HR Corner Continuous improvement key to success by Charles Mak Passion for people and shared ideas help generate top results for Mongkok hotel It's only 18 months since Langham Place Hotel, Mongkok, Hong Kong pioneered a new human resources management concept "intellectual capital and quality" (IC&Q), but the innovation has already borne fruit. In the three short years since the hotel opened its doors, business results have exceeded all expectations. The hotel has performed outstandingly, raking in more than 30 local and international awards, including this year's prestigious "excellence in practice" award from the 7,000-member American Society for Training & Development (ASTD); as well as a gold award from the Hong Kong Management Association's Quality Award. "Everything sprouted from our TQM (Total Quality Management) practices," explains Ivy Leung, director, intellectual capital & quality, Langham Place Hotel, Mongkok, Hong Kong. "Total quality is a culture and every aspect of our operation relates to a quality model involving all stakeholders, including our suppliers, staff and customers." "Quality" may be intangible, but it lies at the heart of the hotel's intellectual capital, with all employees striving to continuously improve and exceed expectations. "This is a mentality," Ms Leung notes. "We also try to extend this continuous improvement concept to our lives. Mongkok is the true face of Hong Kong and our aim is to integrate with the local community while making a difference." This, Ms Leung adds, is in line with the hotel's vision "to change the face of Mongkok forever". "HR is really about understanding and engaging people" Feedback encouraged With a rapidly changing economy and short business cycles, particularly in the hotel business, it takes brainpower to perform in the market, stresses Ms Leung. "We must make room for staff to express their creativity and simultaneously create a safe environment for innovation," she notes. All 600 hotel staff members are encouraged to contribute ideas and offer feedback through a variety of mechanisms, including a biannual survey and appraisal and a purpose-built "idea wall" strategically located outside the staff cafeteria. All comments posted on the wall are collected, dated, categorised, analysed and then distributed to the relevant departments. Once action has been taken, this is noted next to the original entry on the wall, so that employees can see that their ideas are treated with respect. "HR can be very administrative, but it's really about understanding and engaging people. Our accomplishments rise from a well-structured system and our passion in this people business," Ms Leung adds. Power of one One of Langham Place Hotel's keys to success is the effective communication of ideas. Every year, the hotel's executive committee holds a brainstorming session during which staff feedback and business performance are reviewed. This has resulted in a well-structured strategic framework, paving the way for the next three years. Strategic planning has also generated departmental goals, forming the base for multi-level key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs are then communicated to each department and business section and reviewed in monthly meetings with the hotel's general manager, financial controller and Ms Leung. Department heads share ideas with staff whose feedbacks are, in turn, collected and again analysed for the following year's brainstorming session, creating a complete cycle. "One of the most important parts of this is that every hotel staff member remains responsive and appreciative. We really don't take good performance for granted," Ms Leung emphasises. The ultimate aim of the IC&Q concept is to engage staff and share positive energy with them, says Ms Leung. "Awards are side-products. They lead us to examine our performance and enable us to appreciate beauty and share the positives in life." Quality employer Leadership — strong VMV (vision, mission, values) deployment Social responsibility part of strategic communication platform Strategic planning includes multi-level engagement and business alignment Customer and market focus, with detailed customer segmentation and feedback analysis Knowledge management through identification and sharing Process management Outstanding business results Taken from Career Times 29 June 2007, p. A24 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]