In 2014, in Oporto, the exploration of a five-star hotel changes brand and operator - the world's fourth in the luxury segment. The hotel manager is replaced, the organizational structure changes slightly, an award system based on praise notes is introduced, and all human assets are retained. The biggest challenge is to quickly socialize employees in the new business philosophy, standards of collaboration and service excellence, and a mind set of continuous improvement under pressure for distinctive self-improvement in the marketplace. In the scope of the people, the change is formally delegated to the Human Resources Direction, which acts through a specific training programme considering the nature of the change, a programme designed at the new operator's headquarters and directed to all actors, including the hotel's general manager. The uniqueness of the case lies in making primary and extensive management of the change in HRM intervention through training rather than in the concerted action of leaders. In this context, the study of this case assumes as objectives: (a) to identify the adopted processes of driving change, confronting them with the theoretical reference on leading change (Kotter, 1996; Kotter & Cohen 2002; Kotter & Rathgeber, 2007; Rego & Cunha, 2003); and (b) to identify the mobilized training processes for change, confronting them with those referenced in the literature on training assessment (Kirkpatrick, 1996; Brinkerhoff, 2005; Wang & Wilcox, 2006; Cunha et al., 2010; Lopes & Pereira, 2010). The methodology adopted combines documentary analysis of internal data from the new operator and from the previous one, non-participant observation, and interviews of various types - to the HR director, the senior HR technician and one of the trainers, and to participants from the various departments. The study concludes that: (a) for the target natures of change, training has played an important instrumental role, substantially mitigating the lack of change leadership primarily based on the concerted action of formal leaders, in particular by giving priority to the group of principals; (b) the positive impact of training was limited by the program's temporal circumscription and its evaluation confined to the reaction and acceptance of participants; and (c) the sustained fabrication of change does not dispense the congruent articulation of the training programme with the intermediate and direct leaderships and a consequent system for evaluating and rewarding employee performance. This case contributes to the knowledge about the supplementary role of training in leading change processes in organizations, as well as their role as enabler. Summary: Theoretical-conceptual references on how to lead change in organizations and on training evaluation; Study methodology; The challenges of change in the case under study; The training programme used as a tool for change; Analysis and discussion of results.
Date of Award | 14 Jul 2017 |
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Original language | Portuguese |
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Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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Supervisor | Rui Costa (Supervisor) |
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- Leading change
- Training evaluation
- Rebranding
- Hotel management
- Mestrado em Gestão de Recursos Humanos
A formação como instrumento da mudança: o caso Crowne Plaza Porto em processo de rebranding
Santos, J. F. D. O. (Student). 14 Jul 2017
Student thesis: Master's Thesis