Transcript 1. CREATIVITY

THE PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT
TRAINING SERIES
CREATIVITY AND MARKETING
Patricia Reid
• Extensive experience working in a multifaceted tourism and hotel industry (over 30
years)
• International experience gained working on
hospitality and tourism projects in Africa,
Asia, Europe and USA
• Wide experience of training and education in
relation to tourism and hospitality industry
• Consultant to various government ministries
and international institutions (EC/World
Bank/UN)
• (BA Honours Degree in Hotel & Catering
Management and Msc Honours Degree in
International Hospitality Management)
Course Etiquette
No interruptions - allow your colleagues to
finish
Switch off mobile phones
Be on time!
No smoking!
Schedule
08.30 – 10.30
1st Session
10.30 – 10.50
Morning Break (20 mins)
10.50 – 12.25
2nd Session
12.30 – 1.15
Lunch
1.30 – 2.45
3rd Session
2.45 – 3.00
Afternoon Break (15 mins)
3.00 – 4.15
4th Session
CREATIVITY
and
MARKETING
EXERCISE: Are People Born Creative or
Can Creativity be Trained?
 Draw a cartoon-style picture of your
hotel to appeal to a 5 year old child
 Whose is:
a) the most creative/ imaginative for the
target audience
b) the best executed in artistic terms?
Creativity: Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, you will
Have a good understanding of the concept of
‘creativity’
Know how to apply the ‘creativity’ concept in
your job
Be aware of both the strengths and
limitations of different approaches to
developing creativity in the hotel industry
TODAY’S LEARNING
DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES OF
CREATIVITY IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY
THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY
IDENTIFYING CREATIVITY
FOSTERING CREATIVITY
CREATIVITY DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES
AND METHODS
EXERCISE
1. Think of TWO creative things you have
done – one in your working life and one in
your personal life
2. What made them “creative” in your eyes?
3. Share your creative acts with your
neighbour
4. How does your creativity differ from his/
hers?
5. Share your outcomes with the whole group
What comes to mind when you are
thinking of creativity?
 Did you think in terms of people being imaginative,
inventive, taking risks and challenging convention?
 Did you think about originality and the value of what
people produce?
 Perhaps you decided that you can only be creative if
you are artistic?
 Did your thinking about work-related creativity differ
from that in your personal life?
DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES OF
CREATIVITY IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY
Defining Creativity
…..the tendency to generate or recognise
ideas, alternatives or possibilities that
may be useful in solving problems,
communicating with others, and
entertaining ourselves and others
What is creativity?
1. It always involves thinking or behaving
imaginatively
2. Overall this imaginative activity is
purposeful, that is, it is directed to
achieving an objective
3. These processes must generate something
original
4. The outcome must be of value in relation to
what you are trying to achieve
So creativity must be …
• Imaginative
• Purposeful
• Original
• Valuable
Imaginative Purposeful Original Valuable
Can you see any problems with any of these
elements?
Do we all see each of them in exactly the
same way? Probably not…..
Would they mean the same thing in our
working as in our personal lives? Probably
not ….
Being creative is seeing the same thing as
everyone else, but thinking of something
different….....
Creates new uses (industrial to leisure and
retail; liners to cruise ships)
Offers new solutions (iPhone; local
restaurants as hotel room service)
Adds value (cruise ships as conference
venues)
Allows new use for facilities (in-room
wireless = decline of the business centre)
Creates new demand
“Hoteliers have woken up to the fact that they need
to offer a creative and dedicated service if they want
a slice of the Conference & Incentive Travel cake.”
“This year, we have become the first international
hotel chain to offer free broadband access in our
European Radisson properties - we think that this is
something delegates will soon expect as standard.”
Olivier Jacquin is senior vice president of sales for Rezidor
SAS,parent company for Radisson, Park Inn, Regent Hotels and
Country Inn
EXERCISE
Think of examples of products, services and
behaviours in the hotel industry that are
novel, appropriate and of value to both
guests and the business?
