$2,000 of the company's from the list of available cases:

money to correct a problem
or handle a complaint,
without having to ask
permission from a superior...
Price:
Cultural Impact
For delivery in electronic format:
Analysts were of the opinion that although Ritz-Carlton's
Rs. 400;
salaries were not significantly higher than those of other
comparable organizations in the hospitality industry, the For delivery through courier
company was a preferred employer because of its (within India): Rs. 400 + Rs. 25 for
organizational culture and the way it treated its
Shipping & Handling Charges
employees. Ritz-Carlton's organizational culture not only
helped the company provide exemplary customer service, To Purchase
but also created an atmosphere where employees felt IcfaiTech B.Tech
valued... Program
A Cultural Shift
In mid-2006, Ritz-Carlton Bulletin & Application Form
initiated what analysts called
Details >>
a 'cultural shift' to make the
hotel and the customer
experience it provided more
contemporary. The initiative » Human Resource and
was reportedly prompted by Organization Behavior Case

the realization that Ritz-
Studies
Carlton's customer profile had
» Mini Case Studies
changed significantly over the
years, and that the hotel's » Micro Case Studies on HROB
adherence to an extreme » View Detailed Pricing Info
degree of formality was likely
» How To Order This Case
to put off the new breed of
customers. (The average age » Business Case Studies
of a Ritz-Carlton guest had
come down from 59 years in
the mid 1990s, to 47 years by Global MBA Program
the mid 2000s)...
(Dual Degree)
Bulletin & Application Form
Details >>
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http://w w w .icmri
Go
We icmrindia.o
b rg
pub-3085938629
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GALT:#008000;G
en
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Please note:
This case study was compiled from

published sources, and is intended
to be used as a basis for class
discussion. It is not intended to
illustrate either effective or
ineffective handling of a
management situation. Nor is it a
primary information source.
Oct
4th
PSP Used To Train Hotel Employees

Files under PSP | Posted by Mase
It has been announced that the Hilton Garden Inn hotel will use the Sony PSP to train their
customers on how to meet the needs of the customer. Developed by a firm known as Virtual
Heroes, the training game goes by the name of “Ultimate Team Play”.
The purpose of the game is to show Hilton employees how their actions have an impact on the
hotel’s image and moods of the guests. The better mood the guests are in, the more loyal they’ll
be. The training game looks pretty good and features a 3D simulation of a Hilton Garden Inn
hotel.
Management for the Hilton Garden Inn are understandably excited about the
enhanced training program. With the PSP as the platform, employees can receive
the benefit of realistic, interactive training no matter where they are. The company
reports that Ultimate Team Play is an essential part of their ongoing commitment to
delivering quality customer service. Gallup Management Journal
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11 December 2008
How The Ritz-Carlton Manages the Mystique

The luxury brand uses hard data on employee and customer engagement to create its
image and ambience -- and to drive measurable results
• HOSPITALITY
• ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE
by Jennifer Robison
Post A Comment
Page:1234
Joanne Hanna recently had the pleasure of being a Ritz-Carlton guest, but only after the pain of a bad
experience she had flying -- crammed into coach -- in December. "I had to get to a conference in New
York, but my flights were delayed over and over. I arrived seven hours later than I meant to, and if I never
see O'Hare airport again, it'll be too soon," she says. That delay meant that she missed all her meetings
and had time only to check into her room, change, and race to the conference's opening-night dinner.
"The gentleman who escorted me to my room at The

