The Influence of Leadership Style

of Hospitality Management

Belinda Luo

Diploma in International Hotel and Tourism Management

HTMi, Switzerland
Introduction

Based on the development of society, many industries are now operating under a

strong business competitive environment, including the hospitality industry. This

is because of the change of time; customers’ knowledge level and cognitive ability

are improved (Anoop and Lokman, 2008). Therefore, hospitality industry needs a

more inventive labor force to afford high quality guest service (Wang et al, 2013).

The current business environment needs different management quality,

entrepreneurship, leadership, adaptability, adventurous spirit and creativity

(Minett et al, 2009). Leadership style is a significant management tool because if

used perfectly, it can build up relationship between leader and staff, also can

improve the departmental climate and to grow service performance (Kara et al,

2013). Outstanding leaders with high-rise companies must clearly understand

that creativity can promote growth; a successful leader must have the ability to

solve problems and to turn ideas into realities (Ispas et al, 2014). Haywood

(1992) states the value of administrator and team depends on the manager

moral principles (Minett et al, 2009). As a leader, must be to build a profitable

work atmosphere. To be a perfect leader should not only acts to ordinary human

resources duties such as recruitment, guidance, and so on, but at the same time

also acts to hearten and stimulate employees to help them make the individual

needs and organizational goals to achieve the overall effect (Woods et al, 2002).
According to the normative model Vroom and Yetton (1973), leaders are more

validity is that they use appropriate decisions in certain circumstances (Liu et al,

2002). In the 21st century, for employers and employees, the management work

and life has become a crucial and difficult challenge. Public relations people have

realized that conflict of work and life to the importance of the organization (Jiang,

2011).

The Leadership Style of Management and Development

Management and development has a long history, leadership development is

perhaps shorter but today both of them are important cannot be belittle

(Carmichael, 2011). Leadership roles can distinguish between the different

aspects and characteristics of the leader, so between employees and employers

need to build a leadership position (Russia Robinson, 2014). Since the 1900s, in

the studies of leadership to establish a large amount of materials about the

concept of leadership theories, leadership style defined as a process of

interaction of individual team, including structured or restructuring, team

members’ expectations and opinions (Dr. Mukhles, 2013).

From figure 2.1.1 can show the leadership has many different ways to define

from different people, such as a communication, the influence of team and the

leadership responsibility. Have ability of lead then can show the different

leadership style with the different environment (Pittaway al et, 1999).

 Figure 2.1.1. The definitions of leadership (Pittaway al et, 1999)

Leadership style is a rich structure about employees and organization variables

in the hospitality industry (Kara et al, 2013). Management scholars have long

realized the importance of leadership style in the process and results of

organization, is from accept innovation, work attitude, idea, behavior, the service

quality and customer consequence (Kara et al, 2013). In hospitality industry,

leaders need to have self- aware and emotional intelligence to prove their ability

effectively. Emotional intelligence includes identification and the ability to

control their affections and the affections of others, involves to all kinds of

abilities and accomplishment, compassion and self-control to influence the

outcome of personal and competent. Self- awareness is an important aspect of a

person’s emotional mentality, is defined as to understand their emotions and

accurately identify their impact, given the research consistently shows that

leaders are aware of their emotions, can recognize their impact on other people

are more likely to think that valid leaders (Butler et al, 2013). From George (2003)

leadership is described as the truth of the real you: to be yourself, rather than

developing the image of a leader or persona leader (Walker al et, 2011).

The Influence of Leadership Style for Employees

In 1970s and 1980s, leadership style of the original conceptualization is

transactional and transformational (Kara et al, 2013). Transformational

leadership can inspire positive change, is generally energetic, enthusiastic, full of

passion (Kendra, 2014). Also transformational leadership can impact their

employees’ awareness of what is important and make them see their

opportunities and challenges of environment in a new way (Kara et al, 2013).

Transformational leadership also does influence their employee in a motivational

and charismatic way; in turn the employee becomes loyal to the leader and is

productive as well (Obiwuru et al, 2011). Transactional leadership is more

concerned with maintaining the normal flow of operation, can be describing as

“to hold this ship”. Leaders use discipline power and a series of incentives to

motivate employees to do the best (David, 2014). Research consistently shows

that transformational leadership has a positive relationship with job satisfaction,

job property and organizational assurance positive working conditions and

organizational citizenship, and higher efficiency than transactional leadership

(Kara et al, 2013). Think a method of management of the fierce market

competition for senior managers to focus on transformational leadership (Patiar

and Mia , 2008). Burns (1987) defined the transformational leader as one “who is

able to lift followers up from their petty preoccupations and rally around a

common purpose to achieve things never thought possible”.

There have four properties for transformational leadership: charm, stimulatory

motivation, clever stimulation and personal compensation (Lee, 2012).

Transformational leaders encourage employees to accomplish goals by

self-reinforcement for higher-level, rather than developing complementary with

them (Wang et al, 2013).