The Upside-down Room
The Propeller Island Hotel
The Vampire Room
The ‘Break Out’ Room
The Symbol Room
The Art Hotel, Berlin
EXERCISE: Are there limits to the
creativity we want in the hotel industry?
In small groups (5-6 per group) discuss
a) Do we always want to encourage creativity
in our hotels?
b) In what situations we might wish to limit
creativity in hotels?
c) How does creativity fit in with product
consistency, branding/ hotel
standardisation?
d) How can we put in place systems and
management procedures to ensure
“managed creativity”?
Possible Responses
a) Do we always want to encourage creativity in our
hotels?
Probably not in most hotels – customers do not want
experiences that are constantly unpredictable
b) In what situations we might wish to limit creativity
in hotels?
When it is not appropriate or of value to the guests
When it might create future problems/ expectations
for the hotel and the hotel brand
Possible Responses
c) How does creativity fit in with product consistency,
branding/ hotel standardisation?
Depending on the brand, not very comfortably. The
higher the hotel grade, the more open to forms of
creativity guests might be. Guests choose branded
products because of consistency and familiarity
d) How can we put in place systems and
management procedures to ensure “managed
creativity”?
Clear and unambiguous guidelines
High-performing Hotels
Engage in competitive behaviour
Continuous search to find and exploit new
products and market prospects
Forward thinking in the pursuit of market
opportunities
Constantly acting in anticipation of future
needs or changes
Being first to find and introduce new
products and technologies
High-performing Hotels
…… are actively involved in shaping their
own destinies rather than reacting to events
in their environments
Low-performing Hotels
Stick with the status-quo
Fail to stay ahead of competition
Less likely (than their competitors) to seek to
improve products and services
More likely to
“imitate rather than innovate”
Mirage Resorts
Mirage Resorts
“Everything we do is about being receptive
to change, learning new ways to do things,
and developing good ideas”
www.mirage.com
Kimpton Group
“We constantly challenge ourselves to keep
improving, to learn from each project and not
to copy past successes”
www.kimptonhotels.com
Examples of Kimpton Hotel Initiatives
1.

2.

3.

4.

Kimpton Intouch
guest loyalty programme
Women Intouch
special program for women guests
Kimpton Cares
corporate social responsibility programme
Kimpton Earthcare
environmental programme
All of Kimpton's boutique hotels welcome
dogs, cats, and lots of pets - with no fees or
special deposits; no weight or size limits.
Kimpton 1st
Human Resources
May 2008:
Launches I Am Kimpton, an interactive Web
site, to feature the first-hand experiences of
employees who work at Kimpton hotels and
restaurants.
This new site provides potential job
candidates with an authentic perspective on
Kimpton as an employer and connects
Kimpton employees with one another.
Kimpton 1st
Marketing
May 2008
Introduction of KimptonKids, a program with
special services and amenities for families,
at more than 40 hotels nationwide.
April 2008
Launches "We Got Your Bag" promotion, the
first hospitality company to offset increases
in airline baggage fees.
Kimpton 1st
Marketing + Social Responsibility
January 2008
Initiates the Great Meetings, Great Causes
program, offering eco- and sociallyresponsible meeting incentives for clients
and guests.
The program includes opportunities to make
charitable donations and to incorporate
green practices into daily life.
Kimpton 1st
Marketing + Meetings
March 2006
Launches Signature Meetings, a program
designed to enhance meetings with creative
and personalized amenities, pioneering a
new trend in event planning.
Kimpton 1st
Marketing +
July 2005
Launches the "Mind. Body. Spa." wellness
program, which includes in-room yoga,
Pilates, meditation and spa services.
Kimpton 1st
Marketing the Kimpton Brand
November 2004
Launches national brand campaign, focusing
on the original idea that "Every Hotel Tells A
Story."
