Read the supporting article and provide detailed answers to the case questions below.

The other side of Hyatt's success is the emphasis on human resources management. Employee satisfaction, in fact, is considered to be a prereq­uisite to external satisfaction. Hyatt devotes enormous attention to em­ployee training and selection. What is most significant, however, is the interaction between top managers and operating employees.

Darryl Hartley-Leonard was the company's president in 1989 when he came up with the idea of «In-touch day». On this day, once a year, the company closes its headquarters' office and the senior management spreads out to a hundred Hyatt Hotels in the United States and Canada, «spending time in the trenches* — doing the daily activities of operating employees, taking their frontline positions. Such a strategy is extremely effective: Actually performing the job enables the top executives to learn, first-hand, the challenges and problems of their employees, thus under­standing their daily routine and problems. The «In-touch day» concept provides tangible evidence to employees that the management is not locked into an ivory tower, but is concerned with the improvement of their jobs.

Darryl Hartley-Leonard's leadership was successful. He joined Hyatt in 1964 as a front desk clerk at a Los Angeles Hyatt hotel. After serving in a variety of management positions, he worked his way up to general manager of Hyatt Regency Atlanta (1974); two years later he became a

regional vice president. But that was not it. His extraordinary abilities were further recognized and rewarded: Hartley-Leonard was named ex­ecutive vice president for the corporation in 1978, president in 1986, and chairman in 1994. Currently, Jay Pritzker is the chairman of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation [1, 133].

Vocabulary notes

Emphasis особое внимание; упор, акцент

human resources man­agement управление кадрами, людскими ресурсами

prerequisite предпосылка; предварительное условие

«In-touch day» перен. день выхода руководства «в народ» (в целях более тесного сотрудничества с подчиненными и ознакомления с их повсе­- дневными проблемами и нуждами — как рабочими, так и личными)

headquarters' office головной офис

to spread out зд. разъезжаться (по разным городам и регионам, где есть филиалы этой фирмы)

external satisfaction = guest зд. удовлетворение запросов клиентов

Satisfaction

employee training and selection обучение сотрудников и их подбор

to devote enormous at­tention уделять первостепенное внимание

«...in the trenches» зд. непосредственно на рабочих местах;

букв, «в окопах» [ирон. военная терминоло-

гия]

taking their frontline positions зд. выполняя их должностные функции прямо на их же рабочем месте; букв, «на передовой», «на линии фронта» [ирон. военная терминология]

to enable давать возможность

tangible ощутимый, осязаемый; ярко выраженный

to learn first-hand узнавать непосредственно, «из первых рук»

challenge зд. проблема или задача, требующая от человека, который берется за ее решение, полного приложения своих сил и тем самым представляющая для него интерес; букв, вызов

to be locked into an ivory tower перен. замыкаться в башне из слоновой

кости; самоизолироваться

to be concerned (with заботиться (о чем-либо)

smth.)

but that was not it зд. перен. однако это было еще не все

executive (adj.) прилаг., употр. только перед сущ. исполнительный; непосредственно дейст­вующий; имеющий право принимать важ­ные решения; замещающий старшего на­чальника. Ср.: «исполнительный продюсер».

executive (n.) сущ. старший руководитель; менеджер высшего звена в бизнесе или организации

to recognize. зд. признавать, отмечать
to reward поощрять; вознаграждать

Case questions:

1. Why did Hyatt place emphasis on human resources manage­ment?

2. Why is the interaction between top managers and operating em­ployees so significant?

3. What does the idea of «In-touch day» consist in?

4. What does performing the job of their employees enable the top executives to do?

5. Why has this strategy proven extremely effective?

6. What does the «In-touch day» concept show to employees?

7. What does it tell them about their managers?

8. What was Darryl Hartley-Leonard's first position when he joined Hyatt in 1964?

9. How did he manage to make such a successful managerial ca­reer?

10. What positions was he promoted to during the period from 1978 to 1994?

11. Who is the chairman of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation now?

Role-play:

Pretend you are one of the owners of a large hotel-chain. You and your colleagues, as well as your counterparts in other regional subsidiar­ies, are eager to reorganize the existing management style of your top executives and division heads so as to better meet diverse clientele's needs. What exactly would you start with?

While making your decision consider the following possible steps:

• to select and train employees;

• to devote enormous attention to the interaction between top managers and operating employees;

• to put forward the idea of «In-touch day»;

• to put this idea into effect;

• to spend some time «in the trenches* regularly;

• to see that all your plans are closely followed;

• to provide tangible evidence to employees that the management is not locked into an ivory tower;

• to promote employees with extraordinary abilities;

• to serve in a variety of management positions;

• to recognize and reward both such employees and managers.

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