Inheriting the Future
Observations on the evolving role of middle management within the Australian gaming industry; a paper co-authored by Michael Ferris and Andrew MacDonald.
By Andrew MacDonald, Senior Executive Casino Operations
and Michael Ferris
Adelaide Casino, 1995
Introduction and Terminology | Pit Boss – Caretaker or Policeman | Mental Models | “If It Isn’t Broken – Don’t Fix It” | Pioneers Versus Settlers | The Challenge of Change | Bridging the Gulf between the Theoretical and the Practical | From Personal Realm to Professional Sphere | Means of Selection for Promotion | The Formation of Particular Management Structures | The Impact of Promotion upon Candidates Themselves | The Criteria for Selection | Unified Professional Ethic | Pit Boss Job Description | Code Of Ethics (Noblesse Oblige) | The Company Mission Statement | Empowerment of Staff | Implementing Change | The Human Consequences of Change | Walking Backwards into the Future | Bibliography |
It may prove useful to pause at this point and place this evolution of the middle management role in its historical perspective.
The casino industry is still in its relative infancy. Institutionalised gambling commenced in the United Kingdom with the introduction of the Gaming Act in 1968. Legalised gaming in the United States predates Britain by forty years. The pioneer casino employees forged a particular set of values which clearly reflected their respective cultures and met the management needs of that era.
In the United States, the notion of “juice” or contacts sprang up. The concept of “It’s not what you know but who you know” was a major factor in determining who got the prime positions. In the United Kingdom, an aristocracy of management concept prevailed. The supposed nobility of management mirrored the need for a staunch preservation of the social order within British society. Management therefore reflected the class-consciousness of the society in which it developed. Traits such as correct reserved gentility, conducting one’s self properly, and knowing one’s place were essential traits within this strict hierarchy based on professional breeding and pedigree.
A time for settlement may now be at hand. Neither of these original management models was planned nor designed. Both were born of circumstance and location. They have served the industry thus far but when we study these models in the light of current economic climes, it becomes clear that they have major deficiencies. It may therefore be necessary to review and revamp many accepted beliefs, and to devise a new conceptual map with agreed landmarks whereby everyone knows what they can expect of others and what others can expect of them. The process of settlement or consolidation may not be as exciting or colourful as exploring and discovering new frontiers, but it is every bit as crucial. It provides a sound platform for the future.