The Kimpton brand is based on five
signature elements that support all of
Kimpton's new programs and essentially all
that Kimpton stands for: Care, Comfort,
Style, Flavor and Fun.
Kimpton 1st
Marketing ++
July 2003
….. the first hotel company to offer
complimentary yoga baskets for all guests
January 2003
….. the first hotel company to offer
complimentary high speed Internet access in
all rooms
Kimpton 1st
Marketing ++
July 1993
….first hotel company to introduce ‘Tall
Rooms’
September 1993
….first hotel company offer rowing or bike
machines for guests in rooms
Why do we need creativity in hotels?
Fast changing external environment:
 consumer demands and expectations
 competition
 legislative
 environmental
 economic
 political
Creativity and innovation – necessary for
survival
Without creative thinking and action
• Hotels fail to meet customer needs and
expectations
• Hotels fail to keep up with the competition
• Hotels see a gradual or rapid decline in
REVPAR
• Hotels loose market share
• Hotels loose major tour operator contacts
Tangible Outcomes
Product innovations
Continuous improvement
Enhanced customer services
The Creative Process
You must produce operational ideas……
………and not dreams!
Brain Storming
Implies a group of persons
 usually colleagues and external stakeholders
To stimulate and inspire each other to create
ideas
 the more ideas, the better
No one can criticize to any of the ideas that
are proposed
Ideas are selected, improved, combined and
the group agree
Mind Mapping
Mind maps is a tool to access natural creativity
and use that creativity for Problem Solving
Mind Mapping
It's like a brainstorming but with only one
person, yourself!
Take a piece of paper and write the subject of
your research in the centre.
Start to think in at random in an inhibited
style and you write all the ideas that come
around the main subject.
For each specific idea do the same and you
write around all the ideas connected with.
Mind Map
The map is expected to
reflect the real
mechanism of the brain.
It means that when you
add an idea, you
expand in the brain the
connections between
the cells and open new
spaces of creativity.
Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats
The hats represent different ways of looking at
problems and issues and can lead to varying
ideas (development of products and services
within a hotel).
 Is a powerful technique - look at important decisions
from a number of different perspectives.
 Make better decisions - move outside your habitual
ways of thinking.
 It helps you understand the full complexity of a
decision
 Spot issues and opportunities which you might
otherwise not notice.
Facts and Information
covers facts, figures, information needs
and gaps. "I think we need some white hat
thinking at this point..." means Let's drop
the arguments and proposals, and look at
the data base."
You analyze past trends, and try to
extrapolate from historical data.
 Focus on the data available
 Look at the information you have, and see what you
can learn from it
 Look for gaps in your knowledge
 Either try to fill them or take account of them
Information
What information do I have?
What are the facts?
What information do I need?
What do I want to KNOW?
Feelings and Emotions
The
allows the thinker to put
forward an intuition or ‘a gut reaction’ to an
issue under discussion without any need to
justify it. "Putting on my red hat, I think this
is a terrible proposal.“
Look at the decision using intuition, gut
reaction, and emotion.
Try to think how other people will react
emotionally.
Try to understand the intuitive responses of
people who do not fully know your
reasoning.
Feelings
How do I feel about this?
What do I like about the idea?
What don’t I like about this?
Critical Judgement
The
is used to point out why a
suggestion does not fit the facts, the
available experience, the system in use,
or the policy that is being followed.
This is critical thinking.
 Look at things pessimistically, cautiously
and defensively
 Try to see why ideas and approaches might
not work (important as it highlights weak
points)
 Allows you to eliminate them, alter your
approach, or prepare contingency plans to
counter problems that arise
Judgement
What is wrong with this?
Will this work?
Is it safe?
Can it be done?
Positive Judgement
The logical positive
identify
benefits associated with an idea and
why it will work.
It can be used in looking forward to the
results of some proposed action, but
can also be used to find something of
value in what has already happened.
