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Published on: 9/24/2007
Last Visited: 9/24/2007
Kimo Kippen is vice president of human resources for Marriott International.It's his job to drive the efforts that maximize performance across nearly all of the company's various enterprises.He's also volunteer chairman of the American Society for Development and Training, which is also grappling with issues of workforce performance.If there's consistency among Marriott's nearly 2,900 properties, it has to do with the ability to respond to change, Kippen says.
"The most important thing is to be relevant and continue to be relevant," Kippen says."You have to continue to know that change occurs-it's all about change.
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At Marriott, Kippen says his company has augmented existing programs and added newprograms to address the generational shift.
"If you look at the statistics for Xers and Ys, you know loyalty would not be one of the things high on their hit parades," Kippen says."One of the key drivers for them is learning-constantly being in a situation where they are challenged, where they are constantly learning in an environment where they believe there is camaraderie and fun and teamwork.
"What we do know is, clearly if people don't like it, they vote with their feet, every day," Kippen continues."When I work with leaders, I always tell them that."
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That's no surprise to Kippen, who sees owner relations as the biggest challenge facing GMs.
"In the past, very large conglomerates, like insurance companies, used to own hotels," Kippen says."You would get a token one visit per year when they swooped in, had a nice visit, and then were gone. "The playing field has changed significantly, where there are now asset managers who are in some cases in our hotels-they have their offices at your property," Kippen continues.
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