Case study "Fairmont Hotels and Resorts"

Corporate social responsibility through environmental sensitivity, among others, has recently surfaced as a pressing organizational issue. However, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has been one of the firms in the forefront with its Green Partnership program. The Toronto-based company initiated a chain-wide environmental program in 1990; it has now spread to more than 40 locations globally,, winning several international awards along the way. Fairmont became particularly interested in the initiatives because of its locations in sensitive environments such as national parks, biosphere reserves, and wetlands. The environmental pro-gram now includes eco-innovation projects at its hotels, such as turtleConservation in Mexico, coral reef protection in Hawaii, and whale adoption in Quebec. Empowered employees are vital to the success of the programs. Employees were first encouraged to buy in before implementation through involvement in the development of the programs and effective communication; new employees are given an orientation on the green programs; volunteer teams meet monthly and discuss how to improve on the green programs; and there is an incentive program for the green teams with the best results. Fairmont management claims that employees feel empowered because they have an ownership in the programs.

Questions

1. What arguments could be advanced both for and against the use of employee empowerment?

2. Assume you are a manager at Fairmont. What would you do differently to further empower employees?

3. Let us say that employees begin to resist the changes and prefer to perform their traditional duties. How would you manage such resistance and at the same time sustain empowerment?