Developing Effective Managers in the Tourism Industry

To develop a personal and professional development plan, one needs to set a time frame that highlights the period required for achieving success in both aspects of life. The plan should include recognition, monetary and non-monetary rewards as motivators to achieve goals. The provided report emphasizes the importance of acquiring knowledge on various skills and aspects of management to develop effective managers. It also highlights the need for individuals to develop their own career development plans that can assist them in achieving success.

Developing
Manager
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction .....................................................................................................................................3
Task 1 ..............................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Comparison between different management styles ..............................................................3
1.2 Leadership characteristics in chosen organization ................................................................4
1.3 Communication process in selected organization .................................................................4
1.4 Organizational culture and change in selected businesses ...................................................5
Task 2 ..............................................................................................................................................6
2.1 Own management skills ........................................................................................................6
2.2 Analysis of personal strength, weakness, opportunities and threats .....................................6
2.3 Objectives and target to develop own potential ....................................................................7
Task 3 ..............................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Leading and motivating team to achieve desired goals and objectives ................................8
3.2 Managerial decision to improve performance of the team ..................................................9
Task 4 ..............................................................................................................................................9
4.1 Role of managerial and personal skills will support career development.............................9
4.2 Review of current development plan ..................................................................................10
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
References......................................................................................................................................12
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INTRODUCTION
Managers are responsible for managing activities such as planning, organizing, staffing,
directing and controlling in an organization. They play a very significant role in the success of
business. Further, they assist companies to carry out their operations in effective and productive
manner. This report explains various elements which are required to develop a manager in
organization. Marriott hotel and Hilton hotel are the two firms from travel and tourism industry
which have been selected. A comparison of different management styles adopted by the above
stated businesses is highlighted in this report. Further, communication process and leadership
style which have been implemented by Marriott and Hilton hotel are explained in this report. In
addition to this, the report covers all the essential aspects of management.
TASK 1
1.1 Comparison between different management styles
Managers play an important role in organization and the way they handle different
situation depends upon the style of management they have adopted. Management style can be
termed as overall methods which manager implements in order to carry out different activities of
businesses. Marriott hotel has adopted consultative style of management in which the decision
are made for the growth and success of both employee as well as organization. In order to
maintain high morale of employee the management appreciates and encourage feedback form all
its staff members. (Marriott hotel, 2015). One of the major advantage of this is that it helps
Marriott in creating high degree of loyalty among all its members.
On the other hand, autocratic is the style which has been adopted by Hilton hotel. The
manager is the one which takes care of the all the decision making (Hilton hotel, 2015). Further
the views and suggestions from employees are not encouraged in this style of management The
decision rather reflects the views and opinions of the manager. This style helps in making fast
and effective decisions. Whereas its disadvantage is that it creates dissatisfaction among workers
and also effects their entire productivity.
1.2 Leadership characteristics in chosen organization
Leadership characteristics explain the qualities which a leader have. Some of the
leadership characteristics which a leader or manager pursue in Marriott hotel are inter personnel
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skills, communication skills. Further they are open minded, believes in reward system and have
respect for others (Holten, Bollingtoft and Wilms, 2015). Interpersonal skills help managers and
leaders in the hotel to earn trust and respect of staff members which further support them to
achieve goals and objectives of hotel. In addition to this, good interpersonal skills also assist
them to maintain peace among staff members in different departments of hotel. The management
is required to adopt different leadership characteristics such as autocratic, democratic and
Laissez faire. In autocratic style, the leader will be going to make all decision and the views of
workers are not encouraged. On the other hand, participative characteristics helps a manager to
create sense of satisfaction among employees by inviting their opinions at the time of making
decision and strategy formation. As per Laisez faire, the leader will provide all rights and power
to the workers. Along with them they are also set free to make decision and perform the assigned
task as per their style. The leadership characteristics in Marriott is autocratic in which the
manager or leader is the one which makes all the decisions.
1.3 Communication process in selected organization
Communication process can be defined as process of transferring message and
information from one person to another. It is one of the important factors in the organization.
Effective communication process helps in executing the order from the top level management
and increasing productivity of employees. There are various ways of communication which can
be used by businesses in order to transfer and deliver message (Crawford and Hoffman, 2011).
Different types of communication such as verbal, non-verbal and written are used by
organization according to their needs and requirements. Both Hilton hotel and Marriott use
vertical and horizontal communication as per requirements. Vertical communication takes place
between hierarchically positioned people and it also involve both downward and upward
communication flows in hotels. Usually, this type of communication occurs between superior
and subordinates (Proctor, 2014). The main purpose of implementing a vertical communication
system is to control the flow of information and decision-making in the hotel. On the other hand,
when communication occurs between peers and workers at same level of organization, it is
termed as horizontal communication (Courtney, Long and Hall, 2013). It is the communication
that flows laterally within the hotels and involves employees at the same level of the hotel.
