Should lemon tree hotels attempt to replicate its inclusion-based human resources strategy in the u.S. market?
Conference
Wernick, D. (2020). Should lemon tree hotels attempt to replicate its inclusion-based human resources strategy in the u.S. market?
. 293-299. 10.34190/IRT.20.007
Wernick, D. (2020). Should lemon tree hotels attempt to replicate its inclusion-based human resources strategy in the u.S. market?
. 293-299. 10.34190/IRT.20.007
This teaching case examines the question of whether Lemon Tree Hotels, India’s leading midscale hotel operator, should attempt to replicate its highly successful, inclusion-based human resources strategy in the U.S. market. The strategy focuses on recruiting, training, and hiring workers with disabilities to work alongside non-disabled staff throughout various areas of hotel operations. Among the groups targeted for employment are individuals with speech, hearing, and vision impairments, orthopedic disabilities (i.e., amputees), and intellectual challenges such as autism and Down syndrome. In recent years, Lemon Tree has expanded its outreach to individuals from economically and socially marginalized sectors of society, including orphans raised in institutions and victims of acid attacks. Today, nearly 20 percent of Lemon Tree’s 5,000-strong workforce is comprised of such “opportunity-deprived individuals,” and the company aims to increase this number to 45 percent by 2025. The case is set in mid-2019. Ms. Aradhana Lal, vice president of sustainability initiatives, is contemplating a conversation she had earlier in the day with the company’s managing director. The executive informed her that he is considering expanding Lemon Tree’s international footprint by entering the U.S. market and wants her advice on whether it is possible to replicate the company’s HR strategy there. Lal finds the idea intriguing yet sees major strategic, financial, and operational challenges. She considers how to respond to her boss.
