Supervision in the Hospitality Industry - Case Study Example

Supervision in the Hospitality Industry of the of the Contents Contents 2 Company History 3 Companys Human ResourceDepartment 3 Supervisor or Manager/Leader 4 Staff 4 Communication and Delegation 5 Summary 9 10 References 11 Company History The Hilton Company is one of the largest hospitality companies of the world that have a rich 95 year old heritage. The company was founded in 1919 by Conrad Hilton who was an hotelier in the U.S.A. The hotel operates in all the six continents of the world which includes more than 80 countries. The vision of the company is to fill earth with the light and warmth of hospitality. In order to accomplish the vision of the company, the mission of the company is to ensure that Hilton group becomes the first choice among the guests (Hilton Worldwide, 2014a). The Hilton business group is also engaged in a number of corporate sustainability measures related to economic and social issues. For instance, the company has started initiatives to help youth of countries by introducing the Global Youth Wellbeing Index (Hilton Group, 2012). Apart from being involved in providing world-class services to the visitors, Hilton Group is also engaged in management and development of hotels, timeshare properties and franchising of lodging properties. Hilton Garden Inn is one of the hotel brands of Hilton that aims to combine the attributes of high-end comfort with profitability. Companys Human Resource Department The human resource department of Hilton is one of the most well coordinated ones as the company recognizes the worth of human resource in hospitality industry. At Hilton Group, considerable amount of time and energy is being selecting the right candidate for the job by focusing on skill set and expertise of employees. Matthew W. Schuyler is the head of the human resource department of the Hilton Group (Hilton Worldwide, 2014b). The management of the company ensures best-in-class human resource systems are used in managing the human assets. For instance, PeopleSoft and Success Factors are used to recruit and retain the clients. Advanced databases are maintained to update turnover statistics. Collaboration with top business schools is maintained to recruit best talent. Advanced technological features are used for managing the workforce of the company in a diligent manner which minimizes the cost of operations (Hilton Worldwide, 2014b). Supervisor or Manager/Leader In order to conduct the research two members of the Hilton management were selected. First was Mr. Burton Kim who is responsible for supervision in three key areas namely front office of the hotel and bears the responsibility of kitchen duties. The supervisor is in charge of taking care of guests by ensuring that orders of food and beverages are provided in a smooth manner. Mr. Kim is also responsible for taking care of the grievances of the guests in an orderly and timely manner. The second supervisor was Mr. Edwin Wright who is in charge of multiple restaurant operations ranging from planning of the menu cards to catering of food. He is also in charge of purchasing the alcohol for the bar, internal auditing and ensuring that the compliance standards are met. Both of the supervisors are involved in training and mentoring the new employees and have to ensure that the new talent who are being absorbed in the hotel can live up to the brand name. This implies that apart from fulfilling their own work they have a big responsibility towards shaping the future leaders. Staff According to the information provided by Mr. Kim he takes care of 15 employees altogether that mainly belong to two main departments namely Guest Service Agents (GSA) and Shuttle Drivers. One of the primary responsibilities of Mr. Kim is to see that the staff under him has the basic understanding of taking care of guests according to the Hilton standards. Mr. Kim feels that the staffing needs of the front office are being met effectively. Mr. Kim has the overall responsibility to ensure that the front office operations of the hotel are being met in an effective manner or not. He follows the company guidelines to ensure that the staff management practices are properly followed and implemented. Mr. Wright on the other hand is in charge of 12 employees of kitchen. The employees under him include cooks, dishwashers, banquet captain, bartenders and servers. Experience is not an important requirement for this department. The employees under the supervision of Mr. Wright have rotational shifts depending on the peak and non-peak periods. An important responsibility of Mr. Wright is managing the number of employees during functions and occasions. A basic understanding of kitchen equipments is required to work as staff and being above 18 years is important for working in the bar with a minimum experience of one year. In order to ensure effective staff management Mr. Right constantly updates himself by reading F&B publications regarding HR practices and reading books on staff management. Communication and Delegation The importance of internal communication in the hospitality industry is paramount as this