Dependency over empowerment
Sometime ago, I ran a one-day course for 35 participants in a hotel. For various reasons, a number of participants were late and the morning sessions could not start on time. So, around 9.10 am, I asked a member of the hotel staff member, if tea and coffee could be served at 9.30 am? ‘No, I’m sorry, it hasn’t been ordered until 10.30 a.m. was the response. I then pointed out that this was an additional request, one which I was willing to pay for and the hotel would make more revenue. ‘I will ask the banquet manager if it is alright’ he replied. As it turned out the banquet manager had to ask the Food & Beverages manager.
Eventually, I did get the tea and coffee served. But for me the more important ‘takeaway’ from this incident was that it illustrated a ‘norm’ that heavily prevailed in the hospitality industry at that time…and I guess still does - the huge disconnect between empowerment and dependency.
Hotel operations during my time were run by supervisors and managers who were often old-style controllers instead of being coaches. Managing staff was regimental in style with ‘command and control’, ‘obey without question’ and adherence to procedures and policies taking precedence over meeting customer expectations - especially unexpected ones.
Dependency rather than empowerment was high on the rule book. Floor staff who dared to question authority was shut down with a ‘don’t try to be smart, just do as you are told’ or ‘do as I say, you don’t need to know why’ retort. Many manager’s discouraged receiving employee ideas. In fact, they actively disregarded employee concerns and acted in ways that prevented employees from speaking up at all.
However, not all supervisors and managers were like those described above and this presented a paradox. Why don’t managers then encourage a share of voice and ideas from those below them, especially when it could contribute towards improving efficiency in the workplace?
We tend to blame managers for not seeking feedback from their staff because of their ego or that fear of change prevents them from doing so. But, there is a dark side to their reluctance to solicit ideas and inputs from employees. The fact of the matter is that these managers are not empowered to act on input from below.
Working within centralized decision - making structures where authority lies at the top, many of them are not provided with the freedom to change things and are mere ‘go-betweens’ in the workplace. That is the reality in many big and small organisations, where these businesses are responsible for placing their managers in impossible positions. The culture in these organisations is skewed towards micromanagement by the top management.
Put yourself in the position of a supervisor or manager who works in an organisation where top management stifles implementation of ideas that trickle-up from below to the top? You want to encourage employees to speak up with ideas, but also know that if you did, your staff would expect you to act quickly on their helpful ideas, which is something you cannot do? What can you do?
Unable to overcome this hurdle, many supervisors and managers eventually resign themselves to look for mistakes rather than focus on constant improvement and support from employees.
Employees in the absence of empowerment, and recognising the ‘culture of blame’, hence depend on their superiors to take every-day decisions instead…and that was what I experienced at the hotel where I held my ‘one-day’ presentation.
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier.
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