Ritz-Carlton asked how my day was, and I told him,
the poor guy," says Hanna. "He said he'd be happy
to book me into the spa, or send up a masseuse, or
even have a rose-petal bath drawn for me, and I'd
have loved all of that. But there was no time." So he
told Hanna to wait a moment, and then he returned with a scented candle. "I was so touched, I was
speechless -- it was so thoughtful and helpful, like something a friend would do," says Hanna. "So I told
the people at the desk. And now whenever I check into a Ritz-Carlton, there's a candle waiting for me."
Perhaps any hotel employee could figure out that a tired and frazzled guest could use a little help. And
maybe any hotel company with a global database could keep track of a candle-loving customer. But
making sure that every employee notices, cares, thinks, and acts as thoughtfully as the one who served
Hanna -- well, that takes something special.
The Ritz-Carlton calls that something special "The Ritz-Carlton Mystique." It's a way of conceptualizing
the brand's image and the ambience of each of the company's more than 70 worldwide locations.
"Mystique" sounds enigmatic, but it's achieved through the most straightforward of methods: extremely
close attention to performance data collection and a broad educational platform to deliver the findings.
Of course, all companies watch standard business measures and train employees. But The Ritz-Carlton
watches things that most companies ignore, then uses what they learn in a unique way to create ongoing,
top-to-bottom learning. "What we get from the data is essential," says John Timmerman, The Ritz-
Carlton's vice president of operations. "Everything we learn we use to set strategies, and every strategy is
communicated to our people. That learning environment is how we stay agile in an ever-changing world."
Beyond the data
Agility from education is a complex thing. A company has to determine what data to collect and how to
collect it, but it also has to ascertain what to do with it. Get any of those things wrong, and the company
trips over its own feet. So The Ritz-Carlton concentrates solely -- but obsessively -- on the factors that
support the iconic brand.
"We really wanted to make sure that we not only had a great company but that we also had a sustainable
company," says Timmerman. "So we started to benchmark different business models. We had to have the
right outcome measures, so we developed certain business priority measurements. We call them our key
success factors."
The factors are: mystique, employee engagement, customer engagement, product service excellence,
community involvement, and financial performance. Most companies start with the financials, but The
Ritz-Carlton finishes with them. "Financial performance is a result of the other metrics -- our key success
factors," Timmerman says. "Everything else is a diagnostic metric."
The key success factors are the business priorities, and within those factors, The Ritz-Carlton reports on
absolutely everything -- from the general morale of the restaurant staff in Bahrain to the number of scuffs
on an elevator door in New York. Every day, the company's staff determines whether they're meeting the
key success factors -- and if not, what needs to change.
Thus, each location and every one of The Ritz-Carlton's more than 38,000 employees turn in a river of
quantitative and qualitative data points. Those bits of data, filtered by the requirements of the key success
factors, are examined to give the company real-time information that it uses to set and evaluate the
business priority measurements that make up the key success factors. It's a feedback loop of current
information, starting and ending with the priorities.
"When executives focus on the mechanics, they miss the communication," says Timmerman. The key
success factors feedback loop provides the communication that prevents The Ritz-Carlton's service from
being mechanical -- and keeps it personal, for every person in every location every day.
How they strategize

The Ritz-Carlton starts with a flood of data, turns it into a powerful strategy, then targets specific actions
to obtain its key success factors. But creating the right strategy to achieve the factors takes as much
evaluation as analyzing the data in the first place.
First, The Ritz-Carlton defines the priorities that

