Honouring the Past, Preparing for the Future.
With nearly 100 years of history and more than 9,600 properties worldwide, Marriott International’s culture is widely admired for its warmth, service, and people-first spirit. Yet, as the organisation continues to expand, its leaders recognise the need to evolve—without losing what makes Marriott special.
As Marriott’s Vice President of Leadership Development, Tayn Pavelic explained, “When a culture is strong and values-driven, change can feel risky. But evolution doesn’t mean disruption—it means moving quietly and respectfully.”
Culture Change by Stealth
Rather than launching a grand transformation program, Marriott is taking a stealth approach—embedding cultural shifts within everyday leadership and development experiences. Stealth, in this sense, isn’t secrecy; it’s progress that’s thoughtful, safe, and integrated—shifting tides without making waves.
This approach builds readiness for larger initiatives by strengthening trust, ownership, and shared understanding of what culture truly means.
Cultural Acupuncture
In a previous organisation, the Vice President worked with Human Synergistics to introduce what he called “cultural acupuncture”—small, strategic interventions designed to open safe conversations about culture. Using the Organisational Culture Inventory ®(OCI), leaders described their current and ideal cultures, surfacing the gaps quietly and constructively.
The Life Styles Inventory™ (LSI) complemented this by helping leaders reflect on how their own thinking and behaviour shaped culture. “You can’t shift culture if you haven’t first shifted consciousness,” he noted.
These subtle steps helped create a network of leaders who became culture carriers, embedding constructive habits across their teams and sparking wider organisational change.
Embedding Change in Plain Sight
For Marriott, culture evolution now happens through everyday leadership moments:
- Action learning projects that model collaboration and agility.
- Mentoring and peer learning that spread stories and values.
- Well-being initiatives that reframe leadership around sustainable performance.
Each act may appear tactical, but together they build momentum for a constructive, future-ready culture.
The Personal Journey
Over two decades, the LSI has guided the Tayn’s own leadership growth. “It’s helped me be a better leader, partner, and human,” he shared. “Culture change by stealth isn’t about hiding—it’s about respecting where you’ve been while quietly walking toward where you need to go.”
The Outcome
By applying a gentle yet deliberate approach—combining the LSI, OCI, and thoughtful leadership development—Marriott continues to honour its legacy while evolving for the future.
Culture change becomes growth, not disruption.
Tayn Pavelic, Vice President, Global Leadership Development, Marriott International shares his journey at the Human Synergistics Culture & Leadership conference below.