American History 101Dr. Margaret JonesUniversity of MichiganAnn Arbor, MIOctober 23, 2009
A company’s corporate culture is the beliefs and behaviors that dictate the interactions between employees, management and outside persons (Investopedia, 2010). Although every corporation has a culture, they are rarely defined; instead they develop over time as the company hires new people and grows (Investopedia, 2010). Company culture can be shown through how an office is set up, dress codes, business hours, employee turnover, employee benefits, who is hired, client treatment, client satisfaction and much more (Investopedia, 2010). Marriot hotels have a specific corporate culture, which helps make Marriot the pinnacle of excellence in the hotel industry.
Marriot has a clearly defined corporate culture. Although it may have initially gown organically, the size of the company requires that a clear company ideal be created so all employees and management are on the same page. The core values are:
“We put people first: Take care of associates and they will take care of the customers” (www.marriott.com, 2016).
“We Pursue Excellence: Our dedication to the customer shows in everything we do” (www.marriott.com, 2016).
“We Embrace Change: Innovation has always been part of the Marriott story.” (www.marriott.com, 2016).
“We Act with Integrity: How we do business is as important as the business we do.” (www.marriott.com, 2016).
“We Serve Our World: Our “spirit to serve” makes our company stronger.” (www.marriott.com, 2016).
The initial image shown on their “Core Values & Heritage” website states “Success is never final” (www.marriott.com, 2016). This exemplifies how Marriot seeks to be innovative in the service it offers, and therefore stay ahead of the pack in the hotel industry.
The JW Marriott in Hong Kong has exemplified these values. They are considered one of the four best employers in Hong Kong (Mendoza, 2016). Mark Conklin, the general manager, said, “"There is a strong sense of caring that runs through the DNA of Marriott International. We care about people. We care about their growth, their families, and we care about them as individuals, as well as business associates. And they feel it” (Mendoza, 2016). Conklin himself has been a Marriott employee for 34 years (Mendoza, 2016). It is this commitment to treating the employees well that bleeds over into treating the hotel guests with excellent customer service. After looking at several hotel rating sites, the hotel obviously is considered excellent by those who use it.
The JW Marriot in Hong Kong was opened in 1989, and it was the catalyst that created a five day work week in Hong Kong (Mendoza, 2016). Many hotels still do not offer a five day work week to their employees. The hotel has had so much profit, the employees all have reaped bonuses for performance (Mendoza, 2016). It is these kind of incentives that has created an environment that employees thrive in.
The general manager of JW Marriot Hong Kong is Mark Conklin. Although he has managed several international Marriot’s, his home country is the United States (Hospitality Net, 2003). One major difference between the American culture and the culture in Hong Kong is people’s sense of individuality; while the United States is very individualistic, Hong Kong has a more collective culture (On9class.com, 2016). This means that while in the United States everyone is pretty much out for themselves, people in Hong Kong see working together and successes and failures as a group issue. Families in Hong Kong are much more interdependent, while American families are not (On9class.com, 2016). As far as business, Americans tend to be direct and firm, whereas a business man in Hong Kong is more laid back and indirect (On9class.com, 2016).
There are many ways to communicate corporate culture to new employees. The first way is employee training. This is the best opportunity to set the ground work for expectations of employees and what the employees can expect from the company. Special events, such as casual Fridays, can be explained at this time. Also, customer service expectations and more can be explained. If training is done well, then the employee will be off to a good start. Another way to encourage company culture is using incentives. If employees know that certain behaviors will help them receive some kind of reward, they will want to exhibit this behavior. Leading by example is always important. The examples that are set, either positive or negative, are going to be what people follow. If a new employee is shown a positive example, they are more likely to live up to the example set for them. By utilizing these tools, corporate culture can be clearly communicated to new employees.
There is little doubt that the corporate culture created by Marriot has made Marriot wildly successful. Consumers who use Marriot are very loyal, and this is because there is a corporate culture that creates employees who exemplify great customer service. These employees are willing to give so much because they are given so much, and it pays off. Treating employees and customers well transcends cultural differences and barriers, as is evidenced by Marriott’s worldwide success.
References
Hospitality Net. (2003). Hospitality Net - Mark E. Conklin Newly Appointed as General Manager at JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong. [online] Available at: http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4014426.html [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016].
Investopedia. (2010). Corporate Culture Definition | Investopedia. [online] Available at: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corporate-culture.asp [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016].
Mendoza, J. (2016). Caring culture pays off for Marriott International. [online] cpjobs.com. Available at: http://www.cpjobs.com/hk/article/caring-culture-pays-off-for-marriott- international [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016].
On9class.com. (2016). Differences between Hong Kong and USA culture. [online] Available at: http://www.on9class.com/news/Differences_between_Hong_Kong_and_USA_culture_.h tml [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016].
www.marriott.com. (2016). Core Values and Heritage | Marriott International Corporate Values. [online] Available at: http://www.marriott.com/culture-and-values/core-values.mi [Accessed 15 Apr. 2016].
