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16 Losing touch with the
context: The story of
Ravinaki Resort in Fiji
Sally Anne Gaunt and Dan V Caprar
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The sun was setting opposite Ravinaki Resort on the island of Batiki situated in the
centre of Fiji’s volcanic Lomaiviti Island group. Caroline Childs and her husband,
Gerald, had just arrived from Sydney and were soaking up the atmosphere after a day
and a half of travelling.
Caroline was no stranger to Fiji, or to Ravinaki Resort. Eight years previously (in
2001), she had been the water sports manager at Ravinaki. The resort is home to an
impressivemarine ecosystem cherished by scuba divers and snorkellers. It also offered
game fishing, seasonal surfing and kayaking. It was Caroline’s responsibility to ensure
that tourists were able to take full advantage of themanywonders that the nearby reef
offered, as well as ensuring the safety of visitors and staff while out on the water.
Caroline had loved her time at Lomaiviti, and she wanted to show her husband the
delights of Ravinaki – albeit now under new management.
& The Ravinaki Resort and its founders
Ravinaki was the only resort on the island of Batiki. It was set up in 2000 by James
Brennan and his wife, Sarah, who started working on the island as part of a marine-
based NGOproject. James, amarine biologist from theUnited States, was responsible,
along with a number of other marine biologists, for evaluating the health of the local
Batiki reefs. Sarah, originally from England, had a background in hospitality, and was
responsible for the project’s overall management, including catering, logistics and
sanitation. They were well suited to their roles, but also developed other interests in
the area. Given his background, James had been particularly impressed with the
pristine coral reefs that surrounded the island of Batiki. The couple had dreamed of
being able to combine their careers so they could both stay in the tropical paradise of
Batiki, so when the NGO project ended in 1999, James and Sarah seized the oppor-
tunity to open Batiki’s first and only resort. They decided to target the more intrepid
tourist who would not mind making the day-and-a-half trip from the closest interna-
tional airport in Fiji’s capital, Suva, to reach their unspoilt paradise island. Moreover,
due to both James and Sarah’s limited financial resources and the environmental
issues presented by the island and its community, Ravinaki was unable to offer the
luxury accommodation found in Fiji’s high-traffic tourist destinations. Therefore, it
had been important that, while emphasising the delights of Ravinaki’s unspoilt marine
life, the resort’s marketing material also managed guests’ expectations, pointing
out that Ravinaki was an ‘eco resort’ with no air-conditioning and limited electricity
usage.
& The Ravinaki Resort under new
management
On her return to the resort, Caroline was curious about her experience as a tourist in a
place she knew sowell. Gerald, Caroline’s husband, was awe-struck by the spectacular
sunsets and the beauty of the surroundings, and could see why Caroline had loved
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her time working in Fiji. While admiring the spectacular sunset, the couple started
chatting with Ross Griffiths, the resort’s new owner, and Gerald commented on the
half-finished deck at the entrance to the resort. Ross sighed and told Gerald how
disappointed he was at the slow progress being made by the contracted Fijian work-
ers, most of them coming from the local villages. ‘They go at two speeds, dead
slow and stop. I don’t know when we are ever going to get it finished,’ said Ross.
This struck Caroline as a very inappropriate conversation to be having with a guest.
Ross continued to complain:
I’ve brought over an ex-colleague of mine who is a civil engineer, he’s been helping me
upgrade the resort, but he’s really struggling with these Fijian workers. Mike and I write
detailed instructions for the foreman but half the time I don’t know why we bother as
the instructions are never followed. I now have Mike watch over these Fijian guys so
he can spot when they’re about to make a mistake. And everything takes so much time
to achieve – we miss deadline after deadline, it’s really frustrating. We have tried
increasing their pay and offering individual targets with an accompanying bonus in
the hope that they achieve them. We even offered promotion prospects, but none of
these incentives work.