• Is the optimistic viewpoint
• Helps you to see all the benefits of the
decision and the value in it
• Spot the opportunities that arise from
it. Helps you to keep going when
everything looks gloomy and difficult
Benefits
What are the good points?
Why can this be done?
Why is this a good thing
Alternatives and Learning
This is the
of thinking new
thoughts.
It is about creativity, alternatives,
proposals, what is interesting,
provocations and changes.
 This is where you can develop
creative solutions to a problem
 It is a freewheeling way of thinking
 There is little criticism of ideas
Creativity
What new ideas are possible?
What is my suggestion?
Can I create something new?
The Big Picture
The overview or process control hat. It
looks not at the subject itself but at the
'thinking' about the subject. "Putting on
my blue hat, I feel we should do some
more green hat thinking at this point."
 Worn by people chairing meetings
 When running into difficulties (ideas are
running dry) they may direct activity into
Green Hat thinking
 When contingency plans are needed, they
will ask for Black Hat thinking, and so on
Thinking about Thinking
What thinking is needed?
Where are we now?
What is the next step?
EXERCISE: When do you wear your
different coloured hats?
Think about your managerial role and about
the times you wear each of these hats
white, red, black, yellow, green and blue
 How and when do you use your green hat?
 What do you achieve when you wear your
green hat?
 How do you feel when a colleague or staff
member comes into your office wearing a
green hat?
Key Points
A good technique for looking at the effects of
a decision from a number of different points
of view.
It allows necessary emotion and scepticism
to be brought into what would otherwise be
purely rational decisions.
It opens up the opportunity for creativity
within Decision Making.
Key Points
It also helps, for example, persistently
pessimistic people to be positive and
creative.
Plans developed using the '6 Thinking Hats'
technique are sounder and more resilient
than would otherwise be the case.
Helps spot good reasons not to follow a
course of action, before you have committed
to it.
IDENTIFYING CREATIVITY
EXERCISE: So you want to encourage
creativity in your hotel…..
First task is to find it!!
The Beautiful Hotels resort in Hurghada has
recently closed its 50-seater fine dining
French Restaurant. The GM is looking for
suggestions for the “creative” use of the
restaurant space, located just off the Main
Lobby.
In small groups, propose a CREATIVE use of
this space and prepare a presentation to
“sell” the idea to us.
Identifying Creativity
Test for it – creativity tests (mainly for
children, art school entry etc.) exercises
such as the one we have just done
Performance assessment/ management –
look for evidence of creative behaviour (but
some roles do not allow for creativity)
Foster it – in individuals, teams (ensure a
supportive management culture)
Self-reporting Creativity!!
I’m creative
Recognising Creative Organizations
 Change what they do and the way they do things
before they absolutely have to
 Are the market leaders with new products and
services
 Encourage and test new ideas and ways of
doing things
 Reward creativity
 Invest in the development of creative thinking
 Recruit with creativity as a core requirement
EXERCISE: Celebrating Creativity
Beautiful Hotels have
introduced an incentive
scheme to encourage
creative behaviour at
departmental level in its
hotels.
The only limitation on
the scope of the
creativity is that it must
not compromise brand
standards.
In pairs, identify 2
examples of creative
behaviour for each of the
following departments:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Housekeeping
Front Desk
Banqueting
Kitchen
Engineering
Spa and Leisure
Sales and Marketing
FOSTERING CREATIVITY
Everyone is creative. Most people do not
know how to bring their creative talents to
the forefront.
If you think you are not creative you have not
yet learned how to unlock your creative
potential.
Creativity can and
should be the
focus of training
EXERCISE: Are people born creative or
can creativity be trained?
 Draw a cartoon-style picture of your
hotel to appeal to a 5 year old child
 Whose is:
a) the most creative/ imaginative for the
target audience
b) the best executed in artistic terms?
Creativity and artistic skills are not
necessarily the same thing!
