Case 5.1 Club Med
Professor Christopher W.L. Hart prepared this case with the research assistance of
Dan Maher as the basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effec-
tive or ineffective handling of an administrative situation.
© Copyright 1986 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Jacky Amzallag, director of Human Resources for Club Med’s American
zone, smiled warmly at his visitors and waved them in as he spoke rapidly
over the telephone to Carlos, chief of the village at Playa Blanca, Mexico.
“Another GO has quit?* That’s two that you’ve fired and two who have
quit so far this season – in just four weeks! Why did this one quit?” asked
Jacky with a pained look. “Too many hours? No? Maybe he missed his
sweetheart back home.” Jacky winked at his visitors. “Badattitude?” He
looked astonished. “I don’t understand! He had an excellent attitude. I
interviewed him myself! What happened to him?” Jacky’s head jerked
back as he moved the handset a foot from his ear. A booming voice from
several thousand miles away, obviously agitated, filled the room. Jacky’s
face took on a pained expression. “OK, OK. I’ll get you a replacement
windsurfing instructor. How soon? As soon as possible, of course. How
soon? Impossible! I know, I know ... I havebeen in your position! You were
my chief of sports in Brazil – back in ’82. Some friend. I teach you every-
thing I know – all my tricks [another wink at his visitors] – and here you
yell at me because your windsurfing instructor quits. Let me find out who
is available.”
Suddenly, Jacky leaned forward, listening intently, smiling, with a look
of anticipation. Howling with laughter, he asked, “Where did you hear that
one? Have you told it to anyone here? Good. I’ll get good mileage out of
that one! Salut, mon copain.” Whirling around in his chair, Jacky pressed
down on the intercom. “Debbie, would you pull the active résumés from
the windsurfing-instructor file?”
Jacky, smiling at his guests, leaned back in his chair and reflected.
“Voltaire wrote, ‘We cannot always oblige, but we can always speak oblig-
ingly.’” Then he sighed:
I have calls like that one almost every day. Despite our best efforts, there are
problems in this business that just can’t be avoided. It is, after all, a service
business, and my department is fairly new ... lots of bugs to iron out. It isThe recruitment and internal market domains 335
*The term “GO”, pronounced gee-oh, stands forgentil organisateurin French,congenial host
in English. Each Club Med village employed a team of about 80 GOs who handled all jobs
other than housekeeping and groundskeeping. GOs organized the activities in a Club Med
village and mingled freely with guests (called “GMs”, pronounced gee-ems:gentils membres
in French,congenial membersin English).