As she listened to the conversation, Caroline began to feel a wave of unease. The
Fijians Ross was describing had been her colleagues, who were part of the effective
and fun working team that had made her time at Ravinaki so rewarding. After the
conversation ended, Caroline began to wonder what had happened. When did her
former Fijian colleagues become problem workers? And why was working with them
such a struggle? When Caroline had been working at the resort, the former owners,
James and Sarah, were well respected by their Fijian staff. James had always allowed
for ‘Fiji time’, and did not expect projects to be completed as quickly as in other
contexts; there had rarely been a problem with the staff meeting James’ expectations.
Caroline wondered whether Ross was not being realistic in his expectations or
whether the workers simply did not respect him enough to work towards his
expectations.
Ross had visited Fiji for the first time five years ago, in 2004. At the time, he owned
a chain of electrical stores and was based in Toronto. It was Ross’s first trip outside
North America and he fell in love with the Fiji island lifestyle. He had stayed on the
Yasawa islands in Fiji’s north, and decided that he would sell up his business in
Canada and buy a resort in Fiji. This coincided with James and Sarah’s decision to
return to the United Kingdom for family reasons. Ross felt Ravinaki had plenty of
potential, especially as the currently challenging logistics involved in getting to Batiki
were likely to improve, given continued improvements in Fiji’s infrastructure.
Therefore, there was the potential for more flights between Levuka, the closest airport
to Batiki, and the international airport based just outside Fiji’s capital, Suva. Ross was
unimpressed by the basic accommodation and immediately upgraded the resort’s
rooms by including air-conditioning from 6.00 p.m. onwards. He also doubled the
rates of the rooms with ocean views. Prices continued to increase as he made further
upgrades to the resort, which clearly created a shift in the type of clients the resort
could attract.
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& Staff and culture at Ravinaki Resort
over time
After the conversation with Ross about his perception of the local workers, Caroline
could not help but feel uncomfortable. However, she was determined to enjoy her
holiday. The next morning, when Caroline and her husband arrived for breakfast,
Carolinewas delighted to see thatMalcolm, a previous colleaguewhohadbeen in charge
of food and beverages,was stillworking at the resort.Malcolmcame fromViti Levu, Fiji’s
mainand largest island, andhadworked ina coupleof other large resorts in Fiji’s popular
Denarau region. During Caroline’s time at the resort, James and Sarah had actively
recruited as many Fijian staff as possible, including in management positions. However,
it had proved extremely difficult to promote employees recruited from the three most
local villages. Lomaiviti’s remoteness meant that the communities still strongly adhered
to a structured hierarchy, where the ruling chief of each Fijian village had ultimate
power, and employees felt uncomfortable giving directions to other staff from the same
village, especially if they had strong connections to the chief and his family. The Ravinaki
resort owners soon realised that oneway to combat this was to recruitwell-trained Fijian
staff from the international resorts found in the high tourist traffic regions of Fiji, such
as the Coral Coast and the Mamanuca Islands. These staff members could demand a
higher salary, but the advantagewas that they generallyworkedwellwith the local Fijian
employees and caused relatively little friction. Malcolm was one such employee.
Caroline, being from Australia, was an exception to James and Sarah’s recruitment
strategy. It was nearly impossible to find a Fijian tomanage thewater sports division, as
the manager needed to be a qualified diving instructor, which required a certain level
of education and training. Of course, there were many Fijians with the necessary level
of education to become a diving instructor, but they lacked the professional training.
Fewwould choose a profession inwater sports, opting instead for careers in recognised
professions such as banking, nursing or IT. Caroline had been selected on the basis of
both her qualifications and experience. She held a Professional Association of Diving
Instructors (PADI) certificate, had been working on an NGO project in the Mamanuca
Islands, and had other similar positions in a number of South-East Asian countries. She
had developed an admiration for the country and its people.