make up the success factors so that they're
actionable and applicable to all employees. To draft
the actions, a cross-functional team -- including
senior corporate leaders, field representatives such
as human resources managers, and rank and file
employees -- reviews the plan and contributes insights. The company also uses the data to perform a
SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis to adjust to new information.
"We look at where we want to be versus where we are today -- and where we see the trends on the
horizon," says Timmerman. "Then we frame the key success factors. Then we ask for input with the SWOT
process. It's a very defined process because it's our opinion that if you can't define it, you can't control it,
you can't measure it, and you can't improve it."
The input of frontline staff -- the people who check guests in, serve food, and occasionally present scented
candles -- into the SWOT process is crucial. Their insights are loaded into a global database so leaders can
identify macro-level themes, market specifics, individual functions, and even corporate blind spots. As a
result, the ladies and gentlemen, as all employees of The Ritz-Carlton are called, feel integrally involved in
the business.
"For us, [integrating employee feedback into the process is the] true success because employees are
personally engaged, they're fulfilled, they understand their contribution, and we're maximizing their
talents," says Timmerman. "Involving [employees] in the SWOT process increases their engagement. And
in my opinion, employee engagement measurements are a barometer of leadership effectiveness."
Once the company has determined the actions for achieving its success factors, the next step is actually
putting them into action. That's the education factor.
How it works
A strategic plan will achieve its goals only if it's understood. And no plan will achieve its ends if it isn't
measured and monitored. So, before long-range plans are put in place, The Ritz-Carlton goes to great --
some might say extreme -- lengths to teach and learn from employees. "To be agile in any marketplace,
especially one that changes as rapidly as ours," says Timmerman, "means being a learning organization."
The Ritz-Carlton never misses an opportunity to teach. All new employees take part in a two-day cultural
orientation before they start their jobs. Then, they are certified after the first 21 days and annually
thereafter to ensure that they are delivering brand standards. Every employee in every location takes part
in a daily pre-shift meeting in which actions, events, issues, and most importantly, The Ritz-Carlton
philosophy, are discussed. In this way, no one is left in the dark about what a priority means -- and
everyone understands his or her role in shaping it. "That helps us all adjust to changes," says Timmerman.
"And change is constant."
A byproduct of daily learning is that the ladies and gentlemen who actually deal with guests are reminded
to, coached on how to, and have a method for relaying customers' faint signals. Even the most subtle guest
reactions are noticed and fed into the river of data that is distilled into the business priorities. As a result,
the hotel can pick up on information that might have been easily missed and have a built-in plan for
delivering that knowledge to others.
Furthermore, every hotel, function, and division has access to the key success factors as well as very
specific revenue and profitability measures. Thus, every day, those ladies and gentlemen can see how well
they're performing against their targets, each of which rolls up to the company metrics. "So what you have
is complete alignment, [and employees can see how] all the key success factors that are at thirty thousand
feet translate down to ground level," says Timmerman.
Yet none of these approaches are very long term. Through trial and error, The Ritz-Carlton realized that
unless the issue involves a capital improvement, action items should be designed to be accomplished
within 90 days. Furthermore, having learned in the strategy evaluation process that hotels do very well
when they focus their attention on just a few things, The Ritz-Carlton makes sure every business unit has
no more than three priorities.
"[Any objective] longer than ninety days turns into ongoing committees that drink coffee and produce
meeting minutes but not a lot of results. And once you go beyond the top three priorities, you start to
really diffuse your resources, your bandwidth," says Timmerman. So the company set a mandate that
every employee must work on something to improve customer, employee, or financial outcomes, with
visible results within 90 days.
Engaging employees
"At the end of the day, our bottom line is in the hands of our front line," Timmerman says, which is why
the company is meticulous in hiring and developing its staff. The Ritz-Carlton aims to hire only the very
best of the very best -- they select just 1 out of every 20 applicants, and that's after applicants are pre-
screened for job requirements.
But fit to role is only part of the employee equation.

The other is employee engagement, because
engagement is the cornerstone of every Ritz-Carlton
success factor. Employee engagement first came to
the company's attention because of its correlation to performance measures that have profit
consequences; Gallup research has shown that hotels with increased employee engagement scores have
lower management turnover, fewer safety incidents, and higher profitability and productivity. (See
"Feedback for Real" in the "See Also" area on this page.)
The Ritz-Carlton has conducted employee satisfaction measurements for years because it understood the
crucial role that employees play in satisfying guests. But there's a big difference between engagement and
satisfaction, so the company began using Gallup's Q employee engagement metric in 2006.
12
The Ritz-Carlton has an extraordinary number of engaged workers, with an overall engagement ranking in
the upper quartile when compared to all the workgroups Gallup has studied. And its employee turnover is
low enough to be legendary: a mere 18% compared to the luxury-hotel industry average of 158% for line-
level workers, 136% for supervisors, and 129% for managers. "We like turnover to be between fifteen and
eighteen percent," says Timmerman, "because fresh voices are valuable too."
Engaging guests
The other side of the employee engagement

coin is customer engagement. Like employee
engagement, customer engagement has strong
linkages to important profit outcomes: Gallup
research has shown that fully engaged
customers deliver a 23% premium over average
customers in share of wallet, profitability,
revenue, and relationship growth. (See
"Manage Your Human Sigma" in the "See Also"
area on this page.)
When it first measured customer engagement

in 2004, The Ritz-Carlton scored above the 80
th
percentile against business-to-consumer