Figure. 2.2.1.1 The model of different leadership style to influence quality of

working life (Kara et al, 2013)

Figure 2.2.1.1 can show clearly to readers how the different leadership style to

impact employees’ working life. H1, H3 and H6 show employees’ think

transactional leadership has a negative influence for their quality of working life,

then it will has a negative influence on their burnout and life satisfaction. H2, H4,

H5, H7 show the different way such as employees’ think that transformation

leadership has a positive influence for their quality of working life, then it will

has a positive influence on their organizational commitment and life satisfaction

(Kara et al, 2013).

This section first shows the transformational leadership directly affects

employee creative self-efficacy and creativity. Then demonstrates the

relationship between them (Wang, 2013).

The Influence of Leadership Style for Employers

The manager of the hospitality industry spends as much as 80% of interpersonal

communication with others every day, especially in the process of work they

communicate with guests, staffs, boss (Lolli, 2012). According to William

(2009—2010) from Central Florida Investment Hotels and Resorts, he states that

a leader is concerned about doing the correct thing and focal point on their

perception, aim and objectives, he defines leadership as the procedure to impact

on others or to accomplish goals (Ryan, 2010). Managers should stimulate their

employees to reach their top potential, to be engaged, to accept and understand

change and to make technical content decisions (Kara et al, 2013). Not only are

these leaders concerned and involved in process, they are committed to help

each group member to succeed (Kendra, 2014). As effective leader should guide

employees to achieve autonomy of work, find a new way of thinking to solve

business problems and to make decision can improve the team and the

company’s benefit (Kara et al, 2013). In order to become a successful leader, the

hotel managers must prove and reflect these management qualities in the

changing business mode (Rosen, 2010). According to Bass (1985)

transformational leaders put the interests of the employees in personal interests,

they have own clearly perception and have the aptitude (Patiar and Mia, 2008).

The different leadership style is not depends on gender, age or experience; it

depends on people’s character and ethical decision-making style.

That means how leader can make decision to change their style with staying

environment (Minett et al, 2009). According to Sosik and Megerian (1999), an

informational technology company has 63 leaders to rate their own

self-awareness and transformational leadership behaviors. Besides this, 192

subordinates rated these leaders’ transformational leadership behavior and

satisfaction with leaders’ management. Between leaders and subordinates

matched, they found when leaders with high self-awareness, leaders were easy to

show transformational leadership (Butler et al, 2013). Leader must be concerned

about national culture in the workplace, because it affects the collective beliefs

and attitudes of the organization (Testa, 2006). A validity leader is in stimulating

and gratifying employees, will also be affects by employees to adjust their

leadership style and features (Liu et al, 2002). However, transformational leaders

in motivating employees will be affected by the employees, to make better

decision. Such as Xenikou and Simosi (2006) founded that transformation

leaders performance is affected by the high motivation employees to upgrade

(Patiar et al, 2008). One of the major differences between the success and fail

leaders is the ability to establish and maintain relationship is the foundation of

effective transformational leadership. Transformational leadership style shows

more power from the leader to the employees, in the opposite transactional

leadership style cannot motivate employees such as transformation leadership

(Brownell, 2010).
Conclusion and Recommendations

Because a huge number of qualitative for heterogeneous consumer directly

involved in the production and service procedure, so we also call the hospitality

industry is a “people” industry (Pittaway al et, 1999). At present, the hospitality

industry is facing the surface stress of a quick changing environment to

accomplish greatness. Customers are asking for more information, more service

and superior quality service. With the change of the business environment, the

hospitality industry now pay attention to creating higher expectations of quality,

value and service; also afford the convenience to modernization, collaboration

and leadership (Sahadath, 2009). In the 21st century, it takes a different approach

to hospitality management, leader with the different attributes, knowledge and

skills need a new leadership style, so the most suitable for today is

transformational leadership (Walker al et, 2011). The process of the general

manager of transformational leadership style to create a working environment is

to the benefit of to share the team’s vision, encouragement intellectual and instill

the ideas and values between the employees and employers (Patiar et al, 2008).

As can be seen from the research, make people clearly to understand the

different between transformation leadership and transactional leadership. Also

explain the leadership style can affects the employee quality of working life and

quality of life in the hospitality industry (Kara et al, 2013). Transformation

leadership not only could successfully highly motivate their employees; also let

them to make a decision not to seek approval from the senior manager.
In transformational leaders, they always tend to shift empowerment to employee

to better allow them to be efficient in their job (Patiar et al, 2008). It shows the

different leadership style is important of employers brand image. The employees

devote to work can increase the value of the leader brands. Also the result will

increase the leader attachment behavior of employees (UK Essay, 2014). In the

field of literature, leadership has been confirmed as an important topic of

organizational behavior. Leadership is one of the most forceful in the cooperation

of human being and management. By the other hand, the ability to manage

execution “cooperate achievement” depends on leadership (Obiwuru et al, 2011).

Leaders can be found in anywhere, many leaders do not think themselves are

leaders, because they want to show equality in front of the employees, they want

employees can do themselves better in the case without the leader. Therefore, no

matter which leadership style, it can be used with the different case and

environment (Russia Robinson, 2014).

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