I, You & They...

After a departmental meeting , one of the lady team members questioned the wisdom of the Director in castigating her in front of others for a very serious mistake that may have caused legal complications. She had no qualms about owning up to the mistake but there was a ruse in her voice which demanded" how dare you blame me in front of others?"

This feeling of humiliation may have demoralised the member somewhat but the point this incident raises is even more serious. The so called "others" present in the meeting were team members from the same department. Thus, to the lady in question, it is "Me" vs "They". In such a situation it is difficult to believe that the department functions as a team in which ideally there would be "We" more than "I, You and They".

Jack Welch once in his book "Winning". observed, "The team with the best players wins" Well, first there needs to be a team and the members must share a supportive relationship. Individual competencies can be strengthened but without the right bonding all teams are destined to fail!

Some of the critical attributes a good team member must possess:

INTEGRITY - people with integrity tell the truth, keep their word, take responsibility for past actions, admit mistakes and fix them, play to win the right way, by the rules. They are real, openly admit mistakes, talk about their lives with both candor & discretion.

INTELLIGENCE - not to be confused with education. Intelligent people have a strong dose of intellectual curiosity, with a breadth of knowledge to work with other smart people in today's complex world.

MATURITY - not to be confused with age, people can be mature or immature at any age. Mature people withstand the heat, handle stress and setbacks, enjoy success with joy & humility, respect the success of others, are confident but not arrogant, have a sense of humor, esp about themselves.

Ashim R Parida

Understanding Students' Need

Managing any Institute is a function of many relationships. The most important is, however, the relationship that exists between the teacher and the taught. Understanding the student's needs is imperative.

In an hospitality Institute it is important to have an environment where students can not only learn the intricacies of hospitality management but also able to develop a hospitality attitude.

At SHM, a new student is treated with a lot of care and starts with a week long orientation program. Parents are also invited to particpate in the program. The first week is often the most critical and daunting for a student since he/she is in uncharted territory. Thus the first few days of interactions need to be planned in a manner where the student quickly acclamitising into a professional academic climate. We invite industry practitioners to speak to the students and take them on a guided tour of the hotels and restaurants to ensure they have a clear image and understanding of the Industry they are going to work in.

Students start out with the expectation of a positive learning experience.
A typical students begins with the idea and belief that the Institute is going to
understand and fulfill their career aspirations. Institutes must understand that the ball is in
their court, and the student-Institute relationship begins with the opportunity
to demonstrate their sensitivity to the student's needs. And that I am convinced is not rocket science!

Ashim R Parida

Looking for solutions..?

Think Simple to Solve Complex Problems.

When we are confronted with problems, the natural tendency is to look for solutions. Discovering the correct solution depends upon our experience and resources. More experience and resources often leads to conditioned thinking and we tend to overlook solutions that may be simple. In many instances as outlined below, out of box thinking can lead to the discovery of simple and easy solutions.

1. When NASA began launching astronauts into space, they found out that the astronauts' pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (ink wouldn't flow down to the writing surface). It took them one decade and $12 million to solve this problem. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on practically any surface including crystal, and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.And what did the Russians do? The Russians used a pencil.

2. One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese managementtechniques was the case of the empty soap box, which occurred in oneof Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty.Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, theengineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolutionmonitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passedthrough the line, to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount of time and money to doso.But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into the complications of X-rays, etc. but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

3. A 50 feet long trailer having 48" wheels got stuck while entering a midtown tunnel in New York because it was approximately 2.5 feet taller than the height of the tunnel. The fire department and the state department of transportation spent the whole day searching for a solution, to no avail.Then a child, aged about 9 years, asked his father, "Why can't they take out the air from the tyre tubes? The height will automatically come down"

Moral: Always look for simple solutions. And learn to focus on solutions, not on problems.

Regards
Ashim R Parida

4Yrs Vs. 3Yrs Degree

Our Country is a land of intrigue. Where else can you have so many different degrees being awarded for proving competence in a singular field of study?
India has currently two distinct category of degrees available to aspirants who would want to graduate as a hospitality management professional.

The 4Yr. Degree
4 yr Bachelors Degree in Hotel Managemnt & Catering Technology
This Degree is awarded by Technical Universities across the country
The 3Yr. Degree
3Yr B.Sc in Hotel and Hospitality Administration
3Yr. BA in International Hotel Management
Both Degrees awarded by IGNOU

The Eternal Debate
While many experts believe that a 4yrs rigour in hospitality studies is necessary to develop an acceptable level of competenciy in both operational knowledge and supervisory skills, a few argue against any such strictures.

Having dealt with the curriculum of both the systems, this author is convinced that a 4yr delivery of hospitality education is more sustainable since it offers specialisation and allows young students more time to absorb the principles and apply them to the business of hospitality.

However, curriculum design and academic intentions are just one part of the issue. It is also critical that there is a resource base available in the Institution to support content delivery- both in terms of infrastructure and academic resources including well trained faculty.
I would be happy to understand your take on this issue.

Whats Your Take on This?
Please leave a comment and do vote on this issue in the poll alongside.
Regards

Ashim R Parida