Industry Comment
Industry Comment
Enlightened management
The Fyfe and Fernandes approach to managing airlines. Dr. Rob Britton heads AirLearn (www.
AirLearn.Net) a consultancy promoting airline industry understanding.
rob.britton@
airlearn.net
If someone asks me to name two current airline-business idols, I can respond without hesitation: Rob Fyfe, ceo of Air New Zealand, and Tony
Fernandes, who heads AirAsia. Those are very different companies – a long-established, full- service flag carrier, and a wildly successful, rapidly-growing low-cost upstart. Messrs. Fyfe and Fernandes stand out because they have reduced the distance from their offices to the frontline, to the benefit of their employees, customers, investors, and other stakeholders. In this column, I’ll discuss the benefits of this approach; next issue, we’ll mop up with a look at why more leaders don’t get their hands dirty. Rob Fyfe came to the airline business after a
successful career in banking and other sectors. As a newcomer, he reckoned that a good way to learn would be to get a uniform and start flying as a cabin crew member (I used the same logic in the late 1990s when I was appointed to lead American Airlines’ catering team). So he did, and the experience was so useful that he asked other senior officials at Air New Zealand to do likewise. At AirAsia, Tony Fernandes faced a similar challenge, and responded by making himself always available – he has no private office in Kuala Lumpur, but sits on the “shop floor” with his colleagues. He’s always roaming the system. It’s the ultimate in what management gurus of the 1980s called MBWA, management by walking around. What benefits does this sort of flattening
bring? I think there are at least four. First, the airline industry is a business of details, and senior managers need to see that frontline workers – cabin crew, airport customer-service providers, call-centre agents, and others – need to master the same volumes – albeit different kinds – of details as those who sit in the executive suite (or, in the case of Tony, don’t sit there). Second, it builds credibility and respect among
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“As a newcomer, he reckoned that a good way to learn would be to get a uniform and start flying as a cabin crew
member...the experience was so useful he asked other senior officials to do likewise”
all employees. “You just don’t understand” is a common refrain among service workers everywhere, and their frustration is usually valid. Unless they started on the frontline, most senior people do not really see how difficult it can be to deal with a cabin full of customers unhappy
with a lengthy delay, or keeping control during a serious weather problem, or the like. Third, senior managers are amply paid to see
the big picture, and they cannot comprehend that entire tableau without getting down into the operation – especially to really see the customer experience as delivered, not as specified. And fourth, being on the frontline is enormously satisfying – it’s fun. A dozen years ago, I couldn’t wait to put on my serving apron and work the Dallas/Fort Worth-Sao Paulo overnight, or the quick hop from Chicago to Toronto, or other flights. I really liked talking to customers. I especially enjoyed unfiltered interaction with frequent business flyers, the people who, more than any others, make airline profits possible.
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