 Drawing a technically perfect cartoon might not
require creative skill or imagination. It could be
copied!
 Visioning what might appeal to a 5 year old does
require creative imagination, even though you may
not have the technical skills to produce the perfect
cartoon.
 Creative acts need to be suitable (appropriate) for
the situation or context.
 Aspects of recognising suitability and context can
be learnt with experience.
Fostering business creativity in a hotel
requires …..
 The recruitment of talented people
 Investment in talented people
 The licence to explore and experiment
 Clearly defined rules and parameters
 A “no-blame” culture of things don’t quite work out
 Managerial support
 A forum for testing creative ideas
 Reward and recognition for successful creative acts
 Encouragement and constructive feedback to
individuals and teams whose creative ideas don’t
work
CREATIVITY DEVELOPMENT
TECHNIQUES AND METHODS
EXERCISE: What techniques can we use
to encourage and develop creativity?
In small groups, list techniques that you
have used or could be used to encourage
creative behaviour in your hotel
Identify what management needs to do to
make sure the techniques can work
Possible Ideas
Creative teams
Brainstorming
Improvisation
Goldfish bowls or incubators
Trial and error
Empowerment
GRAIPES
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Give time
Review outcomes
Acknowledge achievement
Inspire by example
Provide space
Encourage imagination
Shun blame… or EPGIRSA in its
correct sequence!
EPGIRSA
Encouraging the imagination of all individuals
and teams in your hotel in order to seek new
solutions to problems and to create different
products and approaches to service
 Listen to ideas
 Manager’s open door policy
 Suggestion boxes
 Ideas meetings
EPGIRSA
Provide space (physical and mental) within
which staff and teams can develop and test
their ideas
Do not crowd people out
Do not over clutter their schedules
Make sure that their line management is
pulling in the same direction
EPGIRSA
Give time and avoid rushing to judgement
about an idea – help the individual or team
develop and refine their idea and ensure that
it is compliant in legal and company terms
Actively seek up-dates on progress
Provide constructive feedback
Assist good ideas with resources if possible
EPGIRSA
Inspire your staff, both individuals and
teams, by your example – be willing to
pursue creative ideas yourself and accept
the same rigorous scrutiny as you would
give your staff
Demand the same standards of your self as
you would of your staff
Participate in teams
EPGIRSA
Review the ideas and their potential in an open
and supportive way
Make sure that individuals and teams are
aware of the likely review process
Make the review proportionate to the scale of
the idea and its likely impact
Bring in external eyes (from another hotel?)
if necessary
EPGIRSA
The guaranteed way to avoid creative ideas
emerging in the future is to blame staff and
teams when things do not work – so avoid
recrimination and reference to how resources
might have otherwise been used
 See success or failure as an opportunity to
learn
 Identify how things could have been done
differently or the idea modified for future
success
EPGIRSA
Acknowledge good creative ideas that work
publicly within the hotel and the company
Use appropriate communication channels to
celebrate creative ideas that work and make
a difference
Encourage others to follow suit
Avoid claiming the credit for yourself
EXERCISE: Using GRAIPES
In teams of 3 or 4, select an area of creativity
in the hotel sector that interests you
Use GRAIPES to identify how that creativity
can be supported in a real work situation
Identify the barriers to its implementation
Innovation
Innovation at Work
Invention is a new idea
Innovation is the commercial application and
successful exploitation of the idea
Innovation means introducing something
new into your business
Improving to increase efficiency
Developing new and improved products and
services
Adding value to differentiate from
competitors
EXERCISE: Imagine the Possibilities…...
Be inspired, laugh and feel good - host your next meeting at
In smaller groups, make a list of what sort of
‘innovation’ you can do to improve your
conference/meetings package
Fun Worship
Are you having fun yet? Some ideas that
will make your next meeting rock………..