communication forms a part of the overall service package provided by the hotels. Researchers have found out that the way in which staff manages their interpersonal communication with the guests have a profound impact on the success of the hotels (Dolphin, 2005). According to the research conducted by Brownell (2008) ,it has been found that leaders who listen to their subordinates have the ability to improve organizational performance both at a personal level and team level. Transparent internal communication between staff creates an environment where they can exchange information about the organization freely and perform their duties in a timely and accurate manner (Walker & Miller, 2010). Communicating effectively with guests is an integral part of providing satisfactory service. Researchers like Sparks and Callan (1992) had pointed out that cultural diversity of the hotel employees creates considerable challenges in effective communication with guests. Linguistic skills form a major hindrance to interact with the clients. Many researchers have explored the reasons which create the main problem for workers to work in the hospitality industry. According to the research conducted by Madera, et al. (2013) the main obstacles to barrier in the hospitality industry come from language barriers of immigrant workers. Linguistic barriers and cultural issues have a negative impact on employee performance and attitudes. Few researchers have also pointed out that the primary role of the management is to ensure that smooth communication should occur between the employees and guests to improve competitive advantage of institutions. Most of the management literature argues that delegation in management refers to the empowerment of the subordinates through engaging them in the decision-making process. According to the research conducted by Enz and Siguaw (2000) delegation of power to the subordinates helps in their empowerment. He had concluded that delegation of power helps in improving the self-worth of employees, motivation to work and service quality. Ashness and Lashley (1995) on the other hand have revealed that, delegation of power to employees is related to increase in labor retention, reduction in customer complaints and reduction in labor costs. Researchers have pointed out that delegation has a potential disadvantage in the sense that it involves a certain amount of risk on the part of managers to delegate their duties if the subordinates are not trustworthy (Ou‐Yang, 2003). It has also been argued that delegation have the potential to increase the burden on employees by increasing their high work pressure. A negative impression is created in the mind of the employees that they are made to overwork without adequate amount of pay (Walker & Miller, 2010). In case of hospitality industry it has been found that the experience and qualification of the subordinates also acts as a decisive factor regarding maintenance of service quality (Gibson & Molz, 2012). If managers delegate their tasks to incompetent employees then the organizational performance will be maligned and customer satisfaction will be impacted in a negative manner. This research has focused on two main areas of Hilton Garden Inn namely communication and delegation. As Mr. Kim is in charge of managing the front line staffs of the hotel so the aspect of communications and delegation problems were discussed with him. Mr. Kim had revealed that convincing dissatisfied clients is indeed a difficult task for employees and communication skills play a major role in satisfying the clients. Mr. Kim strongly believes that effective communication has a strong role in manipulating the attitude of the guests. From his personal experience he summoned that ineffective communication skills of employees increases the number of complaints of customers. Mr. Kim is careful to listen to the queries of all his personnel. He strongly believes that understanding the problems of personnel is of utmost importance to ensure that customer satisfaction can be maximized. Regarding delegation Mr. Kim feels that he has a great responsibility in training his employees. He feels that authority enjoyed by him provides him the opportunity to successfully delegate duties to employees. Mr. Kim was questioned about the fact that whether managers should delegate their duties or not. The supervisor had also revealed that it can definitely be a constructive option provided there has been an issue beforehand. The interview with Mr. Wright on the other hand had been insightful in pointing out some of the problems that is faced by his department regarding communication and delegation. Mr. Wright had confirmed lack of communication skills is an important problem in his department. Linguistic skills act as major barrier for employees to provide efficient service to clients as difference in language can act lead to misinterpretation of messages. Mr. Wright feels that it is his responsibility to create an attitude for his employees which improves their receptive powers. Mr. Wright believes that good communication is important for sharing organizational knowledge among employees and it allows