Running head: WEEK 1: CASE STUDY MARRIOTT 1

Week 1: Case Study of HRM at Marriott

Monica Monk

Shorter University

MGT 5310 ONLH: Human Resources Management

Anthony Daniel, PhD

August 23, 2019

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Which HR practices do you believe are the most critical for Marriott to maintain and grow

its competitive advantage? Explain why.

I think the practices that will help Marriott most in not only maintaining but growing its

competitive advantage are Training and Development and Employee Relations. Marriott’s

philosophy of taking care of its people and keeping happy, healthy and engaged is critical to its

HR strategy (Morgan, Ep 66: Marriott & the Business Impact of Employee Health and Well-

Being: With David Rodriguez, Executive VP CHRO Marriott, 2016). They have created a

culture and an HR practice that is now considered the benchmark for employee engagement and

they have been recognized as a global best employer by many. This is a testament to having

demonstrated a proven track record of success. Since this strategy is working it should be

continued. In addition to being recognized for their success in the HR field, their strategy is also

paying off financially as evidenced by their earnings, profitability, and shareholder wealth

creation (Marriott, 2019). These reasons provide strong supporting evidence that their current

HR strategy of focusing on these two practices is working, providing profitable results, and

enabling the growth that Marriott has been experiencing the past decade.

Would Marriott have been successful without its current HR practices? Explain.

I don’t think that Marriott would have been as successful as it is today if it had not

embarked on the journey of their current HR strategy and HR practices. I say this because there

are other hospitality brands that are just as old as Marriott and other that could be considered

disruptors of the hospitality industry and they have not been as successful. There was a time

when the Ritz-Carlton was considered the best of breed in the hotel industry. The Ritz-Carlton

brand is now owned by Marriott. I think Marriott has succeeded in creating a strong linkage
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between the company’s long-range strategy and their HR strategy. David Rodriguez, Marriott

CHRO is quoted as saying, “our success is directly proportional to our ability of taking care of

our people” and commented on the seriousness of their commitment to this strategy by reporting

that every leader in their company has a goal that supports this strategy and is tied to their

compensation. This demonstrates just how strongly HR is tied to Marriott’s global business

strategy.

Can companies in other industries such as health care, manufacturing, or research and

development adopt Marriott’s value and practices and have similar success? Explain why

or why not.

Yes. At its core the Marriott philosophy is that focusing on employee well-being has a

multiplier effect in blending generations, promoting harmony and enabling giving back

opportunities that impact the entire community. They have found that emphasizing workplace

health, well-being, and retaining happy and engaged employees leads to financial success in

terms of increased revenues as well as reduced expenses. Their foundational element seems to

be recruiting employees that espouse the same core values and principles that match their

philosophy. The five recruiting principles they use are: get it right the first time, money matters

but so does other factors, create a caring workplace, promote from within, and ensure a strong

employment brand (Verasai, 2016). These principles are not limited to Marriott or just the

hospitality industry. They can be applied to any business, industry, or enterprise. By creating an

environment where everyone in the organization works in support of the single motto that a

company’s human capital is truly its most important resource it maximizes the commitment of

every employee to be motivated, engaged and loyal which ultimately impacts end customers in a

positive manner.
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What other types of HR practices should Marriott consider adopting that would appeal to

its growing number of Millennial employees?

In 1997 Forbes published an article about five things that millennials want from a job.

Understanding what employees want or expect from the workplace is key to developing and

adopting the right policies and programs that will attract a motivated and dependable workforce.

The five items listed in the article were:

1. They expect employer benefits that fit and match their values.

2. Loyalty is more valuable than they let on.

3. They want retirement investment options.

4. Ability to prioritize family.

5. Social impact is key.

This suggests that in addition to Marriott’s focus on recruiting, selection, training and

development Marriott should also look at innovating their compensation and HR planning

practices to ensure that they are preparing the way for meeting the needs of the future workforce.

This may include analyzing and assessing how work is performed. While there are some tasks

that are germane to the hospitality industry and which may have traditionally always been done a

certain way, they may need to explore how they tie their rewards and compensation plans to that

work in new and innovative methods so that they reward differently than what has traditionally

been acceptable.

Millennials are not only interested in the social impact that they can have through their

employers, or their own individual efforts, but they also want to feel valued and heard. It is

important to them that they have the opportunity to connect with business leaders and senior

management (Chandler, 2018). This suggests an opportunity for Marriott to rethink their
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approach to employee relations and how they might create opportunities to connect new workers

to leaders and tenured employees so that they have an opportunity to assimilate but also

influence the culture to meet the needs of the future workforce.

Conclusion

Marriott has adopted a philosophy that putting employee health and well-being is

paramount to ensuring corporate success. Their commitment to this motto comes from their

founder and leader and permeates through every level of the organization. It has stood the test of

time. The results are that they have been recognized as a leader in their industry, they have

created loyalty to their brand by their customer base, and they have succeeded in creating wealth

for their shareholders. They continue to remain steadfast to their core values and philosophy and

leverage that to fuel their plans for expansion and future endeavors.
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References

Chandler, J. (2018, June 2). How Millennials are Reshaping the Role of Human Resources.

Retrieved from Thin Difference: https://www.thindifference.com/2018/06/how-

millennials-are-reshaping-the-role-of-human-resources/

Marriott. (2019, March 18). Marriott International Announces Three-Year Growth Plan.

Retrieved from Marriott News Center: https://news.marriott.com/2019/03/marriott-

international-announces-three-year-growth-plan/

Morgan, J. (2016, January). Ep 66: Marriott & the Business Impact of Employee Health and

Well-Being: With David Rodriguez, Executive VP CHRO Marriott. The Future of Work

Podcast. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2016/01/04/how-

marriott-dominated-the-hotel-industry-by-focusing-on-employee-health-and-

wellness/#28843d977144

Morgan, J. (2016). How Marriott Got To The Top Of The Hotel Industry By Focusing On

Employee Health And Wellness. Forbes. Retrieved from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2016/01/04/how-marriott-dominated-the-

hotel-industry-by-focusing-on-employee-health-and-wellness/#28843d977144

Noe, R. A. (2017). Human Resources Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage (10th ed.).

New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Verasai, A. (2016). Recruitment principles of Marriott. The HR Digest. Retrieved from

https://www.thehrdigest.com/recruitment-principles-of-marriot/

Zimmerman, K. (n.d.). 5 Things We Know Millennials Want From A Job. Forbes. Retrieved

from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kaytiezimmerman/2017/10/01/5-things-we-know-

millennials-want-from-a-job/#4d3bd7678099
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