Chapter 26 - Culture Challenges at the VIP Casino

Elizabeth J. O’Connor

Synopsis

As Head of Gaming Operations for the VIP casino, Susan faces culture-related challenges among her staff and pressure from leadership. The VIP is a large and profitable casino, owned by an international gaming company. Despite financial success, the casino receives some of the lowest customer satisfaction ratings of all casinos in the company. After expansive renovations and several culture-related initiatives and employee incentive programs, the casino has failed to improve its scores. Susan reflects on culture-related efforts to date and seeks inspiration for improving the culture, and ultimately the experience of guests at the VIP.

Keywords: Organizational Culture, Leadership, Gaming, Customer Service, Customer Satisfaction

Key Takeaways and Take a Stand Form

Key Takeaways

  1. Culture is much more complex than a company’s mission, values and espoused ways of working and takes time to change incrementally.
  2. Culture is constantly evolving and being influenced by a multitude of factors including company history, physical space, leadership styles, organizational design, and more.
  3. Leadership plays a critical role in culture by role modeling, creating trust and inspiring individuals to live out the company’s values and desired behaviors.
  4. Culture change takes much more than a communications campaign, as it is requires changing the shared beliefs, values and accepted behaviors among a group of individuals.
  5. Especially in service-based industries, culture can impact bottom-line results for an organization.

Take a Stand Form