Abstract | The Ritz-Carlton has evolved by implementing rigorous self-analysis based on institutional structures, working in tandem with creative customer-experience management. The hotel began reevaluating its service design in 2001, well before the global recession in the latter half of 2008 made its full impact. There were several moments that served as catalysts, prompting The Ritz-Carlton to shift from its status as a formally structured organization with a centralized hierarchy and delivery of consistently high-quality operations. Instead, it became an emergent organization that extended those systems to encourage self-organizing among employees, as well as customized hotel design. One way of understanding emergent properties and adaptive systems is through chaordic systems thinking, or CST. The chaordic view of an organization studies the balance and flow between the firm’s structures and frameworks (order) and the emergent creative self-organizing among employees (chaos). Viewed through the lens of chaordic systems thinking, the qualitative research undertaken for this article examines The Ritz-Carlton as an evolving organization that has re-evaluated its service design processes in order to deliver more experientially-based employee and customer engagement. |
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