Welcome back to our talk with Denis Sorin, Amsa Hospitality’ President of Hospitality. Two days ago, Denis told us about the meaning of our slogan “Hallmark of Arabian Hospitality”, and about the weekly blog, every Thursday, published by Amsa Hospitality’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mohammad Alathel. It’s already online at amsahospitality.com/blog. I was lucky enough to go through it before publishing, and I can testify that it is extremely interesting – it’s not everyday that you can understand the genesis of such an ambitious and exciting project!
Q: Now Denis, during our last conversation, while answering my question about ‘Team Amsa’, you mentioned that we don’t only work, but we “live Amsa Hospitality”. What do you mean by that? A: You can imagine that such an impressive concept, as imagined by our Founder and CEO Mohammad Alathel, requires an organization that goes far beyond and above the traditional pyramidal management style.
First, we developed a vision and mission statement that clearly state our reason of being – check the Amsa Hospitality’ Web site for more information at amsahospitality.com.
You’ll tell me that there is nothing out of the ordinary here, and you’ll be right.
Where we start to differentiate ourselves from our competitors in particular in the Middle East, it is with our Core Values.
Of course, you’ll also find them listed at amsahospitality.com.
To summarize our Core Values, let’s say that Amsa Hospitality is about being free, yet responsible, having fun, yet being professional, where innovation is key.
Regardless of their official denomination, Team Amsa members are working in an ever evolving team, when everyone can be a project leader on a job one day and a ‘project-mate’ on another one - all at the same time. Our work structure banned once and for good what specialists call “organizational silos”, that usually leads to having employees pursuing their department goals rather than company’s – often due to department heads being ‘misaligned’ from company’s vision. Hence our Core Values that lead us to work in that ever evolving team that I was mentioning earlier:
We do have only one team versus as many teams as there are departments.
Amsa Hospitality office design reflects this:
There is no more close-door offices but a limited number of workstations based on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, sofas and armchairs where to work comfortably, discuss between colleagues, read a book, or play a game of chess between two brainstorming sessions!
The idea is that no one should feel constraint, but instead feel free to express their ideas, develop their own projects, get creative… for Amsa Hospitality to reach highs never seen before in our industry.
In fact, everyone of us has their own last generation powerful laptop to allow them to work as much from home or from the office – all the tools that we are using being securely available online.
Again, we don’t want Team Amsa members to clock in at the office and be present, regardless of the quality of their work.
Except for few mandatory weekly team meetings, everyone comes and goes as they wish.
The only thing that matters is the quality of work produced and their ability to strictly meet set deadlines.
Q: I can vouch that when I joined Amsa Hospitality, it took me some time to adapt to this demanding work organization: It is so different than anywhere else I worked before. But after the necessary adaptation period (you are required to think by yourself and don’t seek authorization from your boss for everything you want to do – where else do you see that!), I can say it will be difficult for me to go back to a traditional work organization! A: You said that our work organization is demanding. You are right: So much freedom on one hand while being deadline and results oriented on the other mean that being a Team Amsa member can be challenging, require a necessary learning curve, and the ability to continuously adapt to whatever is thrown at you.
But at the same time, it is so rewarding – you can really make a difference in anything you do!
I do agree with Mohammad Alathel when he says that Amsa Hospitality is first and foremost a “people company”.
We strongly believe that it is all of us, as Team Amsa members, that make Amsa Hospitality so great and successful – not only few front stage individuals!
Working at Amsa Hospitality, it’s celebrating every day all our colleagues (from management to rank & file – as every cog, small and big, is paramount for a clock to work perfectly), and of course the great Arabian culture of generosity and hospitality! This what I meant when I said that “we live Amsa Hospitality”.
Once again, thank you Denis Sorin, Amsa Hospitality’ President of Hospitality. I am sure our followers and readers found your comments very interesting, and I would not be surprised if we soon start receiving CVs from applicants who want to join such an amazing organization!
Let’s meet again after the weekend for more answers to the questions asked by Amsa Hospitality followers and readers…