2.2.5 Culture Building
At KidZania, there is a strong emphasis on culture building where the organisation has put in place structures to promote a collaborative spirit among the staff. From the warm smiles and hearty‘ Kais’ from a co-worker to another, it is clear that the staff of KidZania enjoy close and positive working relationship with one another. It is also heartening to observe that the management clearly has a good understanding and knows their employees on the ground personally. It helps that many of the management, including the General Manager, or whom they call the‘ Mayor’, walks the ground during the operating hours of KidZania to provide the necessary support to their staff.
The level of staff engagement at KidZania is also kept high throughout the year with the organizing of at least four‘ D & Ds’ every year, where all staff are invited to celebrate special occasions such as Chinese New Year and Christmas. At these D & Ds, the spirits are kept high with different activities, ranging from the presentation of staff awards to performances put up by different groups of staff. Apart from these structured celebrations that contribute to the positive and collaborative culture at KidZania, team leaders or district leaders also take their own initiative to organize bonding activities with their team members on a regular basis. This helps to promote and foster the sense of belonging and foster closer-knit relationships with one another in the workplace.
KidZania also has their own unique features which help to foster a greater sense of identity and belonging to the organization. These includes having their own unique KidZanian language, hand signals, story, characters and even their own unique National Anthem. In fact, every Monday, all staff will gather at the main foyer to sing the KidZanian National Anthem. The general manager, and the key appointment holders of the park are role models to all the staff when they are present during the national anthem to lead the staff. This shows the staff the commitment the leaders have which will drive the positive behaviour of the rest of the organisation. The special KidZanian language of‘ kai’ for hi and‘ zank u’ for thank you allow for a unique experience for the staff as this language can only be used in this organisation. This naturally forges a bond among the staff as they communicate uniquely with one another.
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