companies in Gallup's customer engagement
database. For most companies, this would be
an outstanding result, but outstanding wasn't
good enough for The Ritz-Carlton -- or, frankly, for the extremely selective luxury hotel market. So the
hotelier used what it learned from the success factor feedback loop to teach the ladies and gentlemen to
provide the perfect, and perfectly subjective, engaging experiences. And it worked: The Ritz-Carlton's
overall customer engagement score now ranks above the 90 percentile.
th
HumanSigma
But a few years ago, The Ritz-Carlton stopped

managing customer and employee engagement
separately. The company understood the
dynamics and profit potential of employee
engagement and customer engagement, which
is why it made each a key success factor. But
the performance potential of managing both
factors holistically -- a process Gallup calls
HumanSigma -- caused the company to
reconsider its approach. "Our employee and
customer engagement scores are as important
as our financial data," says Timmerman.
Gallup research shows that companies that

score above the 50 percentile on either
th
employee or customer engagement tend to

deliver 70% higher financial results than
companies that score poorly on both measures.
But companies that score above the 50
th
percentile on both employee and customer engagement measures outperform companies below the 50
th
percentile on both measures by 240%. (See "How Employee and Customer Engagement Interact" in the
"See Also" area on this page.)
That's a significant performance differential, so The Ritz-Carlton leaves little to chance regarding
HumanSigma. Senior leaders incorporate HumanSigma targets into their corporate strategy and action
plan, and they review those targets like they review sales and financial results. "We wanted employee and
customer engagement to have the same importance as sales, marketing, and financial goals, so we made it
part of the senior leadership agenda," says Timmerman. "We integrate that data into our leadership
performance profile, so we look at customer relationship management as part of the leadership metrics.
That way, employee and customer engagement really get traction."
Candles
So leaders carefully track HumanSigma, which personally affects individual employees, so that they can
perform according to the business priority measures, thus ensuring the key success factors, which
maintain the world-famous brand. And all of this changes a little bit, every day, to fit the needs of
customers.
It's mind-bogglingly complex, but the end result is quite simple. One cold day in December, an exhausted
traveler's day was transformed by the gift of a candle from a thoughtful employee. That candle required
the compassion of a single employee, but was predicted on millions of data points. That's the quintessence
of business agility.
And though that candle cost very little, it's worth a fortune. Hanna was enchanted by The Ritz-Carlton
Mystique, as are all people. But that candle caught her at a deeply emotional level, making her a
passionately engaged customer. The hotel can count on getting all of her future business, which means
several thousand dollars of extra revenue, assuming she remains as engaged as she is today (which, she
says, is "a pretty safe bet").
If even a tenth of its guests experience the same sort of magic that Hanna felt, the company's careful data
analysis will pay for itself. If a quarter of them do, The Ritz-Carlton's commitment to engagement will
return a magical experience for its guests -- and an enormously healthy return on investment to the
company.
Page:1234
Jennifer Robison is a Senior Editor for the Gallup Management Journal.
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• How Employee and Customer Engagement Interact
• Customer Satisfaction: A Flawed Measure
• How The Ritz-Carlton Is Reinventing Itself
• Manage Your Human Sigma
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How they strategize
The Ritz-Carlton starts with a flood of data, turns it into a powerful strategy, then targets specific actions
to obtain its key success factors. But creating the right strategy to achieve the factors takes as much
evaluation as analyzing the data in the first place.
First, The Ritz-Carlton defines the priorities that

