Some of the problems plaguing the Portman Hotel in its inception include a lack of harmony among the workers, a lack of effort by some of the personal valets, and a lack of discipline on the part of management. The following case study uses various theories to explain these issues.
The harmony problem involving the "floating" personal valets can be explained using the Fundamental Attribution Error Theory. This is when the behavior of an individual or a group is attributed too much to an internal factor, when in fact; an external factor is at play (Class Lecture, 9/21). It is where the actions of a person or a group are associated with the "kind" of person he or they may be, rather than associating the actions to an outside source (Fundamental Attribution Error). For instance, the floaters were looked upon as disloyal and careless. They were accused of wasting time and stealing tips. They were viewed as outsiders rather than members of the same group. However, in reality, they were just victims of their position. They weren't afforded the luxury of building strong relationships and familiarities with their coworkers nor the guests. The fact that their job required them to move around caused them to be seen as unstable. Besides, the floaters were an adaptation implemented by management. It wasn't their fault that the hotel capacity wasn't full enough to allow the 5-Star plan to work properly.
One way to determine if the situation is the source of the behavior instead of the personality of the individual is to observe how all the individuals behave in the same situation (Fundamental Attribution Error). If all of the floaters behave the same way, then perhaps the si ...