 Play your favourites: Surf Music, Reggae, good old
Rock and Roll, and everything in between
 Get nostalgic with Nerf balls, Magic 8 Balls, wax lips
and Groucho glasses
 A breakfast of champions includes Pop-Tarts, Lucky
Charms, and all your favourite morning classics
 Morning Break - Twister and shout
 Enjoy macaroni & cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs or
pizzas
 Afternoon recess can feature short versions of board
games like Yahtzee, Checkers or Pictionary
Elements of Wellness
Kimpton's healthy attitude can make a
world of difference in your next meeting
 Enjoy a room filled with aromatherapy scents and
the introspective sounds of mood music.
 Table settings may include natural wood
massagers and squeezable stress balls.
 Breakfast can feature fruit smoothies, organic
coffee and tea and whole-grain cereals.
 Morning Yoga, meditation or desk aerobics will
stretch your mind and body.
 A hearty lunch of heart-healthy selections can also
include energizing brain food.
 Pick up the pace with a dance session or a 15minute power walk.
Earthcare
Guests will have a healthy respect for the earth, just by
attending your next meeting. A portion of the proceeds
will be donated to the Trust for Public Land
 Guests are greeted by the enchanting sounds of
nature and verdant displays of plants or flowers.
 The smell of fresh, organic, fair-trade coffee wakes
up the room.
 Agendas are printed on paper that, once used, can
be planted to produce wildflowers.
 Breakfast, lunch and dinner are a medley of fresh,
organic and locally grown ingredients such as
artisan cheese, free-range meats and garden fresh
fruits and vegetables.
 On breaks, choose to enlighten with an eco-quiz,
"Zen-out" with a rock garden, or revive by tossing
the Earth beach ball.
 Wind down the meeting with an appealing selection
of organic wines and beers.
Degrees of Discovery
Mini learning experiences give meeting guests
a refreshing break from each day's agenda…..
 Groove to the beat of far away lands.
 The builders in your group will delight in Legos,
modelling clay or painters' palettes on the tables.
 Exotic fruits, world coffee and international foods
will start your day of discovery.
 Morning break consists of painting-by-numbers or
polishing your putting.
 Lunch is an extraordinary and out-of-the-ordinary
fusion of global cuisines to suit your taste, from
Italian to Middle Eastern.
 In the afternoon, enjoy a cooking demonstrations
or other educational seminars.
Emotional Intelligence
What is Emotional Intelligence ?
Emotional Intelligence (EI)…..
…..the ability, capacity, skill to identify, assess
and manage the emotions of one’s self,
others and of groups
Emotional engagement is at the heart of
quality service delivery in the hospitality
sector and is also the key to creative
responses to guest needs and problems.
Emotional Intelligence is an important tool
for hoteliers to develop in seeking to extend
the creative energy of their business.
EI embraces two aspects of intelligence
Understanding yourself, your goals,
intentions, responses, behaviour
Understanding others, and their feelings
What does EI have to do with business
and creativity?
 The modern workplace is characterized by
open communication, team work, and a
mutual respect among employees and their
supervisors.
 Possessing emotional intelligence allows
managers to better understand and
motivate people they supervise.
“Run with emotional intelligence”
Qamardeen Hotel
General Manager Mr John Aritho
“We specifically didn’t recruit people from
the industry — it was more a question of
teaching a new dog new tricks.”
How did you go about recruiting and
training your staff?
“We trained them in what's called ‘intuitive service'.
Many places in Dubai look great and seem to be good
service providers, but once you stay there you realise they
aren't in tune with the customer.
The training programme we used is based on ‘emotional
intelligence', where you discover the emotional capabilities
of each person and then place them in a role that they suit
and will enjoy.
That way, they are passionate about their job and can
provide the best possible service.”
Our Motto
Creativity = Capital
(1983)
Joseph Beuys proposed an alternative
economic system, a society in which all
citizens are free to explore and develop
their creative potential to reap the
greatest economic gains
THE END