A high-quality performance management plays the key role in turning an organization into an attractive employer. One of the main aspects determining managerial efficiency is motivation. The fact that a well-though motivating approach determines staff’s performance seems to be undoubted. As long as in 2008, Four Seasons appeared on the Fortune Magazine’s “100 best companies to work for” list, one assumes that their management strategy is worth examining (IBS Center for Management Research, 2009). Therefore, the paper at hand is aimed at analyzing the performance management of the relevant company putting a particular emphasis on its motivational aspect.
One might primarily apply the goal theory in order to analyze the motivation strategy of Four Seasons. The examination of the company’s policy shows that the management is particularly skillful in setting clear and precise aims in front of its personnel. The hotel has both general goals and minor targets, which allows the employees to focus on completing particular tasks in the framework of the corporate principles. Thus, the finite target of their performance is providing a professional luxury service, whereas a concrete aim might reside in pushing up sales within a certain quarter.
Moreover, Four Seasons’ motivation practice, might be, likewise, be analyzed through the lens of another popular concept, the theory of equity. The principal idea of the relevant approach implies maintaining a sustainable motivation level through the provision of equal conditions (Hall, Pilbeam, & Corbridge, 2012). The research on the company’s management performance proves that Four Seasons have successfully put the theory of equity into practice. More importantly, one might suppose that they even managed to improve the initial concept.
Hence, Four Seasons see to providing equal treatment not only within the workforce but all the elements of the system. One of the main policies that the company announces is that it applies equal principles of exclusiveness and respectability both to customers and staff (IBS Center for Management Research, 2009). In other words, the employees are encouraged to feel they belong to the luxury environment as well as the people they serve.
Other critical factors that contribute to successful motivation managing in Four Seasons are consistent job satisfaction and organizational commitment in the workforce. On the face of it, the former is to be more significant for an employee’s performance. Nevertheless, one should note that these aspects are closely interconnected. Numerous researchers claim that those employees who are satisfied with working conditions and their jobs, on the whole, tend to show a stronger commitment to the company (Lumley, Coetzee, Tladinyane, & Ferreira, 2011).
From this perspective, the Four Seasons’ case is rather curious. On the one hand, the company does its best to make the staff satisfied. Despite all the efforts, according to researchers, a small percentage of employees experience discontent in relation to particular aspects of the job. In the meantime, the same study shows that the level of organizational commitment in Four Seasons is exclusively high. Thus, even the employees who are dissatisfied with the salary or the workload feel a strong desire to assist in achieving corporate goals (IBS Center for Management Research, 2009). The relevant phenomenon might be explained by a skillful management performance that ensures staff’s commitment.
As a result, one might conclude that the implementation of the most effective motivation approaches enables Four Seasons to carry out successful management and remain one the best employers in the market.
Reference List
Hall, D., Pilbeam, S., & Corbridge, M. (2012). Contemporary Themes in Strategic People Management: A Case-Based Approach. Shanghai, China: Palgrave Macmillan.
IBS Center for Management Research. (2009). Four Seasons Hotels Inc.’s HR Practices: Fostering a Strong Customer Service Culture. Hyderabad, India: ICMR.
Lumley, E.J., Coetzee, M., Tladinyane, R., & Ferreira, N. (2011). Exploring the Job Satisfaction and Organisational Commitment of Employees in the Information Technology Environment. Southern African Business Review, 15(1), 177-204.