Touristology’s framework

Good Touristologists know that in order to become one they have to build up a strong framework based upon all the frameworks that they see during the grade. It’s similar to the Russian Dolls changing dolls for frameworks! 

First things first, people, what else? It is the beginning of all tourism activity. People who travel because they want to travel or because through a travel they can get what it is important to them.  People of your organization or tourism destination which provide the service, helps to transform the travel into an experience and sometimes even to create the tourism products. All the people involved in this process have to be properly trained. Then they become “Homus Organizativus” which is a way to represent the people ready for action. They are the bedrock of the tourism activity, your tourism destination and your organization. They can be your employees, your collaborators or your own customers.

Normal people become “Homus Organizativus” when:

1) They share the same vision that the rest of the organization. Sometimes also called enterprise culture and represented by the yellow triangle in the next figure.

2) They have tasks: The things that they have to do.

3) They have responsibilities: Which means that something good happens to them if they finish the tasks properly and the other way around. A responsibility it isn’t a task but it is the consequence of a well done task. In order to know that we have to link it to a variable of control that we’ll see in a moment.

4) Authority: When you are inside an organization, the fulfillment of your tasks, usually need the help of other people. If you don’t have the authority to ask for it you will have a problem (and the organization as well!!!). If you have a task and a superior asks for something it’s very important to have the authority to say not now, I’ll be more than happy to do that when I finish this.

5) Variables of control:  How do you know if you do your tasks properly? How do you know if you fulfill your responsibility? You will need a variable of control. This variable can be economical (services sold, expense in a specific cost…) or non-economical (percentage of customers who make a complaint, percentage of customers happy after service recovery, employee’s turnover…). In both cases, you will need a threshold, and average and a standard deviation.

For instance, you know that in order to pass a test you need a 5 (if the maximum mark is 10) this will be the threshold. If you get a 7 I supposed you will be very happy BUT what if the class’ average is 9, not so good huh? What if the class’s average is 3, WOW! Your seven is very good! You also want to know if this average is representative.  A high standard deviation will tell you that the average is not representative. For instance, an average of 3 because seven students get a 1 and only two students get a 10 it’s very different if the case is that all the students get a 3.  I don’t know you but I hate to be average!

6) Protocols of communication: In order to work as an organization we have to communicate if we finish our task, if we need a service recovery… otherwise we can end up doing the same over and over or not doing it at all!

 I usually represent  “homus organizativous”  framework in this way.

 

When you have people properly trained you can pass to the next level, the creation of organizations autonomous and replicable.

Autonomous? Which means that they can operate by themselves. Your company only works properly when you are there? I’m sorry but you don’t create and organization you create a job for you!

Replicable? Meaning that you can use the same principles and frameworks to create a similar one. You will be ready to create a franchise, to extend your business in other tourism destinations or countries of origin and so on.

The Touristology’s frameworks related to organizations are the following ones which you are already familiar with.

1) Bermuda Triangle in order to know if your company will be viable.

2) Strategic Triangle to be sure that your company is competitive and keep it that way!

Once you have people inside a viable and competitive organization, it’s time to use 1, 2, 3 Theory to develop a set of  successful strategies in an international environment.

Finally, Servuction Servuction as a business process through all the chain of value, from the beginning to the end of the trip. From the country of origin to the tourism destination. Remember you don’t send products abroad, we bring people, for that reason it’s so important to get their trust and add value. We have to provoke the trip, we have to prove that we are Touristologists!

Who said that Touristology is an easy grade? I know this one! One with no idea whatsoever about Tourism!

Paraphrasing Michelangelo “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.” I like to say… Every student can become a Touristologist and it’s the task of the lecturer to add the right frameworks!

Come on Touristologists put your frameworks on! Keep them ready; improve them with your experience and examples of your professional life.

Touristology’s frameworks make you a Touristologist. Good Touristologists make Touristology a science… 

OUR SCIENCE!