Organization
Needs
Assessment

Overview

Samuel
Youn

April
27,
2010

Problems
and
Solutions
for
the
Holiday
Inn
Express


1003
W.
Killarney
St.

Urbana
IL
61801




 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Holiday Inn Express (Urbana) Organizational Needs Assessment
CMN 412
April 27, 2010
The organization chosen for the organizational needs assessment final project was the Holiday
Inn Express in Urbana. The purpose of the organizational needs assessment was to identify the
needs the Holiday Inn Express had and how those needs could be addressed and met by the use
of a new technology. This executive summary will provide a summary of findings,
recommendations for the Holiday Inn Express in Urbana along with a clear statement of benefits
that the recommendation provides.

The organizational needs assessment was conducted over a period of two weeks during the
month of April in year 2010. The organizational needs assessment was conducted through a
series of surveys, interviews, observation of communication, and collection of communication
artifacts. Thirty-four staff members of the Holiday Inn Express in Urbana participated in a
survey and employees from the six departments of the hotel were interviewed. Participation was
voluntary and all participants were informed that the data gathered would be used solely for the
purpose of this Communication 412 final project.

Summary of Findings

The charts on page 1 displays data collected from three key components of the organizational
needs assessment. These three components include the mediums of communication used at the
Holiday Inn Express in Urbana, the level of computer proficiency of employees, and
communication problems as diagnosed by the employees. The data collected with each of the
three components were then analyzed and combined with data collected from interviews to
establish criteria for an effective solution. Findings are discussed below in terms of numerical
significance and relevant information collected from interviews.

Overview of Employee Surveys Appendix A

A. Mediums of Communication represents staff responses about which communication

mediums they use on a day to day basis to communicate with other employees at the Holiday Inn
Express in Urbana. The graphic summary of results shows that face-to-face communication is
the most common medium of communication at 44%. The second most common medium of
communication is the use of a notebook which employees used to log guest comments, room
problems and other issues that needed to be addressed. Face-to-face communication and the use
of the log notebook combined accounts for 73% of communication mediums used on a daily
basis.

B. Satisfaction With Communication represents the responses of employees when asked whether
they were satisfied or unsatisfied with communication practices and effectiveness. The results
show that 100% of the 34 employees surveyed were unsatisfied with communication practices
and effectiveness at the Holiday Inn Express in Urbana

C. Problems With Communication as diagnosed by employees represents the responses of

employees when asked what each employee thought was the main problem with the
communication practices at the hotel. The graphic summary shows that the largest problem at
42% was unclear messages. The second largest problem at 31% was that employees forgot or
didn’t read the log book. These two main problems account for 73% of all communication
problems reported by the employees.

D. Computer Proficiency represents self-reported computer proficiency of the employees. The

data provided is not based upon a single response from each employee surveyed. Employees
were allowed to list as many work related computer skills they possessed. The data collected
shows that 100% of the employees were able to type with the computer and 58% of the
employees were proficient with Microsoft word. Only managers and the front desk employees
were proficient with the Opera and Holidex (Property Management Software).

Overview of Employee Interviews Appendix B

Employee interviews were conducted through face-to-face communication at the Holiday Inn
Express Urbana breakfast seating area. Each interview was privately conducted and recorded
through a tape recorder. A representative from the six major departments at the hotel were asked
five questions regarding the importance of communication at their workplace as well as the
problems and suggestions for improvements regarding workplace communication. The data
below represents key quotes and information received from each representative of the six major
departments.

A. General Manager- Shari L.

“We have a really strict budget so I don’t think we can add any new technologies or systems or
something like that …everyone depends on each other. We are a team.”

B. Executive Housekeeper – Cherca M.

“… there is no communication at all between the front desk and housekeeping.”

C. Front Desk Representative – Natalie L.

“If it’s busy, I might be working with Jessica, and she might be talking to someone about
something. Then that person will come to me and talk about it later and I have no idea what he
is talking about.”

D. Front Desk / Sales Manager – Jessica J.

“if one shift missing out the lack of communication can mess up a lot of stuff in the long run.”

E. Houseman – Eric P.
“…other times there is miscommunication and things don’t get done and I get in trouble. Like if
a guest wants towels and the front desk tells me too late, I am the one who gets yelled at. Or they
give me the wrong room number!”

F. Maintenance – Greg B.
“ If I fix a toilet, then I tell the front desk, but the front desk doesn’t write it down, the toilet will
be marked broken in the log book for the next day and I go back to fix it when its already been
taken care of. It just makes work a lot more difficult.”

