a ca 2014 SMA CONFERENCE November 4-8, 2014 eee a arr e | Belen Ce Pro Bs ie eg cdavis2@trinity.edu —SMA SOCIETY £08 MASKETING ADVANCES Advances in Marketing Transformational Marketing Rebecca VanMeter and Jeri Weiser, Editors Copyright © 2014 by the Society for Marketing Advances All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems, or ‘ransmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN 13: 978-0-9840884-5-4 ISBN 10: 0-9840884-5-8 Address correspondence concerning purchase of copies or copyright release to: Professor Cynthia Rodriguez Cano Northwood University 836 SW Munjack Circle Port Saint Lucie, FL 34986-3459 Phone - 772-380-2667 SMATreasurer@comeast.net Sample footnote: Katharine Howie and Parker Woodroof, “Keep it in the Family: A Look at Spillover Effects of Cause- Related Marketing Campaigns for Non-Focal Nonprofits,” in Advances in Marketing: Transformational Marketing, Rebecca VanMeter and Jeri Weiser, Editors. New Orleans, LA: Society for Marketing Advances, 2014, pp. 27-28. iffSummary Brief Dynamic Tacit Knowledge Conveyance in the Hospitality Sector: Maintaining Competitive Advantage through Storytelling Alvin J. Williams, University of South Alabama Tony L. Henthorne, University of Nevada - Las Vegas Babu P. George, Swiss Management Center University Tacit knowledge transfer is a source of competitive ‘advantage in the hospitality sector. The current paper discusses how ta gain and maintain competitive advantage through the use dof storytelling as a tacit knowledge mode. A conceptual model is offered as a means to integrate variables required for effective hospitality tacit nowledge transfer Introduction and Background Competitiveness in the hospitality industry has skyrocketed over the past quarter century. Hospitality-oriented organizations have become inereasingly innovative at reconfiguring the value equation to maintain competitiveness. Any realignment of resources, of whatever type, has some degree of influence on competitive positioning, service delivery, and overall ‘organizational performance in hospitality firms, An integral component of competitive advantage in the hospitality industry is the asture and adroit: management of ‘knowledge in the organization. In their research on hospitality employee knowledge-sharing bchaviors, Kim and Lec (2013) state that “knowledge management is considered competitive advantage because jt is @ tool with which organizations improve organizational creativity, innovation, productivity, and reputation with which they ultimately enhance organizational. profits.” Ultimately, the ‘manner in which hospitality firms clect to configure or align resources, inchuding knowledge, determines their capacity to compete and to be agile enough to withstand serious competitive onslaughls. Brookes (2014) says that knowledge resides in the individuals, technology, structure routines and coordination processes within organizations and can be transferred by moving or combining these knowledge eservois within or across firm boundaries,” It is the ‘movement of knowledge reservoirs’ in the hospitality industry chat is the cal point of the cuztent paper. Specifically, the movement of ‘knoviledge has strategic criticality, This is consistent with Chu et al, 2012) in linking the value of knowledge transfer capacity as @ competitive weapon with efforts fo map knowledge-sharing tats to a comprehensive business strategy. Given the sie between skillfal knovledge-sharing and overall strategy, there is compelling urgency for hospitality organizations to. direct increased attention toward conceptualizing and implementing ‘workable knowledge transport strategies integral to long-term suceess. As added evidence, Wang and Wang (2012) show empirically that both explicit and tacit knowledge sharing initiatives contribute to organizational operational and financial 349 performance directly of through enhancements of innovation speed or qual Knowledge-Sharing and Hospitality Knowledge a a resource is well-documented in the iteraure Increasingly, organizations are realizing the power and potential of knowledge in transforming organizations, both operationally and strategically. This is particularly the case with tact knowledge. In Stating the significance of tacit knowledge, Zhang (2012) suggests that as much as 90% of individual knowledge is ealegorized as tacit knowledge. This bodes well for organizational efforts targeted toward strengthening knowledge transfer initiatives in the hospitality sector. Daghfous etal. (2013) buttress the importance of tacit knowledge by connecting it to competitive advantage Within the context ofthe resource-based view of the frm, Liyanage et al. (2009) indicate that explicit knowledge can be articulated in formal language, is recorded, and fairly easily ‘codified. I is basically the typical information found in policies, procedures, strategic plans, operational plans, information technology systems, and mmerous other daciments and systems similarly positioned in organizations. While explicit knowledge is ‘essential, i lacks the contextual richness of tact knowledge that is so necessary for relationship building, problem-solving, networking, nd innovative behavior required for sustained success in the dynamic hospitality field. An excellent example of the ‘richness’ of tacit knowledge is captured by Hallin and ‘Mamburg (2008) “In hotel organizations, a major pat of fratline personnel’s domain-specific knowledge is developed due to ther iterations With guests, managers, colleagues, suppliers, employees of ‘competing hotels and other extemal interest groups on « regula basis. During social interactions with these groups, ftoatline ‘employees tend to perceive impressions of how each of these _groups acts towards their workplace, As @ consequence, ontin personnel become skillfal and knowing agents about others" perceptions of the state ofthe hospitality business.” The above statements emvody the essence of the power of tacit knowledge to embolden decision making that leads to ‘enhanced performance. As the potential of tacit knowledge ‘enhances, attention is thus directed toward delivery mechanism, The Key question for hospitality practitioners becomes “how to harmess and transfer the power of tacit knowledge for maximum ‘organizational advantage.’ While there are alternative knowledge ‘wansfer modes avaiable, the current paper posits storytelling as anattractive option loaded with possibilities. The next section offers insight into the efficacy of storytelling as a transfer medium for tacit knowledge in the hospitality sector. Storytelling and Hospitality Tacit Knowledge Transfer Styling as tmsport modality for tacit knowlege bas considerable potential o change how hospitality firms think about sowledge transfer The viewpoins of Gory and. Weslorook {GO capture the possbles of storytelling in ac knowledge transfer “Storytelling is naturally pervasive within companies: st coffee pos, in hinchvoons, elevators, and hallvays; on the Inemet™—whsrever workers me." Some stories have. local importance Tor work and 2 few reverberate widely within the company. Xe photocopier repairmen, for exemple, swapped ‘ries about thir work over erly moming coffe, neh, and during breaks. Ofen, they would cllaboratvely' develop war Stories” aout complex eps wth sever ndvigals dang its to the developing naratves. Early versions ofthese stores were Inter polished for sharing with ess knowledgeable workers” While the above scenario depicts “informal stotelling” thee ia rt i fcalisng taytling a a legal ecrpenet cf continous inprovanea though taining, mentoring ‘rptizatinal development, and axsstioent end’ performance ‘measurement iniatives. Av indicated by Denning. (2004), the Scone ofsiorytlin purposes is ite broad, Parculry, Deming Akenonsuates that soryeling tay be sed to: spark ata, tranomit values; foster collaboration; tame the grapevine, and share owed. AratTmonen abd sila 2012) propose stotling as vvay to increase intellecial capital, They describe intellect Capital —haman,suctrl,relatonl~ in elation to storycling [AS maniesttions of ealletive knowledge, Arsmo-Immonen and Sse sce storeling as © powerfll means of conveying Knowledge, especially through informal" conversations and taratives, Denzing (2008) masa strong case forthe efieacy of Stotelling when he sid “as we look around the business word, Str are ctenyubere Managers thin in eta, they retort i tron they Bl in sori, they expres hopes and furs and dreams in sores, and thy make decitoas in are, Stoyteling isaleady part of our worl.” Model of Tacit Knowledge Transfer To integrate the variables and factors contributing to tacit owledge conveyance in the hospitality sector, a conceptual ‘model was developed. The model resulted from a review of the extant literature, general knowledge of the hospitality sector and familiarity with some of the management and human resources challenges associated withthe industry. The model brings together 350 clements of trust, leadership, cooperation, organizational support, hospitality skill Sets, and specific knowledge transfer strategies, including. storytelling. Collectively, these variables have the potential to partially explain how hospitality organizations may enhance both efficiency and effectiveness by conceiving, developing, implementing, and assessing comprehensive teeit, knowledge’ transfer strategies to strengthen their competitive positions References ‘Aramo-Immonen, Heli and Jari Jussila 2012), “Storytelling as a Factor in Increasing Intellectual Capital of Projeet-Based Companies,” Proceedings of he 4" European Conference on “Intellectual Capital, Editor ~ Jukka Surakka, Helsinki, Finland, 53-59. Brookes, Maureen (2014), “The Dynamics and Evolution of Knowledge Transfer in Intemational Master Franchise Agreements,” International Journal of Hospitality Management, 36, 52-62. ‘Chu, Mei-Tai, PromKumar KrishnaKumer, and Rajiv Khosla (2012), “Mapping Knowledge Sharing Traits to Business Strategy in Knowledge-Based Organizations," Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 25(1), 35-65. Daghfous, Abdelkader, Nicholas Ashil, and Michel Rod (2013), “Transfering Knowledge for Organizational Customers by Knowledge Intensive Business Service Marketing Firms: An Denning, Stephen (2004), "Telling Tales," Harvard Business Review, May, 122-129 Hallin, Carina and Einar Marburg (2008), “Knowledge lanagement inthe Hospitality Industry: A Review of Empisical Research,” Tourism Management, 29, 366-381, Liyanage, Champika., Taha Ethag, Tabarak Balla, and Qiuping Li (2009), “Knowledge Communication and Transition ~ A Knowledge Transfer Model,” Journal of Knowledge Management, 13 (3), 118-131 ‘Sub, Eusju, Joseph West, and Jaeuk Shin (2012), “Important Competency Requirements for Managers in the Hospitality Industry." Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education, 11, 101-112, Williams, Alvin (2014), "Transporting Tacit Supply Knowledge in Competitive Supply Chain Environments: A Storytelling Perspective," Invernatonal Journal of Procurement Management, 13), 622-638.