While Caroline had been at the resort, Malcolm had always been a favourite with
the guests. People loved his friendly and amusing style. However, having known him
so well in her previous role, she soon sensed that Malcolm’s enthusiasm for his job
had waned. Furthermore, as she looked around, she realised that many of Malcolm’s
previous team members were no longer around. Caroline also observed that many of
the new staff members now employed were quite obviously not Fijian.
After breakfast, Caroline chatted with Malcolm, and asked him how he liked work-
ing with the new Canadian owners. Malcolm looked towards the floor and shook his
head. ‘I’m no longer manager of food and beverage,’ he said. Apparently, there was a
need to upgrade the restaurant to cater for a more upmarket clientele, so the manage-
ment brought in a new chef from Brazil:
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Fernando is a brilliant chef but he has upset everyone. Nothing we do is good enough.
He is always shouting at us. He says we don’t even know the basics of cooking. But you
know that this is not true, it’s just that we have not been taught in the same way as he
has. He gives us an order but doesn’t tell us how to do things, and then yells at us when
we don’t do things the way he wants them done. It’s as if he thinks we’re telepathic and
can read his mind, but we cannot. Everyone is unhappy and looking for new jobs.
Malcolm left to get back to the kitchen, concerned that if he stayed any longer he
would be reprimanded by Fernando for loitering.
Caroline sighed, and could not help but reflect on how Ravinaki had changed from
being a well-run and successful resort eight years previously to the current situation
where even the guests seemed less relaxed, as if they could sense the stern atmosphere
of discontent. When she had been recruited, her new employers (James and Sarah
Brennan) had told her that this was a ‘hands-on’ organisation: ‘We can’t afford to carry
anyone and everyone needs to be flexible and at times share in the mundane tasks
such as carrying and fetching supplies.’ James would often say, ‘You have to lead from
the front, and do your fair share of the physical work.’ Caroline distinctly remembered
that every time supplies needed to be unloaded after their weekly arrival from Suva,
it was always James who, despite being the owner, had been at the front of the
unloading chain. It was James who set the pace to ensure everything was unloaded
as quickly as possible, and it was Sarahwho spent time in the kitchen, both helping the
staff and advising on the menu and food preparation. Caroline herself had always
made sure she actively helped to pack the boat each morning, which included loading
diving equipment and tanks.
After the conversation with Malcolm, Caroline and her husband ambled down
to the water sports centre to decide when they would venture out to the reef. The
manager was Ross’s nephew, Sam, who was 25 years old. This was his first time
overseas. He started the procedure for the day, making sure that all the guests signed
the various forms required by the resort before they could set out for the day’s
activities. Caroline looked at the list of diving and snorkelling locations and quickly
realised that some of the most popular sites during her time at Ravinaki were no
longer available. She asked Sam why this was the case. ‘Oh, we are in the process of
suing some of the local chiefs because they have told us that we cannot go to these
spots unless we pay them for the privilege,’ he said. ‘My uncle says that he does not do
business in this way and has brought in a lawyer. In themeantime, it’s too problematic
to go there.’. He then added: ‘I’m relieved, quite frankly, as some of the sites are quite
treacherous and I’m still trying to become familiar with the place.’ Caroline asked Sam
why he didn’t use the local Fijian guides who knew these waters so well. ‘My Uncle
says the guests prefer to deal with expats when it comes to water activities, as they
feel safer,’ came the reply. Caroline found this to be a very strange decision, as she
would never have dreamt of taking guests out without the expert experience of the
local Fijian guides who knew the reefs so well. She certainly couldn’t recall any guest
complaining about this before. She also thought it was absurd to try to sue a local
Lomaiviti chief, and could not see what this would ever achieve. Lomaiviti’s remoteness
meant the local chiefs had tremendous power. When Caroline had been at Ravinaki,
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she and the resort owners had spent many evenings drinking kava with the chiefs to
ensure relationships were strong.
& Lessons of the past and struggles
of the present at Ravinaki Resort
After the conversation with Sam, Caroline stared at the ocean and once again found
herself reflecting on James and Sarah’s approach to dealing with the local employees.
