The concept of “Symmetry of Attention” highlights the idea that the interaction between a company and its customers should be equivalent to that between the company and its employees. Leaders are thus called upon to develop strategies to implement a genuine managerial transformation, focused on a personalized approach to customer relations.

The Symmetry of Attention concept originated within the Accor group in the early 2000s, describing an innovative initiative in one of its subsidiaries. Jean-Jacques Gressier, then head of the Accor Academy, which later became the Service Academy, positioned it as a cornerstone of the methodology aimed at enhancing both customer and employee experience.

This set of principles resonates particularly strongly in Vineet Nayar’s book, “Employees First, Customers Second,” published in 2010 and a global bestseller. The book emphasizes the essential transformation of leaders to embody this approach.

Since then, the concept has generated increasing interest, fueling numerous research projects and publications. It has even given rise to a manifesto and a label called “Happy Team, Happy Customers”.