Korporativna kultura - čimbenik uspješnoga hotelskog menadžmenta : doktorska disertacija

Korporativna kultura je pojam koji obuhvaća zbir vjerovanja, očekivanja i vrijednosti što ih dijeli većina zaposlenih u poduzeću, te predstavlja sustav vrijednosti koji iskazuje filozofiju, viziju i misiju organizacije. Izražava se kroz simbole, jezik, scenografiju i ikonografiju poduzeća. Korporativna kultura podrazumijeva osnovne pretpostavke i vjerovanja o realnosti, istini, vremenu i prostoru, s jedne strane, i pretpostavke o ljudskoj prirodi, aktivnostima i odnosima s druge strane. Ona se odražava u jeziku koji organizacija koristi, ritualima i pričama. Utječe na motivaciju zaposlenika u širem smislu i na menadžment ljudskih potencijala. Odabir je kadrova uvjetovan korporativnom kulturom. Niti jedna korporativna kultura nema monolitnu kulturu nego je rezultat složenog sustava supkultura sa svim njihovim karakteristikama. Međusobno se izrazito razlikuju jake i slabe kulture koje se odražavaju u uspješnosti organizacije. Korporativna kultura može biti pod snažnim utjecajem nacionalne kulture, ali može se i znatno razlikovati od kulture okruženja, što dugoročno neminovno dovodi do konfliktnih situacija. Temelji se na učećoj organizaciji i utječe na tip organizacijske strukture i stil menadžmenta. Korporativna kultura može se sagledati i kao motor jedne organizacije, jer pokreće, odnosno utječe na funkcioniranje njezinih zaposlenika skladno u jednom smjeru. Koncept korporativne kulture je od osobite važnosti pri pokušaju značajne organizacijske promjene. Organizacijske promjene moraju uključiti ne samo promjene struktura i sam proces nego i promjenu korporativne kulture. Uspješne promjene u poslovanju nisu moguće bez promjene korporativne kulture. U hotelijerstvu korporativna kultura se razvija prema određenim specifičnostima, a pojedini hoteli ili cijele hotelske korporacije obilježene su diktatom vizije velikih hotelijera koji su svojom osobnošću kreirali korporativnu kulturu. Korporativna kultura predstavlja presudni element različitosti. Ta pretpostavka je osobito uočljiva kod hotelskih brendova, ali i u nezavisnim hotelima iznimno jake korporativne kulture. Korporativna se kultura očituje kroz ponašanje zaposlenika, njihov odnos prema gostima, sudjelovanje u humanitarnim aktivnostima, u brizi organizacije za zaposlenike itd. Kategorizacija i klasifikacija hotela su također važni elementi korporativne kulture, bilo da se radi o razini kategorije (broj zvjezdica), bilo da se radi o profilu hotela (ljetovalište, gradski hoteli itd.). Istraživanje korporativnih kultura hotelskih sustava pokazuje važnost izbora i implementacije korporativne kulture, koju ponekad usmjeravaju različiti čimbenici, pa i porijeklo vlasnika, obiteljske navike, religiozna pripadnost i drugo. Analiza korporativnih kultura hotelskih asocijacija pokazuje različitosti i sličnosti sustava koji ne vežu čvrsto svoje članove, ali su svojom korporativnom kulturom ipak prepoznatljive. Istraživanje u hotelskim korporacijama pokazuje da jaka korporativna kultura proizlazi iz kontinuiranog obrazovanja te snažno utječe na ponašanje zaposlenika prema gostima i stav prema poslodavcu. Istraživanje takoñer pokazuje da u slučaju promjene vlasništva u hotelskom sustavu ne dolazi neophodno do drastične promjene korporativne kulture ako je ona jaka. Pri tom menadžer ima odlučujuću ulogu. Pojedini hotelski sustavi jake korporativne kulture stvorili su vlastite edukativne centre s ciljem da se postigne, održi i unaprijedi visoka razina kvalitete u kojoj će korporativna kultura imati središnje mjesto. Korporativna kultura je izuzetno važan čimbenik uspješnog hotelskog menadžmenta, jer predstavlja kompetitivnu prednost, te u konačnici utječe na stvaranje profita. Stoga je jedan od primarnih zadataka velikih hotelskih kompanija stvaranje i očuvanje korporativne kulture.Corporate Culture is a concept that encompasses a group of beliefs, expectations and values embraced by a majority of employees in a company and represents a system of values expressing the philosophy, vision and mission of an organization. It manifests itself through company’s symbols, language, decor and iconography. Corporate culture includes basic assumptions and beliefs about reality, truth, time and space on the one hand, as well as the assumptions about human nature, activities and relations on the other. It manifests itself in the language used by an organization, in the organization’s stories and rituals. In a broader sense, it influences the employees’ motivation, as well as the management of human resources. Corporate culture likewise influences the selection of employees. No corporate culture is a monolithic culture – it is a product of a complex system of subcultures, with all their respective characteristics. There is a vast difference between strong and weak cultures, and this is reflected in the level of success of a given company. Corporate culture can be strongly influenced by a national culture, but it can also considerably differ from the culture that surrounds it – and this state of affairs in the long term inexorably leads to conflicting situations. It is based on a learning organization and it determines the type of the organizational structure and management style. Corporate culture can also be perceived as a driving force of an organization in view of the fact that it instigates or determines a harmonious, unidirectional engagement of the employees. The concept of corporate culture is especially important when attempting a significant organizational change. Organizational changes have to include not only structural changes, but the change of a corporate culture as well. Successful changes in business are not possible without a change of corporate culture. In hotel management, corporate culture develops according to its specific circumstances and a number of hotels or even hotel corporations are influenced by the authoritative vision of important hoteliers, who created a corporate culture by the force of their personality. Corporate culture represents a decisive element of difference. This assumption is especially prominent in the case of hotel brands and in the case of independent hotels with an exceptionally strong corporate culture. Corporate culture manifests itself in employees’ behavior, their attitude towards guests, their participation in humanitarian activities, the company’s care for its employees and so on. Hotel categorization and classification are also important elements of corporate culture, whether in terms of the category (the number of stars), or in terms of a hotel’s profile (sea resorts, city hotels etc.). The examination of the hotel chains’ corporate cultures reveals the importance of the choice and the implementation of a corporate culture, which is occasionally determined by various factors - including the owner’s origins, family habits, religious beliefs etc. An analysis of the corporate culture of hotel associations reveals the similarities and differences of the systems whose members are not strictly associated with them, but which have a recognizable corporate culture nevertheless. Research done on hotel corporations reveals that a strong corporate culture ensues from continuous training and that it strongly influences the behavior of employees towards guests and their attitude towards the employer. Research also shows that the change of ownership of a hotel does not necessarily entail a drastic change of the corporate culture - if the culture is strong. In that case, the role of the manager is of the utmost importance. Certain hotel chains, which boast a strong corporate culture, founded their own educational centers in order to reach, maintain and improve a high level of quality – a process in which corporate culture is of the utmost importance. Corporate culture is an exceptionally important factor of successful hotel management considering the fact that it represents a competitive advantage and in the end influences profits. One of the principal tasks of big hotel corporations is therefore the development and maintenance of their corporate culture