CASINO MANAGEMENT
A Matter of Urgency
by Barry Cooney
P
eople sometimes describe organizations as lacking a
sense of urgency. However, little attempt is made to try
to understand the underlying messages that are contained
in this description. The dictionary helps us by defining
urgency as the “need for immediate action, attention or
speed.” And that's the way managers usually look at it. But
a quick glance at other definitions provides even more
insight into the meaning of urgency by indicating that the
word also refers to a certain quality “that conveys sincerity, seriousness and earnestness in both manner and
attitude.” It's this latter definition that needs some looking into.
The next time you find yourself walking through your
casino take a few extra minutes and pay particular attention
to how things look. Are employees well groomed and
dressed neatly and professionally? Are ashtrays emptied? Do
the dealers appear attentive and receptive, even if no
one is playing at their table? Are security guards, valet
attendants, cashiers, slot personnel, food and beverage
servers, maintenance staff and casino hosts also reflecting
this same level of attention and receptivity? Or, do things
appear somewhat sloppy, haphazard and out of focus?
When we start paying attention to what urgency really
means, we see that it has more to do with how purposeful
and committed the business is to serving its customers and
each other than merely being quick to act. Take, for example, the perspective from the back of the house. How
serious and committed are people to seeing that reports,
assignments and other internal duties are carried out
accurately and efficiently? Is there a sense of flow in
back-of-the-house operations, or are most things done in
a plodding, lackluster fashion? Bear in mind that there are
always certain service areas that are way below par, but if
the organization as a whole exhibits these same characteristics then the problem has more to do with the general work
culture than any single set of service area shortcomings.
In truth, this concept of urgency, is just another way of
looking at the organization's sense of integrity and accountability. In the case of people managing others, every action
that is taken needs to be validated by some form of followup. For example, if your department director's are in the habit
of delegating most or all of their work tasks, that, in itself,
is nothing out of the ordinary. However, if they are not
engaging in the proper follow-up necessary to ensure that the
assignments have been carried out successfully, then they are
out of alignment with the organization's need to see that necessary activities are accomplished effectively and efficiently.
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November 2007
Bear in mind that a winning organization is one that takes
its sense of urgency seriously. But getting to that smooth
running level requires a lot of up front dialogue and constant fine tuning. It's not correct to assume that managers
and supervisors need to be micromanagers for all this to
unfold. But what is most important is that managers at all
levels share a common idea of how they want things to look.
And this can't happen if there's not a fair amount of discussion taking place both up and down the management
ranks. In short, everyone has to have a hand in clarifying
what this common reality looks like. Experience has shown
that words (most notably in the form of written directives,
instructional memos or verbal conversations) are subject to
a great deal of misinterpretation. One person's idea of
what is timely, acceptable or thorough can be vastly different from that of a co-worker. That's why these kinds of discussions are a critical part of any effective attempt to manage people.
All this dialogue might seem like a painful process, but
in order to create a sense of urgency within an organization, managers must use this tactic as a way to build a solid
foundation of understanding and clarity about their performance vision. More often than not, some kind of external
facilitator is needed to jump start this dialogue process,
only because individual managers often lack the kind of
objectivity necessary to take a critical look at their own
individual styles, values and methodologies.
In order to create a work culture that exhibits the kind
of urgency that generates behaviors and attitudes that result
in increased profitability, low turnover, and a high degree
of guest satisfaction, the processes that are initiated must
be shared on a voluntary basis, amongst managers and staff
alike. They cannot be mandated through authoritarian
formats. The reason for this is apparent: it is a natural
tendency for people to resist actions that are forced upon
them. They might get the job done because of fear of
punishment, but it will be carried out devoid of any
spontaneity or dedication to the place of business. In the
long run, these bullying strategies are never successful and,
more often than not, result in the loss of the casino's most
valuable and hard working employees.
Organization and management development experts
have noted that real dialogues between managers and
staff about how work should be carried out is the exception rather than the rule. Most communication, in fact, is
monodirectional (e.g., “go do this now”) with little opportunity for exchanges of ideas or opinions.
“In order to create a work culture that exhibits the kind of urgency that generates
behaviors and attitudes that result in increased profitability, low turnover, and a high
degree of guest satisfaction, the processes that are initiated must be shared on a
voluntary basis, amongst managers and staff alike.”
When dialogue does take place, it often lacks the sincerity and depth to allow employees to feel like they are really
being taken seriously. The net effect of this form of
communication is to diminish any real feeling of commitment that the employee has for his job or his workplace. This
means that if another job offer comes his way, particularly
one that might provide a bit more money per hour, he will
quickly bolt for the door. Conversely, if an employee feels
that he has the active support of his boss, whom he regards
as both fair and responsible, then he will likely stay, even
in instances where the workload has increased.
In summary, when we try to dissect the key elements
behind the concept of urgency what emerges is a strong
commitment by both management and staff to foster mutual
support, mutual accountability and continuous improvement
through active dialogue.
For some casinos, particularly ones that find their
operations floundering, instilling a sense of urgency seems
like an all but impossible task. Yet, if the approach is focused
and sincere, the process becomes nothing less than a magic
formula for unprecedented success. ¨
Barry Cooney, Ph.D. is a casino consultant specializing in
staff development, and author of the book “Conquering
Dysfunction in the Workplace.” He can be reached by calling
(505) 474-0515 or email [email protected]
November 2007
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