Research Conclusions

The research and data collected establish a basis for creating key criteria for a possible solution.
All employees believed that communication was vital for their individual jobs and for the hotel
as a whole. All employees surveyed and interviewed also believed that they were unhappy with
the current communication practices as a whole. As a result, there is sufficient evidence to show
that current communication practices are detrimental to day to day …

Recommendations

Although a plethora of communicative problems were diagnosed at the Holiday Inn Express, the
recommendation of this organizational needs assessment aims to meet all the problems with a
single solution which does not require a budget. The key criteria for a solution to the needs of
the Holiday Inn Express include:

 Low or Zero Cost

 Easy Adaptability
 Organized and Compartmentalized Data Fields
 Information Distribution
 Instant Communication

A solution recommended and presented to the Holiday Inn Express in Urbana is an Excel
spreadsheet tailored for the particular needs at the hotel. The Excel spreadsheet is constantly
available through a web based version of Excel via Google Docs. Appendix C shows the excel
file which would be accessible to all hotel employees.

There spreadsheet features basic information about hotel occupancy, rates, arrivals and
departures for the current business day. The main section of the spreadsheet features data entry
for all information relevant to a guest complaint or room issue. There are data entry locations for
the time of the reported incident, room number, guest name, contact phone number, rate, check-
in date, check-out date, guest comments for problems and resolutions, and follow up instructions.
Each data field provides necessary information for a hotel employee to send or receive messages
in regards to issues the hotel. There are also five separate spreadsheets to distribute information
which include front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, houseman and general manager.

Benefits

The recommendation proposed to the Holiday Inn Express not only fulfills the key criteria for an
effective solution but provides an initiative for change in the communication processes between
employees at the hotel. The proposed solution has zero cost to the hotel as Google Docs allows
computers to access Excel software without having Microsoft Office Suites installed and
registered for every computer. The excel spreadsheets allows information to be categorized and
communicated in a manner in which all employees can find the most relevant information in a
single page. Moreover, data entry fields encourage employees to input information they
otherwise would have not considered relevant to share with others. The proposed solution
allows each employee the ability to read only information relative to their respective
departments. The Excel sheet is accommodating to those with a slow learning curve for newly
implement technology as data entry is simplistic. The employee will only need to understand
how to type in the appropriate fields.

There are also several beneficial unintended uses of the excel spreadsheet. As a web based
application, managers of the hotel have the ability to remotely access the spreadsheet and keep
an eye on what is happening at the hotel. A second unintended use of the Excel Spread sheet is
extensive record keeping. Complaints from previous guests who have stayed at the hotel can
now be retrieved as each log will be archived. This serves as a great utility for management to
understand exactly what an unhappy guest is speaking about. The intended and unintended
benefits of the Excel spread sheets provide solvency for communication problems within the
hotel and ultimately allows the hotel to provide better service for their guests.

Conclusion

The purpose of this organizational needs assessment was to identify the needs the Holiday Inn
Express had and how those needs could be addressed and met by the use of a new technology.
This executive summary provided a summary of findings, recommendations for the Holiday Inn
Express in Urbana along with a clear statement of benefits that the recommendation provides.

This organizational needs assessment diagnosed key communicative and needs through
employee surveys, interviews, observations and analysis of communicative artifacts. A
recommendation was provided which fulfilled and surpassed the needs of the hotel. The
customized Excel spread sheet accessible via Google Docs only meets communicative
deficiencies, but also serves to facilitate beneficial guest service processes.
 Medium
of
Communica2on

15

14

13

12

11

Use

per

person


10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Face
to
Face
 Notebook
 Walkie‐Talkie
 Cell
Phone
 Alert
in
Computer
 Announcement

Bulliten


Medium
of
Communica2on





 Medium
of
Communication

Face
to
Face
 15

Notebook
 10

Walkie‐Talkie
 5

Cell
Phone
 2

Alert
in
Computer
 1

Announcement
Bulletin
 1







Computer
Proficiency
 Problems

Rushing

15%
 10%

Opera
 31%
 Delay
in

42%
 9%
 Holidex
 17%
 CommunicaQon

MicrosoK
Office
 Unclear
Message


34%
 Typing

42%
 Forget/Don't

read



















 



 




Computer
Proficiency
 Problems

Opera
 9
 
 Rushing
 5

Holidex
 5
 Delay
in
Communication
 8

Microsoft
Office
 20
 
 Unclear
Message
 20

Typing
 25
 Forget/Don't
read
 15

 Criteria
for
Solution

 Cost

 Easy
adaptability

 Organized

 Information
distribution

 Instant
communication