Original scientific paper
CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES IN HOSPITALITY ORGANIZATIONS IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY AND CHANGE
Milena Kužnin
orcid.org/0000-0002-7686-2147
; RIT Croatia International Hospitality Service Management, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Joseph Kevin Walker
; RIT Croatia International Hospitality Service Management, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Abstract
Traditional approaches to leadership in the hospitality industry are becoming less and less effective in engaging, empowering and energizing its workforce of today, especially when taking into account the growing complexity of the contemporary world and its associated political, cultural, economic and environmental dimensions. As the importance of hiring a highly motivated and educated workforce becomes paramount in creating a competitive organization, it is imperative that hospitality providers implement the best leadership styles in order to boost employee satisfaction and retention. Addressing a dearth of information in the literature, the purpose of this paper is to provide exploratory research regarding the most effective leadership approaches employed by front-line managers in hotels operating in volatile environments; those hotels, for example, that are located in highly seasonal locations. Front-line employees at ten Dubrovnik, Croatia hotels, hotels operating in a highly seasonal environment, were surveyed as to the leadership styles of their respective employers and their accompanying levels of overall job satisfaction. Additionally, distinct demographic profiles associated with observed leadership styles were identified. The results indicate that managers use a combination of transformational and transactional leadership. Contradicting some previous studies, seasonal workers were not found to be less satisfied than full-time workers, were not more satisfied in a Transactional versus transformational environment, and did not express higher levels of job satisfaction as associated with length of employment. The results of this study offer an insight into how to form and foster a strong hospitality corporate culture that is ready to offer new value in volatile environments.
Keywords
contemporary leadership styles; employee satisfaction; hospitality industry
Hrčak ID:
187401
URI
Publication date:
9.10.2017.
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