Qantas execs to join frontline

[Travel Guru]

Thought this was a rather interesting approach...perhaps more execs should follow suit...

Qantas execs to join frontline

Senior Qantas executives will be required to spend time on the frontline as part of a plan to improve customer service. The move follows the opening of the carrier’s Centre of Service Excellence that will deliver training programs for half of its employees in 2009.

Head of Qantas Airlines John Borghetti will be the first to undergo the training. “Our executive team is also committed to spending time each month in a frontline service area to experience
the world through the eyes of our people and our customers,” chief executive Alan Joyce said.

[BAM1748]

Many moons ago, about 25 years, when I worked for McDonal's Systems Australia at Home Office, they started and still have one day per year where every head office person goes out and spends a day in a store.

It may one be one day per year but you certainly see how the foot soldiers deal with things.

Well worth it, even if just for the PR excercise of having my bag tagged and checked in my Mr Joyce.

[SusanS]

Well worth it, even if just for the PR excercise of having my bag tagged and checked in my Mr Joyce.

I am laughing my head off at the above vision. Just think about it.

No I don't think it's a good idea to have senior execs anywhere near the front line. What they should be doing is making life for frontline staff better, and it doesn't take a day in the field to work out what needs to happen. If these guys really know their stuff, they shouldn't need to be out there annoying frontline staff and passengers.

Sounds like the McDonald's systems training manual has gotten into the wrong hands.

As much as I admire Mr Joyce's obvious ability to run Q, I don't think this a good idea, it'll just infuriate frontline staff even more. Probably better to just listen to what they want changed and get on with making the changes. I'm sure Q gets enough feedback from customers to know what needs to change.

[Travel Guru]

I am laughing my head off at the above vision. Just think about it.

No I don't think it's a good idea to have senior execs anywhere near the front line. What they should be doing is making life for frontline staff better, and it doesn't take a day in the field to work out what needs to happen. If these guys really know their stuff, they shouldn't need to be out there annoying frontline staff and passengers.

Sounds like the McDonald's systems training manual has gotten into the wrong hands.

As much as I admire Mr Joyce's obvious ability to run Q, I don't think this a good idea, it'll just infuriate frontline staff even more. Probably better to just listen to what they want changed and get on with making the changes. I'm sure Q gets enough feedback from customers to know what needs to change.

I'd actually have to disagree with you there, although i'm now very successfully self-employed, I've spent enough time on the front line in a major corporation (this big red travel agency) to know that unfortunately as well equipped as senior execs may be, they also quickly lose touch with what goes on on the front line for the simple reason that the market is continually changing.

Anyone worth their salt in my opinion is sure to see it as a positive having them spend a day on the front line putting up customers and staying in touch with how things are, I know I always wished they would, and i'm sure i'm not alone.

TG

[SusanS]

I'd actually have to disagree with you there, although i'm now very successfully self-employed, I've spent enough time on the front line in a major corporation (this big red travel agency) to know that unfortunately as well equipped as senior execs may be, they also quickly lose touch with what goes on on the front line for the simple reason that the market is continually changing.

Anyone worth their salt in my opinion is sure to see it as a positive having them spend a day on the front line putting up customers and staying in touch with how things are, I know I always wished they would, and i'm sure i'm not alone.

TG

I know what you're saying TG and the conventional wisdom would suggest that a day in the field by sen execs should be positive for a company, but how many times does this sort of thing occur in many organisations, only to result in very little change actually happening, and then the whole exercise is viewed with borderline contempt by staff, who get their hopes up that senior managers really want to make theirs and customers experience significantly better.

I'm sorry to be skeptical, not my normal nature, I'm an optimist, however, I have seen this time and time before, and I hope in this case that it does actually result in real change, otherwise it really is pointless and can cause more harm than good.
( I'm a psychologist who has to deal with the fallout of misguided management decisions)

[garyjohn951]

Thought this was a rather interesting approach...perhaps more execs should follow suit...

Qantas execs to join frontline

Senior Qantas executives will be required to spend time on the frontline as part of a plan to improve customer service. The move follows the opening of the carrier’s Centre of Service Excellence that will deliver training programs for half of its employees in 2009.

Head of Qantas Airlines John Borghetti will be the first to undergo the training. “Our executive team is also committed to spending time each month in a frontline service area to experience
the world through the eyes of our people and our customers,” chief executive Alan Joyce said.

Hopefully this will include the executives sitting in Y on long haul trips !!!

[Platy]

I am laughing my head off at the above vision. Just think about it.

No I don't think it's a good idea to have senior execs anywhere near the front line. What they should be doing is making life for frontline staff better, and it doesn't take a day in the field to work out what needs to happen. If these guys really know their stuff, they shouldn't need to be out there annoying frontline staff and passengers.

Sounds like the McDonald's systems training manual has gotten into the wrong hands.

As much as I admire Mr Joyce's obvious ability to run Q, I don't think this a good idea, it'll just infuriate frontline staff even more. Probably better to just listen to what they want changed and get on with making the changes. I'm sure Q gets enough feedback from customers to know what needs to change.

Actually, SusanS, I also completely disagree with you. I have worked as a consultant in a certain local telecom where this policy was implemented and seen it work first hand. (I also wrote some interactive online training as a guide for participating managers, which greatly impressed the head of leadership from the UK HQ responsible for enhancing leadership skills in the 30 odd associated telcos around the world, a collective organisation many times bigger than the QF Group).

The key success factor was committed buy in from the CEO down. The CEO and team must front up to show that they are serious through a face to face engagement and deal with issues face on. The real problem area will be the middle management tier who are typically the most reluctant to undergo cultural workplace change - they must be forced to comply with change or made to walk.

In QF bad attitude has come from the top down. The Green Gremlin and his cavorting coven need to prove their commitment to serious and profound workplace cultural change to resolve their staff morale and customer service issues.

EVERY person I talk to at the QF coalface says they are not listened to by senior mangement/exec team.

QF from the top down must talk to customers directly. They must talk to and listen to their frontline staff.

I trust they will listen to their own common sense rather than your presumptive assumption that staff will become infuriated.

Incidentally, IMHO the customer feedback process at QF is very poor - despite the fact that are many things that obviously can be changed, I would want far more depth and smart analaysis if I was His Emerald Holiness.

(PS. Perhpas you might like to elaborate on your professional opinion - is current psych theory such that such initiatives are doomed to failure? Are just individual responses modeled or group responses? What about affect of group response on individual response? If staff negativity isn't confronted head on, face to face, how will you ever remove it without showing your determination on a human level?).

[Platy]

Hopefully this will include the executives sitting in Y on long haul trips !!!

I bet it wont!!!

[Platy]

I know what you're saying TG and the conventional wisdom would suggest that a day in the field by sen execs should be positive for a company, but how many times does this sort of thing occur in many organisations, only to result in very little change actually happening, and then the whole exercise is viewed with borderline contempt by staff, who get their hopes up that senior managers really want to make theirs and customers experience significantly better.

Yes, SusanS, half baked projects can result in negative outcomes! But IF the CEO is endowed with even a fraction of the leadership skills you appear to recognise surely he will be smart enough to make the necessary commitment to make such a scheme work!

[dot]

I seem to remember RyanAir doing a similar thing a couple of years ago - certainly not a new concept, but if properly done and (more importantly) followed through, could see significant improvements in all aspects of the QF business - which (hopefully) will also flow on to positive outcomes for the travelling public. I think it is a good idea provided the implementation isn't half-ar5ed.