make up the success factors so that they're
actionable and applicable to all employees. To draft
the actions, a cross-functional team -- including
senior corporate leaders, field representatives such
as human resources managers, and rank and file
employees -- reviews the plan and contributes insights. The company also uses the data to perform a
SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis to adjust to new information.
"We look at where we want to be versus where we are today -- and where we see the trends on the
horizon," says Timmerman. "Then we frame the key success factors. Then we ask for input with the SWOT
process. It's a very defined process because it's our opinion that if you can't define it, you can't control it,
you can't measure it, and you can't improve it."
The input of frontline staff -- the people who check guests in, serve food, and occasionally present scented
candles -- into the SWOT process is crucial. Their insights are loaded into a global database so leaders can
identify macro-level themes, market specifics, individual functions, and even corporate blind spots. As a
result, the ladies and gentlemen, as all employees of The Ritz-Carlton are called, feel integrally involved in
the business.
"For us, [integrating employee feedback into the process is the] true success because employees are
personally engaged, they're fulfilled, they understand their contribution, and we're maximizing their
talents," says Timmerman. "Involving [employees] in the SWOT process increases their engagement. And
in my opinion, employee engagement measurements are a barometer of leadership effectiveness."
Once the company has determined the actions for achieving its success factors, the next step is actually
putting them into action. That's the education factor.
How it works
A strategic plan will achieve its goals only if it's understood. And no plan will achieve its ends if it isn't
measured and monitored. So, before long-range plans are put in place, The Ritz-Carlton goes to great --
some might say extreme -- lengths to teach and learn from employees. "To be agile in any marketplace,
especially one that changes as rapidly as ours," says Timmerman, "means being a learning organization."
The Ritz-Carlton never misses an opportunity to teach. All new employees take part in a two-day cultural
orientation before they start their jobs. Then, they are certified after the first 21 days and annually
thereafter to ensure that they are delivering brand standards. Every employee in every location takes part
in a daily pre-shift meeting in which actions, events, issues, and most importantly, The Ritz-Carlton
philosophy, are discussed. In this way, no one is left in the dark about what a priority means -- and
everyone understands his or her role in shaping it. "That helps us all adjust to changes," says Timmerman.
"And change is constant."
A byproduct of daily learning is that the ladies and gentlemen who actually deal with guests are reminded
to, coached on how to, and have a method for relaying customers' faint signals. Even the most subtle guest
reactions are noticed and fed into the river of data that is distilled into the business priorities. As a result,
the hotel can pick up on information that might have been easily missed and have a built-in plan for
delivering that knowledge to others.
Furthermore, every hotel, function, and division has access to the key success factors as well as very
specific revenue and profitability measures. Thus, every day, those ladies and gentlemen can see how well
they're performing against their targets, each of which rolls up to the company metrics. "So what you have
is complete alignment, [and employees can see how] all the key success factors that are at thirty thousand
feet translate down to ground level," says Timmerman.
Yet none of these approaches are very long term. Through trial and error, The Ritz-Carlton realized that
unless the issue involves a capital improvement, action items should be designed to be accomplished
within 90 days. Furthermore, having learned in the strategy evaluation process that hotels do very well
when they focus their attention on just a few things, The Ritz-Carlton makes sure every business unit has
no more than three priorities.
"[Any objective] longer than ninety days turns into ongoing committees that drink coffee and produce
meeting minutes but not a lot of results. And once you go beyond the top three priorities, you start to
really diffuse your resources, your bandwidth," says Timmerman. So the company set a mandate that
every employee must work on something to improve customer, employee, or financial outcomes, with
visible results within 90 days.
Engaging employees

the company's attention because of its correlation to
performance measures that have profit
12
Engaging guests

area on this page.)

th

good enough for The Ritz-Carlton -- or, frankly,
for the extremely selective luxury hotel market.
So the hotelier used what it learned from the
success factor feedback loop to teach the ladies and gentlemen to provide the perfect, and perfectly
subjective, engaging experiences. And it worked: The Ritz-Carlton's overall customer engagement score
now ranks above the 90 percentile.
th
HumanSigma


th

th
th
Candles
customers.
company.
Page:1234
Reader Comments
Gallup Usage Policy
• Print this page

SEE ALSO

Engaging employees

the company's attention because of its correlation to
performance measures that have profit
12
Engaging guests

area on this page.)

th

good enough for The Ritz-Carlton -- or, frankly,
for the extremely selective luxury hotel market.
So the hotelier used what it learned from the
success factor feedback loop to teach the ladies and gentlemen to provide the perfect, and perfectly
subjective, engaging experiences. And it worked: The Ritz-Carlton's overall customer engagement score
now ranks above the 90 percentile.
th
HumanSigma


th

th
th
Candles
customers.
company.
Page:1234
HumanSigma
But a few years ago, The Ritz-Carlton stopped managing customer and employee engagement separately.
The company understood the dynamics and profit potential of employee engagement and customer
engagement, which is why it made each a key success factor. But the performance potential of managing
both factors holistically -- a process Gallup calls HumanSigma -- caused the company to reconsider its
approach. "Our employee and customer engagement scores are as important as our financial data," says
Timmerman.
Gallup research shows that companies that score above the 50 percentile on either employee or customer
th
engagement tend to deliver 70% higher financial results than companies that score poorly on both
measures. But companies that score above the 50 percentile on both employee and customer engagement
th
measures outperform companies below the 50 percentile on both measures by 240%. (See "How
th
Employee and Customer Engagement Interact" in the "See Also" area on this page.)
Candles
customers.
company.
Page:1234
Reader Comments
Gallup Usage Policy