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Further, this type of communication is used to improve the co-ordination between hotel workers
and improve their productivity. For example horizontal communication can be between
marketing manager and human resources manager of Hilton as both of them holds same position
in organization which is of manager. On the other hand, example of vertical communication is
the communication between food and beverage manager and employee in same department.
Communication process in Hilton
At the time of communicate information and coordinating activities between various
departments, the organization use horizontal communication. Further in this process only people
with same rank or position in the hotel can communicate with each other. Example the store
manager communicates with food and beverage manger regarding the stock of food and other
articles. On the other side, vertical communication occurs when the strategies or issues are
discussed between a manager and his subordinate. For instance sales manager discussion sales
targets and objectives with executives.
Communication process in Marriott
Horizontal communication takes place between managers in Marriott whereas the vertical
communication occurs between supervisor and subordinate. For instance HR manager
communicating with marketing manager for salary and incentives.
1.4 Organizational culture and change in selected businesses
Organizational culture assists in achieving goals, objectives and success of organization.
Culture can be defined as the sum of attitudes, beliefs and customs which distinguish one group
of individual from another. Whereas organization culture involves the practices, principles,
values, belief and policies of organizations. The way employees behave in organization is
determined by its culture (Evans, Stonehouse and Campbell, 2012). In terms of implementation
of culture, Hilton hotel has executed pragmatic culture and Marriott uses baseball team culture.
According to the pragmatic culture, more emphasis in Hilton hotel is placed on clients and
external parties. Further, customer satisfaction is the main objective of such culture and it is also
the key motive of the hotel. Guests in Hilton hotel are treated as God and are always considered
as correct. Every employee strives hard to satisfy his clients in order to provide better services.
On the other hand, the baseball team culture which has been implemented by Marriott hotel
considers employees as the most important assets of the hotel. In such type of culture, the
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employees are always given priority. The employees of the hotel feel happy, satisfied and
respected. Further, it increases their creativity and productivity. Marriott hotel is aware of the
fact that goals, objectives and competitive advantage can be achieved by having a team of
effective and creative employees (Avci, Madanoglu and Okumus, 2011). So, this is the reason
that Marriott hotel has adopted baseball team culture.
Due to globalization and increase in competition, change has become essential for
organizations. Changes can be in terms of quality, technology, services, products, structure and
system of organization. The competition among businesses operating in travel and tourism sector
is very intense and now change has become essential for businesses in order to survive. Marriott
and Hilton hotel are aware of this fact and always look forward for change. Also, the change
results in improving services and productivity of the hotels. Further, the employees are trained in
such a way that they can easily cope up with the change (Pinder, 2014).
TASK 2
2.1 Own management skills
I am planning to work as an general manager in Marriott hotel UK. The general manager
is responsible for all the operations of hotel. Further he needs to perform various task and
exercise a lot of authority within parameters set by Marriott hotel. The main role of general
manager is to set price, set standard of quality of services and developing plans and policies of
hotel. I am having all the essential skills, qualification and experience which are required for the
post of general manager in Marriott hotel. I have good communication skills and motivation
skills which can assist me to develop effective coordination between me and my coworkers.
Further motivation skills will help me to increase the productivity of employee working under
me.
I pursue a deep knowledge regrinding various aspects of management such as theories of
management, different leadership style and various methods to improving employees motivation.
I have essential skills that can support me to judge which management approach and leadership
style will be suitable in what situation. In addition to this I also carry some decision making
skills with me, which helps in making most effective and suitable decisions. I have knowledge
regarding how to deal with situation like stress, deadlines and crises. I also pursue some
technical skills regarding the use of technology such as ECRM and internet marketing. I have
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also equipped myself with people skills which assist me get the most out of employees and
teams. I can express myself openly, honestly and I am also sensitive to other people’s feelings
and needs.
2.2 Analysis of personal strength, weakness, opportunities and threats
Personal strength, weakness, opportunities and threats are provided below as
Strength
My strengths are my helping nature, skills which I pursue and the qualifications which I
have. My helping nature assist me to retain the employee which work under me and it also helps
me to motivate them. I can easily develop good coordination and bond with different employees.
On the other hand communications skills, decision making skills, people skills, Technical skills,
management and leadership skills which I pursue always provides me with competitive
advantage. I have completed Masters in Hotel management and have also done various
certification course and training in different department of hotel.
