Since joining Bowlmor-AMF as District Manager in 2014, Nick Scaccio has driven exceptional growth by focusing on talent, training, and facility renovations. To enhance his leadership skills, he wanted to explore how to foster change in corporate culture. He found what he was looking for in the Achieving Breakthrough Service (now titled Transforming Customer Experiences) program at HBS. Here he discusses a few highlights of his experience.
I initially heard about the course from our CEO, who attended with our team of regional vice presidents about a year and a half ago. They have actually attended another course since then, because they were so fond of the program and realized that it was so important in terms of initiating change. One thing I wanted to take away from this course, in addition to the service component, was a better understanding of initiating change by changing corporate culture.
Absolutely. It was fantastic! We got along really well, which was great. And it exposed me to the unique perspectives of the individuals who were part of the group. Each member was from a different geographical region, and each had a different viewpoint based on his or her profession and position.
Definitely. Some of the breakout sessions were particularly beneficial for our team. Because we're so segmented (geographically and by brand), these sessions allowed us to exchange varying perspectives based on our company's vision as a whole. We have many regionalized opinions in terms of our company vision, so we wound up collaborating during the breakout sessions to build a unified vision among our brands and regions. That was one of the major takeaways for us.
Yes. What I learned about initiating cultural change will have a major impact on my organization. One of the case studies dealt with hotel chains and hospitality, and the importance of word of mouth. For us, the cultural importance of word of mouth among employees was a new perspective. Also, one of the presentations had to do with acquisitions—how acquisitions impact culture and how culture impacts acquisitions. I thought that was particularly relevant to my organization because we have acquired two companies over the past couple of years.
The program is excellent. It's provocative. It's more than what you would imagine. It incorporates different aspects of service that one wouldn't really think of in terms of simple or standardized operations. And it provides a wide range of perspectives that can help you think in new ways to transform an operation, a business, and a culture.