James and Sarah motivated the staff by maintaining good relationships. They had
found that trying to engage the staff from the local villages with individual rewards
and bonuses was pointless: employees were uncomfortable with competitiveness
within their close-knit communities. Recognising this, under James and Sarah,
Ravinaki set simple group targets, such as increasing the number of people going on
snorkelling tours or increasing the guest list overall. If these targets were achieved,
Ravinaki would pay for development projects in the villages, such as the upgrade of
the school, church or community centre. Ravinaki was careful when implementing
these incentives, as it was easy for money to disappear, leaving a project unfinished.
Ultimately, Ravinaki’s directors would buy the materials and expertise rather than
giving bulk sums of money. Such projects were not only a more successful way of
incentivising Ravinaki’s local staff, but also helped cement relationships with the local
chiefs. Without the cooperation of the local communities, especially the chiefs, the
functional running of the resort would have become very challenging. If the chiefs
where unhappy with the resort, the employees from these local villages would have
torn loyalties and often the loyalty to the chief would come before their job at
Ravinaki. Caroline felt that suing a local chief was burning a bridge with a vital resort
stakeholder, and wondered how the relationship could ever be restored. Even if the
resort won – and, given the legal context of Fiji, there could be no forgone conclusion –
it would be impossible to monitor the outcome.
Caroline found herself reflecting on other aspects of her former time as a staff
member at Ravinaki. It was evident that the resort was now far from full and, although
guests were paying more for their accommodation, the number of visitors taking
diving, kayaking and snorkelling tours had dropped significantly. During her time at
the resort, Caroline had actively encouraged guests who did not dive to try a ‘Discover
Scuba’ session, which often led them to want to take a full diving course. According to
the records, there had not been one ‘Discover Scuba’ offered in the last 12 months.
Caroline was astonished to see such a decline in what had once been an important
revenue stream.
& The future of Ravinaki Resort: What next?
It seemed to Caroline that increasing guest numbers and guest spending while at
the resort were fundamental to the future survival of Ravinaki, and Caroline was
concerned that both these vital elements were diminishing rapidly. She felt it was
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important not to romanticise her previous experience, as there had been problems,
but the solutions had been found through dialogue, relationships and negotiation,
and not through suing – especially given Fiji’s rather fragile legal system. She was
wondering why the new management made such choices that were clearly not helpful
(and destroying the good standing of the resort within the community). She under-
stood that the resort was keen to attract a more lucrative upmarket clientele, with the
potential for greater profitability, and therefore it needed to change. However, she
was struggling with the decisions the new owners were making and was wondering
what could be done in order to address the current situation.
&
Figure 16.1: Map of Fiji
and Lomaiviti Group area
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& References and further reading
Chen, M & Miller, D 2011, ‘The relational perspective as a business mindset: managerial impli-
cations for East and West’, Academy of Management Perspectives, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 6–18.
de Vries, RE, Pathak, RD & Paquin, AR 2011, The paradox of power sharing: participative
charismatic leaders have subordinates with more instead of less need for leadership,
European Journal of Work & Organizational Psychology, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 779–804.
Farrelly, T 2011, ‘Indigenous and democratic decision-making: issues from community-based
ecotourism in the Bouma National Heritage Park, Fiji’, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol.
19, no. 7, pp. 817–35.
Javidan, M, Dorfman, PW, De Luque, M & House, RJ 2006, ‘In the eye of the beholder: cross
cultural lessons in leadership from Project GLOBE’, Academy of Management Perspectives,
vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 67–90.
Earley, P &Mosakowski, E 2004, ‘Cultural intelligence’,Harvard Business Review, vol. 82, no. 10,
pp. 139–46.
Sanchez, JI, Spector, PE & Cooper, CL 2000, ‘Adapting to a boundaryless world: a developmen-
tal expatriate model’, Academy of Management Executive, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 96–106.
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