Human resources are often seen as one of the most important assets of tourism and hospitality organizations. Numerous studies have examined how employee performance can be managed to contribute to ...

The Human Dimension: A Review of Human Resources Management Issues in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

The current push for small firms to be “wired up to the digital marketplace” is evidenced by the number of initiatives targeting small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) to promote this activity. Like other governments worldwide, UK Online’s SME targets (together with the supporting DTI adoption ladder) exemplify the “conventional wisdom” view of a homogeneous small business sector, within which firms take an ordered, sequential progression on the route to Internet technology adoption. This approach is questioned by grounding the official rhetoric in the reality of organisational and operational complexity of this important sector of the UK economy. These initiatives are compared and contrasted with similar models of small firm development, most of which neglected to address the diverse nature of small firm needs. The authors recommend a more discriminant approach, focused upon factors such as firm size, age, managerial structure and information and communications technology adoption stages.

“Blanket” approaches to promoting ICT in small firms: some lessons from the DTI ladder adoption model in the UK

This comparative study of top executives' work aimed at examining the stability of top managerial behaviour reveals a relatively different pattern of behaviour compared with the study by Henry Mintzberg. The main differences are a much larger workload, a contact pattern to a larger degree oriented towards subordinates in group-settings, a greater emphasis on giving information, and less preoccupation with administrative work. One important finding is that fragmentation of time – in previous studies highlighted as a central tenet of managerial work – was not as prevalent in the new study. The different results can be attributed (with caution) to the impact of the management discourse about leadership and corporate culture, and to factors such as organizational structure and geographical dispersion of companies. However, there are also significant similarities between the two studies which indicate that claims of the emergence of a radically different managerial work are much exaggerated. Instead the empirical data shows that new work-practices are combined with older practices, both in a complex and context-specific ways. Therefore, there is a need for better integration between theoretical development and empirical investigations in this field of inquiry.

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Is there a ‘New Managerial Work’? A Comparison with Henry Mintzberg's Classic Study 30 Years Later*

This paper questions three frequently asserted, interrelated claims about developments in management: that centralized, regulated bureaucratic organizations characterized by hierarchy and rules are inevitably giving way to decentralized and empowered post-bureaucratic organizations characterized by internal networks and an internal market; that, as a consequence, the traditional managerial role of command and control is being superseded by one of facilitation and coordination; and that, in turn, managerial work as routine administration of work processes is being supplanted by the "new managerial work" of non-routine leadership and entrepreneurship. It is argued that these claims often rest on caricatures of bureaucracy and network organization and are neither new nor well supported by evidence. Against these claims, the paper adduces case-study evidence which shows that, despite claims about "decentralization" and "empowerment", organizational change may entail not a radical shift to network organization, but more limited change to a different form of bureaucracy in which hierarchy and rules have been retained but in an attenuated and sharper form - "bureaucracy-lite". Consequently, managerial roles continue to be defined in terms of individual responsibility and vertical accountability for an organizational sub-unit, and managerial work continues to be preoccupied with monitoring and maintaining work processes, routine direction and control of staff and processing information in order to deal with the ambiguities inherent in the dimensions of managerial "responsibility".

'Bureaucracy-Lite' and Continuities in Managerial Work

This article outlines some of the signs indicating bullying in the workplace as a problem within contemporary organisations. Moreover, using evidence from recent Australian Court cases, the article mentions some of the costs organisations may be faced with if they fail to address the problem. Having identified the problem, the article then suggests some solutions including legislative change and development of more co‐operative workplaces. Such workplaces would deal with the problem in a problem solving, rather than punitive, framework. Development of people’s emotional intelligence skills is suggested as one way to help address the problem within such a framework.

Workplace bullying: responding with some emotional intelligence

Having demonstrated the absence in the literature of an adequate conceptual treatment or empirical examination of the substantive relationship between managerial work, managers’ role expectations and forms of organizational structure, the paper reports the findings of a multimethod comparative case study of this relationship in four organizations from the hotel and retail sectors in Zimbabwe. Focusing on the differences between centralized organizations where unit operations are tightly regulated and decentralized organizations where unit operating autonomy is coupled with performance controls, the findings indicate that organizational structure impinges primarily upon the formal management division of labour, more weakly upon the role expectations surrounding unit managers and in only limited ways upon their work activities, with the effect of organizational differences co-existing with and refracted by common work characteristics and inter-industry differences. Although decentralization gave rise to unit manager jobs with more formal autonomy, broader responsibilities, greater pressure to attend to unit performance rather than monitoring work processes, and an obligation to operate in more complex networks, managers were no more free of constraints than were those in more centralized organizations and operated in similar ways, with an emphasis on day-to-day administration and routine staffing matters.

An investigation of the relationship between organizational structure, managerial role expectations and managers’ work activities

Reports the findings and conclusions of a study of five small businesses in the hotel and catering sector which had adopted national vocational qualifications (NVQs). Using an open system model, a comparative case study design and a range of data sources and methods of data collection within each organization, traces the preconditions, processes, outcomes and problems/issues associated with NVQ adoption and implementation. In a small business context, this is shown more likely to be successful where there is an existing training culture and infrastructure; where on‐the‐job training is positive, supportive and monitored; and where there is a senior management NVQ “champion” and an enthusiastic cadre of in‐house trainers and potential assessors. Shows that NVQs give a sharper focus to training activity, improve candidates’ perceived job satisfaction, morale and career prospects; enhance work flexibility and performance; and have a perceived, if hard‐to‐measure payoff in terms of business performance.

NVQs in small businesses: factors influencing adoption

Against a background of the potential suitability, yet limited adoption, of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in small hospitality businesses, reports the findings and conclusions of a study of five small businesses in the hospitality industry which had adopted NVQs. Discusses the preconditions, processes, outcomes, problems and issues associated with NVQ adoption and implementation. Suggests that success is more likely where there is an existing training culture and infrastructure; where on‐job training is positive, supportive and monitored; and there is a senior management NVQ “champion” and an enthusiastic team of in‐house trainers and potential assessors. Shows NVQs to give a sharper focus to training activity; improve candidates’ perceived job satisfaction, morale and career prospects; enhance work flexibility and performance; and to have a perceived, if difficult to measure, pay‐off in terms of business performance. Proposes that the potential contribution of NVQs to training and human resource management in small hospitality businesses is considerable.

Ziv Tamangani

Papers

An investigation of the relationship between organizational structure, managerial role expectations and managers’ work activities

NVQs in small businesses: factors influencing adoption

Factors influencing adoption of NVQs in small hospitality businesses