Hubert Ummels is the founder of GameChangers, an international agency that develops people and organisational cultures for hotel groups around the world, including Hilton. With MapsTell, employees gained a shared, positive language for talking about behaviour, from the kitchen to the boardroom.
The challenge
GameChangers works with organisations in hospitality, tourism and retail, including Hilton, Accor and Radisson. In these sectors, people work in shifts, speak different languages and have widely varying educational backgrounds.
Hubert found that many instruments were too theoretical or too complex to have a real impact in this environment. Someone working in a hotel does not have time for a model that first requires a lengthy explanation. And when people do not understand a term in front of their colleagues, they usually do not ask.
The solution
The World of Difference can be placed on the floor as a floormap, displayed on a wall or shown on a screen. People step onto the map and stand where they feel at home.
That changes the nature of the conversation. Participants almost automatically show the behaviour associated with where they are standing, making it immediately clear why communication between two people can sometimes create friction. No one has to learn a model first.
In addition, everyone receives a PersonalMap. It shows their qualities and challenges and, above all, the difference between how they see themselves and how they come across to others. That is usually the moment the room goes quiet.
“The strength of MapsTell is that you let people literally step into The World of Difference. Instead of thick reports, they get something visual, playful and tangible. That makes them curious, they take part actively and they are far more open to learning.”
The result
MapsTell started at Hilton as an accessible way for people to get to know each other better. It proved so successful that its use soon expanded.
It is now an established part of leadership development and of hospitality, feedback and sales training in Hilton hotels across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South-East Asia. From housekeeping staff to general managers, people use the same language for behaviour.
Leaders use these insights to connect more effectively with what their people need. This leads to clearer feedback, more effective instructions and a better understanding of how colleagues take in information.
