To What Extent Are Values Important in Motivating Employees - Case Study Example

VISION AND MISSION STATEMENTS Name Name of Course + Course Code Name of Professor Place, State Date Vision and Mission Statements It is standard practice for organisations to have vision and mission statements. They have grown to become part of an organisation’s business and corporate strategy. It is a reality that has become prevalent in the hospitality sector, even as fierce competitors strive to create a competitive advantage for each other. Established organisations usually create these elements, fit them into their operations, and ensure that they serve as foundational guidelines towards the setting and pursuing of various company objectives (Lewis 2005, p.5). Despite this, not many organisations find a clear standard of operation relating to their vision and mission statements, as they tend to remain highly subjective elements. Subjectivity is as a result of the unique and ever-changing business landscape. In essence, organisations have to be aware of the products and services they offer to their customers and strive to ensure that they excel in their niche markets (Darbi 2012). Vision statements are expected to be short and clear as well as vivid and inspiring. They should be concise enough to be adequately perceived by the entire organisation from the top leadership of the organisation to the lowest level of workers. In a sector such as hospitality, even the lowest ranked members of an organisation have a huge role in creating the perception that makes customers have an enjoyable experience (Kaplan and Norton 2008, pp.62). However, most of the time, organisations may be confused concerning a vision and a mission statement. Subsequently, it can evolve to create a discrepancy between the objects of an organisation and the values that it stands for. For an organisation to achieve phenomenal success, it must create a harmonious relationship between its vision, mission, and corporate values (Morphew and Hartley 2006, pp.456-471). The Hilton Hotels have had a vision that influenced the operations of the company for many years. Its core vision is to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality. It aims to do this by ensuring that there is the delivery of an exceptional experience at every hotel, for every guest, at every time. In this vision statement, one gets the perception that the organisation has a clear vision of the future of the organisation as well as the hospitality industry. There are dreams and aspirations that make it possible for the organisation to put all effort into ensuring that every customer gets to have the best experience and one that is unique from the other competitors in the marketplace (Darbi 2012). The vision of the Hilton Hotels has also created a unique venture that has made every member of the organisation to be committed to producing a service that is of the highest standard possible. It has enabled the organisation to take a path that resonates in all divisions of the company. It should be noted that the Hilton Hotels are spread across the globe. What started as a small chain of hotels in the U.S. had grown to become a market leader even when competitors became increasingly dominant and aggressive. The aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis saw to it that players in the hospitality industry become affected in various ways including loss of markets and increased market competition from global players. However, adherence to a vision enabled the Hilton Hotels to shape their strategy consistently in a way that leveraged its position in the market without compromising its standards and values (Mok, Sparks and Kadampully 2013). However, a clear vision of the future needs to be supported with a clear understanding of the practical steps and measures that are required to affect it into fruition (Chun 2005, pp.91-109). Additionally, many organisations are usually left with improper strategies. A mission statement is essentially an organisation’s attempt to walk the walk. A mission statement shapes the purpose of an organisation and makes it possible for it to devise the best way and formula for making a vision a reality. Mission statements are usually distinct and revolve around a set of products and services for a given market (Ingenhoff and Fuhrer 2010, pp.83-101). While a vision statement may paint a vivid picture of the future, a mission statement equips an organisation to create a distinct pathway for making this future a reality. Additionally, a mission statement is designed to be in tune with the nature of a niche market. Vision statements tend to be all-encompassing. They are broad in nature and can be difficult for an outsider actually to understand the specific nature of business operations. As such, a mission statement is designed to bridge this gap (Gao, Li and Clarke 2008, pp.3-17). In looking at the mission of the Hilton Hotels, the organisation strives to be the most hospitable company in the world. At this point, one already understands the operations as well as their scope. It speaks of its ambitions and the desire to create a standard that is unique and uncompromised across its global list of hotels. Additionally, the mission of the organisation states that it intends to achieve this through the creation of heartfelt experiences for guests (Dowling and Moran 2012, pp.25-42). It also seeks to ensure that there are meaningful opportunities for Team Members as well as the creation of high value for the owners. Finally, the organisation seeks to ensure that there will be a positive impact on the communities. A look at the business operations at Hilton Hotels makes one believe that the organisation has had a clear grasp of its vision and the ways to get there. The mission has catered to the main stakeholders such as the customers, the shareholders, and the wider community. In this essence, Hilton Hotels can create strategies aimed at ensuring that its employees are fully aware of these requirements and orient their values and beliefs towards their attainment. However, this cannot happen without the acceptance that these vision and mission statements need to be understood by all parties in the organisation (Ingenhoff and Fuhrer 2010, pp.83-101). In line with the vision and the mission statement, the organisation can be seen to have taken adequate measures to ensure that the global environment is protected from the harmful effects of commercial activities (Lewis 2005, p.5). A large part of the organisation’s vision and mission statement is portrayed in its corporate social responsibility whereby the organisation seeks to ensure that its practices make good use of the natural resources through the maximisation of economic value. The Hilton Hotel has over 1.1 billion tourist arrivals on an annual basis. For the organisation to ensure that it remains committed to its overall mission, it has created the necessary CSR strategy that seeks to minimise the impact