Page 116 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

All for One and One for All 97

many respects a celebration of the multiracial, multicultural flavor of Men’s
Wearhouse. “This melting pot of humanity on the dance floor gives you a
sense that we could get it together on planet earth,” says George.
The much-anticipated Annual Awards celebration takes place at the end
of the evening when individuals and teams are rewarded for their perfor-
mance and may receive the coveted Aloha Award, a long-standing symbol
of success at Men’s Wearhouse. Having traveled to Hawaii for years, George
Zimmer knew that most of his employees could not afford to vacation in
this American paradise, so every year he rewards employee performance
with over 100 marvelous vacations. The rules are few. No one may win the
Aloha Award more than once, and no one can win it during the first year of
employment. The Aloha Award is based on a demonstrated commitment to
making Men’s Wearhouse one’s career. It isn’t unusual for six people at each
of these parties to nab the award, which brings a fabulous vacation for two
to Hawaii or, nowadays, even Europe or the Caribbean.
“It all comes down to being able to get spirit and enthusiasm from
people,” remarks George. “It’s impossible to measure, so it’s been overlooked
in business. Enjoying life and celebrating are needed to be enthusiastic about
what you are doing 40 hours a week.”

Concrete Results

Teams have a variety of roles and potential uses. We have set them up to
examine customer complaints and determine their root causes. We have struc-
tured teams around process reengineering. We have asked outside suppliers
to come and join in discussions about partnering possibilities in purchasing,
engineering, and manufacturing functions. We have created steering teams
whose role is to oversee the whole team process.
Teams can be set up for a specific, one-time goal, of course, but we
always suggest that they continue to function on an ongoing basis after they
have fulfilled their primary purpose. Even though the group will probably
meet for only about an hour a week, the proper harnessing of this collective
energy can produce worthwhile results.
At Lensing Wholesale, we helped set up teams that have functioned contin-
uaously since 1993. The steering team, made up of the owners of the company,
sponsors new teams as different needs arise. Some of the teams are issue- and
process-oriented, but most are natural work teams that follow organizational
lines and take care of specific work problems.