• Print this page
SEE ALSO

Hospitality
The luxury brand uses hard data on employee and customer engagement to create its image and ambience -- and to
drive measurable results

December 11, 2008
All companies do things like pay close attention to standard business measures and train their employees.
But this luxury brand watches things that most companies ignore, then uses what it learns to create
ongoing, top-to-bottom learning. Read the Full Article >>
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Brand recognition alone doesn't keep hotel guests coming back, says Simon Cooper, chief operating
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first step in a customer's journey toward engagement. In this candid interview, Cooper discusses how The
Ritz-Carlton's fame can undermine its brand promise, how to train staff to be spontaneous, and why
engagement is the company's key commodity.
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The luxury brand uses hard data on employee and customer engagement to create its image and ambience -- and to
drive measurable results

December 11, 2008
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But this luxury brand watches things that most companies ignore, then uses what it learns to create
ongoing, top-to-bottom learning. Read the Full Article >>
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A Radical Approach to Leadership
The key to India-based Satyam Computer Services’ success has been a cutting-edge leadership model
“designed to break down the barriers of hierarchy, empower people, and distribute leadership,” according
to a company executive. Here’s how they make it work.
Help Wanted in India
With net sales of $6 billion in 2007 and with enough might and fame to attract knowledge workers,
Stryker is a prominent company worldwide. Yet even this highly successful global business faced major
hurdles in hiring talented software developers and engineers in India.
Sharing Knowledge Improves Stryker’s Performance
Measuring internal customer service is driving positive results in one of the world’s biggest medical
equipment companies. This profile of a major division of Stryker -- with 1,800 employees in 21 countries
who speak almost two dozen different languages -- reveals how.
Individual Performance
The Twelfth Element of Great Managing
Employees don’t outgrow the need to learn and grow
April 10, 2008
When Gallup analyzed high-performing workgroups to understand what drives their success, one of the
dozen elements that emerged as most important was the statement “This last year, I have had
opportunities at work to learn and grow.” Decades of research reveals that employees give more of
themselves when they feel a sense of progress rather than feeling stagnant, according to the authors of 12:
The Elements of Great Managing. Read the Full Article >>
EDITORS PICKS
• Fixing a "Sneaky Broke" Hotel
• Becoming the Best at Qwest
• Transforming Government
• The Fourth Element of Great Managing
• Performance Reviews Without the Anxiety
The Eleventh Element of Great Managing
This element is measured by the statement “In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me
about my progress.” Some people think a performance review will suffice. But it’s not nearly enough, write
the authors of 12: The Elements of Great Managing.
The Tenth Element of Great Managing
Measured by the statement "I have a best friend at work," this element has proven to be incredibly
controversial to executives. But those business leaders who think friendships are none of their business
don’t understand human nature, according to the authors of 12: The Elements of Great Managing.
Toyota Tackles an Audacious Goal