them to be updated regarding important organizational trends. The idea expressed by Mr. Wright regarding the importance of listening to personnel is similar to the one that has been expressed by Mr. Kim. Mr. Wright is also of the view that listening to the employees is one of the most effective ways in which a supervisor can connect with his employees inside the office and beyond it. Mr. Wright had also pointed out that it is important for supervisors to listen to his employees because it helps in integrating the goals of the organization with the goals of the employees. Regarding delegation, Mr. Wright holds a progressive view. He believes decentralization is crucial not only for his own personal growth but also for the growth of his employees. He feels that delegation of responsibilities allows him to concentrate on the bigger responsibilities. It also allows him to monitor the regular work of the employees and provide them with constructive criticism about their work. Mr. Wright is also aware of the potential dangers that are present in delegating his job responsibilities. He said that lack of communication about roles and responsibilities during delegation can lead to disastrous results. Clear specifications of instructions are paramount in delegation of duties to the subordinates. Mr. Wright is of the notion that managers should delegate their duties to their subordinates for two main reasons. Firstly, it helps in creating better leaders among employees as they learn to take responsibilities. On the other hand, it also allows employees to realize their self-worth in the organization and this in turn makes them feel highly motivated about their work. Summary The management services of Hilton Garden Inn Arlington Shirlington are well in line with the mission and vision statement of the company. This is because, the employees in each of the chosen departments work under efficient vigilance of their respective supervisors. The supervisory style in each department is crafted according to the needs of the department. For instance, Mr. Kim in charge of the frontline office management has incorporated effective listening as a part of his management practice to understand organizational requirements. The overall style of management in both the departments is satisfactory based on the information collected during the interviews. Delegation of duties to subordinates to improve their self-worth, listening to employees and prioritizing communication needs in the departments are signs of good management as has been indicated by works of previous researchers. Few recommendations can be suggested for further improvement of the departments. Firstly, introducing language training programs for employees to serve guests in a professional manner is of utmost importance. Secondly, arranging soft-skills programs for the employees so that they can improve interpersonal skills, customer-service skills and personal traits of employees will be helpful. The primary idea is to create productive professionals to maximize customer satisfaction. Thirdly, conducting workshops for kitchen staff especially cooks by collaborating with renowned chefs of the industry to improve their performance. Finally, training of supervisors to manage cultural diversity can be helpful tom manage the culturally diverse workforce. References Ashness, D., and C. Lashley. 1995. Empowering service workers at Harvester Restaurants. Personnel Review, 24(8), 17-32. Brownell, J. (2008). Exploring the strategic ground for listening and organizational effectiveness. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 8(3), 211-229. Dolphin, R. R. (2005). Internal communications: todays strategic imperative. Journal of Marketing Communications, 11(3), 171-190. Enz, C. A., & J. A. Siguaw. (2000). Best practices in human resources. Cornell Hotel and restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(1), 48-61. Gibson, S. & Molz, J. G. (2012). Mobilizing hospitality: The ethics of social relations in a mobile world. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing. Hilton Group. 2012. Hilton hotels and resorts. Retrieved from http://www.hiltonworldwide.com/assets/presentations/GlobalWebB2B_DevContent_Hilton_072911.pdf. Hilton Worldwide. (2014a). Discover our vision, mission, and values. Retrieved from http://www.hiltonworldwide.com/about/mission/. Hilton Worldwide. (2014b). Shaping global success. Retrieved from http://www.hiltonworldwide.com/about/leadership/. Madera, J. M., Dawson, M., Neal, J. A. & Busch, K. (2013). Breaking a communication barrier the effect of visual aids in food preparation on job attitudes and performance. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 37(2), 262-280. Ou‐Yang, H. (2003). Optimal Contracts in a Continuous‐Time Delegated Portfolio Management Problem. Review of Financial Studies, 16(1), 173-208. Sparks, B. & Callan, V. J. (1992). Communication and the service encounter: the value of convergence. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 11(3), 213-224. Walker, J. R. & Miller, J. E. (2010). Supervision in the hospitality industry. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Read More