Page 145 - The New Gold Standard

Build a Business Focused on Others
novation model that is currently in the process of being deployed
across all hotels.
Before implementation, Ritz-Carlton evaluates a process
under consideration to ensure that it is

1. Part of a systematic approach for achieving the Key
Success Factors

2. Driving employee empowerment and innovation
3. Embracing product and service benchmarking

4. Based on research of proven best practices

5. Transferable to Ritz-Carlton’s culture
6. Effective in creating a culture of innovation

The Ritz-Carlton 4-Step Innovation Process (IP), depicted
in Figure 6.2, was inspired by business practices in other indus-
tries. The 4-Step IP was developed using a research-based
approach by analyzing the current body of knowledge from
credible sources that include the Harvard Business Review and
publications of the American Society for Quality. Proven prac-
tices were identified from a benchmarking study of external
organizations that have a well-established core competency of
innovation, such as Disney, Corning Incorporated, and Cisco
Systems.
Ritz-Carlton leadership has learned that successful bench-
marking involves both a senior leader and a functional lead at
the benchmarking site visit. More specifically, a member of the
senior team—be it the president, the chief financial officer, or
the senior vice president of human resources—has to see the
processes of other great businesses from a leadership perspective.
While the functional lead at Ritz-Carlton will likely be tasked
to implement any desired changes, senior leaders need to create
the compelling argument for why the ideas should be executed.

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