George Borst, president and CEO of Toyota Financial Services, had a daring plan for leading TFS through
an expansion of its customer base and product line. But that required transformation in every aspect of
his organization -- new people, infrastructure, knowledge, and skills. Some of the changes offered fresh
opportunities, but others presented big problems. What's more, the expansion required Borst to discover
new methods of leadership. Here's how he successfully transformed his organization -- and, in the
process, himself.
Many Paths to Engagement The Ninth Element of Great Managing
The Eighth Element of Great Managing The Seventh Element of Great Managing
The Sixth Element of Great Managing The Fifth Element of Great Managing
More Articles>>
• SUBSCRIBE NOW!
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• Gallup Home
• Gallup Poll
• Gallup Press
• Terms of Use
Individual Performance
The Twelfth Element of Great Managing
Employees don’t outgrow the need to learn and grow
April 10, 2008
When Gallup analyzed high-performing workgroups to understand what drives their success, one of the
dozen elements that emerged as most important was the statement “This last year, I have had
opportunities at work to learn and grow.” Decades of research reveals that employees give more of
themselves when they feel a sense of progress rather than feeling stagnant, according to the authors of 12:
The Elements of Great Managing. Read the Full Article >>
EDITORS PICKS
• Fixing a "Sneaky Broke" Hotel
• Becoming the Best at Qwest
• Transforming Government
• The Fourth Element of Great Managing
• Performance Reviews Without the Anxiety
The Eleventh Element of Great Managing
This element is measured by the statement “In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me
about my progress.” Some people think a performance review will suffice. But it’s not nearly enough, write
the authors of 12: The Elements of Great Managing.
The Tenth Element of Great Managing
Measured by the statement "I have a best friend at work," this element has proven to be incredibly
controversial to executives. But those business leaders who think friendships are none of their business
don’t understand human nature, according to the authors of 12: The Elements of Great Managing.
Toyota Tackles an Audacious Goal
George Borst, president and CEO of Toyota Financial Services, had a daring plan for leading TFS through
an expansion of its customer base and product line. But that required transformation in every aspect of
his organization -- new people, infrastructure, knowledge, and skills. Some of the changes offered fresh
opportunities, but others presented big problems. What's more, the expansion required Borst to discover
new methods of leadership. Here's how he successfully transformed his organization -- and, in the
process, himself.
Many Paths to Engagement The Ninth Element of Great Managing
The Eighth Element of Great Managing The Seventh Element of Great Managing
The Sixth Element of Great Managing The Fifth Element of Great Managing
More Articles>>
• SUBSCRIBE NOW!
• RSS FEEDS
• Gallup Home
• Gallup Poll
• Gallup Press
• Terms of Use
The Sixth Element of Great Managing
Why are mentors such a powerful influence on their protégés? "Human see; human do" is a fundamental part of our
wiring.
October 11, 2007
Why are mentors such a powerful influence on their protégés? “Human see; human do” is a fundamental
part of our wiring, write the authors of the New York Times bestseller 12: The Elements of Great
Managing. Read the Full Article >>
EDITORS PICKS
• Item 9: Doing Quality Work
• Item 8: My Company's Mission or Purpose
• Item 7: My Opinions Seem to Count
• Item 6: Someone Encourages My Development