of its carbon footprint all around the world. An increasing global tourist arrival statistic shows that the organisation must have adequate steps and measures that will reflect its true ideals and future ambitions. Hilton Hotels are now operating in 97 nations (Hilton Hotels Website 2017). As such, if the vision of the organisation is to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, then its CSR strategy seems to align this ideal. Initiatives such as Travel with Purpose have placed the organisation in an opportune position in which it can see not only the attainment of its mission but also influence the hospitality industry. The initiative plays its role through the unification of its vision and company values by addressing global issues that affect the company’s business and the society. Some of the pertinent global issues include environmental stewardship, youth opportunity, and community resiliency (Hilton Hotels Website 2017). Hilton Hotel has its vast global resources to ensure that its organisational processes are in line with a vision that was crafted by its founder Conrad Hilton back in 1954. A look at the mission statement and its relation to the vision statement is that it is designed to create a harmonious relationship between its global objectives and local requirements throughout the world (Linnenluecke and Griffiths 2010, pp.357-366). Some of the practical things done are that the organisation has worked with young people throughout the world through apprenticeship programs, life skills training, and career engagement initiatives. More than 400,000 young people have benefited from this program, and there is a sense in which this initiative can still be expanded further. Local communities have also been awarded more than 200 Travel with Purpose Action grants, which has served to cement its ideals and belief that its mission is attainable. At every juncture, the organisation seems to relish the opportunity to serve people from all walks of life. It is a state of affairs that shows that the values of a company need to be closely aligned with the vision and mission statements (Hilton Hotels Website 2017). The Hilton Hotels are committed to the values of hospitality, integrity, leadership, teamwork, ownership, and the ‘Now’ experience. It is important for the group of hotels to operate with a sense of urgency and discipline to ensure that all its customers are adequately attended to throughout the world (Balmer and Thomson 2009, pp.15-37). The Ownership mandate seems to place responsibility on the part of the organisation, which creates the responsibility of ensuring that there can be no excuses for awful services rendered. The value of leadership is in line with the vision of the organisation as it seeks to set the trends in the industry on various fronts. A good example is presented in its environmental awareness initiatives, which have been feted by various international groups (Hilton Hotels Website 2017). The McKinsey 7S Framework is a useful tool that organisations such as the Hilton Hotels can use to motivate the staff members to align with the vision, mission, and the corporate values of the organisation (Singh 2013, p.39). It has already been accepted that setting standards and objectives in vision and mission statements does not necessarily mean that the organisation will necessarily achieve them. At any one given time, there are both internal and external factors that need to be assessed to ensure that the objectives will be met. The 7S model can be used in a wide variety of situations with the aim of improving the performance of an organisation as well as to determine the possible effects of future changes to a company (Brownell 2010, pp.363-378). Additionally, it also helps an organisation to align departments and processes in the process of mergers or acquisitions while shedding light on the best methodology that can be used to implement a proposed strategy. The main elements include structure, strategy, systems, staff, shared values, styles, and skills. For an organisation to register an excellent performance, it is important that these elements be aligned and mutually reinforcing. At the core of this framework are the shared values of an organisation. The Hilton Hotels have consistently remained committed to the values first declared by their founder back in the mid-20th century (Chung and Parker 2008, pp.272-286). These values have allowed the organisation to remain connected to its fundamental values and beliefs. Hilton’s strategy positions the organisation to be aware of the differentiation aspects about competitors. The members of staff appreciate the value of high quality service across its hotel chains. The hierarchical structure of the hotel operations enables the leaders to set the standard that is globally recognised yet contextualised to fit into the local aspects of a business operation (Hilton Hotels Website 2017). The systems in the organisation have been simplified in a way that makes it possible for the organisation to retain its mark of quality. Systems such as quality control systems, performance evaluation systems, and customer reservation systems have made it possible to ensure that the values of the organisation are permeated in all departments and aspects of operation (Rutherford and O'Fallon, 2007). A company-wide system that enables employees to be evaluated has not only simplified processes, but also saved a considerable number of resources making the worldwide chain of hotels a lean organisation. The leadership style of division heads is tailored to enable the organisation address localised challenges while also enabling the organisation to remain committed to global values and ideals. Additionally, the management has sought to employ people who exhibit the highest level of skills and artistry in all its business operations. In this aspect, the organisation has sought to ensure that the staff members adhere to a code that is uniform across all hotels. Issues such as anti-discrimination and equality are paramount to the operations of the organisation (Hilton Hotels Website 2017). However, Hilton Hotels seek to ensure that the personal values of employees do not clash with that of the organisation. It is a difficult balance to achieve considering that people will always find a way to influence their work with their beliefs. Clear guidelines and rules with regards to the business conduct need to be set and be made known to all. In this way, members of staff who feel uncomfortable with said guidelines can be given the opportunity to resign from their posts (Schein 2010). Reference List Balmer, J.M. and Thomson, I., 2009. The shared management and ownership of corporate brands: the case of Hilton. Journal of General Management, 34(4), pp.15-37. Brownell, J., 2010. Leadership in the service of hospitality. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 51(3), pp.363-378. Chun, R., 2005. 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