Organizational Change of Hilton International - Term Paper Example

Organizational Change Business atmosphere creates revolution in the workplace more swiftly and regularly than any period of world commerce. Hilton International, a part of Hilton Hotel Group, is one of the organizations which have changed from a traditional organizational model to a transformed organizational model based on skilled workforce and the Internet based services. The main changes took place three years ago and were aimed to transform traditional structure and services into a global Internet based structure and organizational performance. The main requirements of the transformed organizational model are strong Internet skills and computer literacy, ability to work under pressure, good written communication skills, good problem solving skills, good translation skills and knowledge of three languages or more. It is very important for the global company staff to communicate with diverse target audience round the clock. When restructuring jobs or refocusing the organization's direction, it is very important for the top management to clarify roles and how they support each other. Role clarification helps raise issues in a neutral manner and avoids confusion when change is in process. Special training problems are introduced for local employees to help them adapt to new organizational environment (Hilton International 2007). With the help of Internet, Hilton known for its patchy supply chain and bungling circulation processes, will have the possibility to improve efficiency, inventory, audit control and to diminish infrastructure and operation costs by web-enabling their business online. Internet will support the hotel industry to be better equipped to handle business desires, paying attention to clients' needs, competitors and prospective partners (Hilton hits the heights of hotel 2004), The program must then be implemented, scattered throughout the organization, monitored for effectiveness, and adjusted where necessary. The role of personal attitudes is important because they are not immediately acquired, but learned throughout life. For all people, employees and the manager, some attitudes are central such as religion or cultural norms; whereas other, may change with personal experiences. In this case, the manager should take into account individual differences of employees and his personal experience (Hilton International 2007). If he had a negative experience in the past, he could apply the same management style working with other people. Management has to develop the business vision and process objectives. Senior management needs to develop a broad strategic vision, which calls for redesigned business processes. For example, Hilton hotel management looks for breakthroughs to lower costs and accelerate service that would enable the firm to regain its competitive stature in the consumer products industry (Robbins, 2004). A more participative and supportive style of leadership and managerial behavior is likely to assist transformations. A participative approach to leadership and management may also help to create greater employee motivation. Web services, call centers and separate messenger service are used in order to provide support for those activities outside the hotels. Messengers are employed to carry mail, important and urgent messages, and other forms of communication the regional and head hotels. Due to constant programs of modernization, regular investments into the hi-tech equipment and constant training of the staff, gives Hilton hotels opportunity to satisfy the most specific inquiries which can arise at during business trip. It has become a favorite of both business and leisure travelers. Strengths of the industry include knowledge, relationship selling and history (Hilton International 2007). Control mechanisms are based on decision support systems and financial support systems which control performance and output. Because information systems potentially change an organization's structure, culture, politics, and work, there is often considerable resistance to them when they are introduced. Change process is continually managed in order to have sustained results. Measurement provides a way to track progress. An effective measurement system must be specific, simple to understand, creative and involve both managers and employees (Robbins, 2004). The results should be visually displayed so that employees can track their progress. Hilton hotels use very effective methods and techniques to overcome change resistance and provide successful implementation of new technologies. Customers want more help with the Internet, and Hilton provides them with full range of Web services. Hilton uses customer-oriented policy, which is based on a particular customer, and his "needs and wants". And, as the most important, Hilton pays much attention to staff training and uses practically management innovations appeared recently. For a manager it is important to take into account all types of diversity influence a particular employee in order to reduce some negative traits and help a professional skillful worker to overcome indecision caused by relational values or lack of training. The change has an impact on composition of staff: good communication skills and knowledge of several foreign languages is a must for the majority of employees. In this case, external drivers have a direct impact on the internal needs of the company. It should be mentioned that the external and internal factors such as structure, people, technology and task are all interdependent as a change in one ('Hilton hits the heights' 2004). For example technology, will influence tasks (nature of work changes, i.e. output is greater and quicker); organization structure and staff. The company has to employ a culturally diverse workforce. This strategy helps to ensure customers satisfaction and loyalty. The main stakeholders affected by transformations are customers and stockholders. Increased profitability and revenue persuade stockholders to invest in new technologies and expend business overseas. The response to change is extremely challenging for successful change implementation because customer cues or "buying signs" may not coincide with those that have been proven by technology. In this case, an understanding of the capabilities of individuals and groups terms of attitudes, abilities and skills, as well as an understanding how individuals relate one to another, is an important part project success. Improved technology and a general understanding of consumer behavior helps to collect and analyze as much information as possible about the needs of each customer or prospect. Change became an integral part of Hilton International and maximally responsive to customer needs. Today, customers of the Hilton International are more pleased with a high-quality service they receive. The aim of the company is to improve a customer service and improve working conditions for employees. Unique talents among employees, including superior performance, productivity, flexibility, innovation, and the ability to deliver high levels of personal customer service are the ways in which people provide a critical ingredient in developing new services. In general, the transformed model also includes building a prospect base, consisting of current customers as well as potential customers. The change process is very successful increasing overall efficiency and improving company's performance. The main areas of success include: employees training, customer service, marketing and sales. These benefits can be explained by the fact that the change perspective focuses on how the individual components that make up the change interact. Transformations in organizational structure helps Hilton create a competitive advantage. The transformed organizational model will help Hilton sustain its dominant position as the top company on the market, while expanding its operations to encompass server services, development of work-stations and become a global player. Its new technology achievements and business strategy, potential and capability to support high performance environments are the key elements for the next five years. Organizational transformational affect all areas of organizational structure and performance, stakeholders and resources. References 1. Hilton International (2007). Retrieved 18 may 2007, from www.hilton.com 2. Hilton hits the heights of hotel service with HR initiative: Equilibrium scheme creates the right balance for guests (2004). Human Resource Management International Digest, 12 (6), 6, 24 - 26. 3. Robbins, S. (2004). Organizational Behavior. Prentice Hall. 11 Ed. Read More