• Item 5: My Supervisor Cares About Me
The Fifth Element of Great Managing
Why does it matter so much to employees that someone at work cares about them? It's because their need
for bonding extends far beyond their homes, churches, and neighborhoods, according to the authors of
the New York Times bestseller 12: The Elements of Great Managing.
The Third Element of Great Managing
The ramifications of matching employees to what they naturally do best are profound. So much so that
this aspect of work life emerged as one the elements that best predict the performance of an employee or
team. The authors of the New York Times bestseller 12: The Elements of Great Managing explain.
Transforming Government
It matters a lot to taxpayers whether the 14,000 employees of the General Services Administration are
engaged at work. Marcella Banks, a visionary manager at the federal agency, knows this. Her success at
inspiring employees offers a model not just for the rest of government but for managers across industries
and sectors who want to improve performance.
What, then, are we to understand by the concept of smartness in relation to workplace learning,
education and training? We believe an experiential account of the concept of smartness in workforces
should consider the following six elements as important constitutive aspects in terms of specific work
contexts.
1.Possessing and utilising expertise

In workforces, positions are classified according to levels of expertise required to perform them
effectively. This inference in the job classification statements for these positions is explicit—those
classified higher reflect the need to possess higher levels of expertise than those that have a lower
classification. Expertise in one’s work is an important ingredient in smartness, since it enables workers
to focus quickly on the kernel of problems and move to
-3-
making clear decisions which bypass irrelevant information and achieve solutions smoothly, effectively
and efficiently. It may include competence, technique, skills, knowledge and literacy. Expertise is not,
however, the sole ingredient of smartness, as the following elements demonstrate.
2.Thinking and being decisive in one’s
actions
Conscious, intentional decision-making is an important aspect in effective human behaviour. Workers
become effective when they reflect on their actions when doing their jobs. Such reflection is important
in the development of competence in one’s work. Sandberg (1997:3) concludes that:
It is not constituted by a list of specific knowledge and skills a person possesses in relation to work.
Instead, a person’s knowledge and skills are proceeded by and based on their ways of understanding
their work.
Strategic thinking in the workplace is characterised by clarity of purpose and intention. Purposeful
actions follow if they are implemented. Associated with this purposeful behaviour is the need to use
common sense in workers’ behaviour and work practices. The presence or absence of common sense
in workers’ actions is most pronounced in workplaces because work is applied by its nature. Hence,
knowing how to do a work task well is very different from being able to do it well. The artistry of
doing work well is often bound up with the extent to which workers take or avoid risks, whether or not
they are careful from a safety aspect, how often and how well they think before they act, and how
frequently they use their own initiative when performing a work task.
Such attributes are often, if not commonly, assumed and undervalued by management.
3.Exhibiting positive values and attitudes

Successful, smart workers are ones who both hold and exude positive values and attitudes related to
their work experiences. They enjoy learning and working. They act confidently throughout their
working day and are firmly committed to improving the performance and output of their organisation.
Confidence is associated here with empowering fellow workers and encouraging the development of
self-reliant, independent work teams. Workers who possess these values are most likely to become
committed to their workplaces where participation, involvement, a desire for change, an involvement
in decision-making, a freedom to change one’s work environment and a respect for one’s private life
away from work lead to a vibrant, positive work situation during good times and bad.

® 8™ ™ 11® ®
™ ® ™
™ ™ ™ ® ®
® ® ® ™ ®

® ® 10™ 3™ ™ 12® 25™ 34® ® ™

™ ™ ® ™ ™
® ®

® 8™ ™ 11® ®
™ ® ™
™ ™ ™ ® ®
® ® ® ™ ®
® ® 10™ 3™ ™ 12® 25™ 34® ® ™

™ ™ ® ™ ™
® ®

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Abstract:

Ritz-Carlton's Human Resource Bottom of Form

HR Practices and Work Culture Contd... Case Code : HROB100

Ongoing Training Case Length : 23 Pages

to imparting technical skills Organization : The Ritz-Carlton

conducted workshops and Countries : US

$2,000 of the company's from the list of available cases:

was reportedly prompted by Organization Behavior Case

This case study was compiled from

PSP Used To Train Hotel Employees

How The Ritz-Carlton Manages the Mystique

"The gentleman who escorted me to my room at The

Beyond the data

How they strategize

First, The Ritz-Carlton defines the priorities that

But fit to role is only part of the employee equation.

The other side of the employee engagement

When it first measured customer engagement

percentile against business-to-consumer

But a few years ago, The Ritz-Carlton stopped

Gallup research shows that companies that

employee or customer engagement tend to

Jennifer Robison is a Senior Editor for the Gallup Management Journal.

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• Print this page

• Message to the Author

• Sign Up for Newsletter

• Customer Satisfaction: A Flawed Measure

• How The Ritz-Carlton Is Reinventing Itself

• Manage Your Human Sigma

• Feedback for Real

GALLUP SUMMIT SPRING 2009

• Copyright © 2009 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2009 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

University , HumanSigma , I , L , PrincipalInsight , Q , SE , SF , SRI , Strengths Spotlight ,

Strengths-Based Selling , StrengthsCoach , StrengthsFinder , StrengthsQuest , TeacherInsight , The

How they strategize

First, The Ritz-Carlton defines the priorities that

But fit to role is only part of the employee equation.

The other side of the employee engagement

When it first measured customer engagement

percentile against business-to-consumer

But a few years ago, The Ritz-Carlton stopped

Gallup research shows that companies that

employee or customer engagement tend to

Jennifer Robison is a Senior Editor for the Gallup Management Journal.

Please Login to Comment

Register or Login to add comment

Gallup Usage Policy

• Print this page

• Message to the Author

• Sign Up for Newsletter

• Customer Satisfaction: A Flawed Measure

• How The Ritz-Carlton Is Reinventing Itself

• Manage Your Human Sigma

• Feedback for Real

GALLUP SUMMIT SPRING 2009

But fit to role is only part of the employee equation.

The other side of the employee engagement

When it first measured customer engagement

percentile against business-to-consumer