Weakness
My weakness are lack of experience and some skills. I carry 3 years of working
experience along with myself which is not satisfactory. Travel and tourism industry always seeks
for people having good experience and skills. Lack of experiences in this industry is one of my
major weakness. On the other hand I also lack some skills such as time management skills,
conflict management skills, critical thinking and financial skills which are at present in demand.
Opportunities
There are ample opportunities in travel and tourism sector as it is a growing sector and its
demand for skilled human resources is increasing day by day (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). The
qualification and skills which I carry along with myself can provide me with opportunities to
work with leading hotel brands of UK. Further by doing various language courses I can also find
good opportunities in other countries. I can also apply for various other designations in hotel. I
am also planning to attuned various workshops and training which will improve my work
efficiency and productivity. I have ample amount of opportunities for growth and developments.
Threats
Low pay scale and work timings are some major threats for me. The pay grade in travel
and tourism industry is very low as compared to other industries. Further the work timings are
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also not fixed and sometimes people needs to work overtime. The positions in hotel this industry
is also limited which is a big threat for me. The changing trends and culture in travel and tourism
sector is also a threat to me as I am not capable to adopt changes. I need time to come up with
the change and the industry is changing at a very fast pace.
2.3 Objectives and target to develop own potential
In order to develop own potential I need to attend various seminar and workshop that can
provide in depth knowledge about various kind of skills and capabilities. Further I can acquire
those skills which are at present in demand in travel and tourism industry. I need to attend part
time lectures and classes in order to get knowledge regarding financial aspects of tourism
industry. I need to learn cross cultural management and different other languages as they are also
in demand for this industry. In addition to this I can set SMART objectives which will help me to
develop my own potential in more effective manner. I need to identify some activities and plans
which can increase future opportunities of my growth and development. Further I need to learn
about the aspects of change management. Changes are occurring at a very fast pace in travel and
tourism industry so, the learning will help me to identify the ways by which I can cope up with
the change. It is also required that I should take consultation form industry professional and
experts who can direct me to become more effective and productivity. The above all stated things
will help in developing my own potential and it will also make me competent. One thing which I
really need to keep in mind is to continue my learning in every aspect. Learning will help me to
stay upgraded and understand the current trends and development in the travel and tourism
industry.
Objectives:
 To become aware of the financial aspects of tourism industry within one year
 To learn three new languages in time period of 15 months
 To enhance my knowledge regrading various aspects of change management in next 4
months
TASK 3
3.1 Leading and motivating team to achieve desired goals and objectives
Motivation can be defined as a process which encourages people to perform their best. In
order to motivate employees of Marriott hotel different motivation theories can be used by me.
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Further the theories will assist me to develop plans and strategies which will result in boosting up
the morale of employee (Sheehan, 2012). At present the morale of employee is very low which
has resulted in lowering down their overall performance. It has been also observed that due to
lack of motivation, the employee’s are not giving their best towards the accomplishment of
organizations goals and objectives. The participation and efforts from their side is very less.
Some of the methods which I can use in order to increase the motivational level of employee are
mentioned below as:
Employee recognition
Employee recognition plays a very significant role in motivating the employees. When
work of employee are recognize in front of other members, the employee feel satisfactory which
force him as well as other worker to perform better in future (Schaper, 2012). I can use some
forms of employee recognition such as verbal or public announcement.
Monetary rewards
The pay scale in hospitality industry is very low which lower down the morale of
employee and team working in this industry. I can implement a system of providing adequate
monetary rewards to the employees of Marriott against their outstanding performance. Monetary
rewards will help the employees to satisfy their needs and will also encourage them to perform
better in order to earn more money (Riley, 2014). One thing which I need to keep in mind is that
the reward system needs to fair and should be based only and only on performance of
employee’s.
Non monetary rewards
Non monetary rewards are the rewards that are providing to employees other than money
against their performance. In terms of this I can provide training and development sessions,
flexible work timings and adequate growth and development opportunities to staff of Marriott.
By providing the mentioned perks I can boost the morale of employee and can also increase their
productivity.
3.2 Managerial decision to improve performance of the team
All the managerial decision to enhance performance of workers are appropriate and
suitable. The rationale behind considering employee recognition is that it will help in creating a
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sense of satisfaction among the workers. When their efforts will be noticed and recognized then
they will be pushed forward to put more efforts. On the other hand, monetary rewards will help
them to satisfy the need of their family. Further they will also become aware of the fact that
better performance will result result in increasing monetary rewards. Thus, it can be stated that
monetary rewards is also good technique to motivate employees. At last there are some
employees which will be more satisfied by non-monetary rewards. These are generally the
workers at middle and upper management. Non-monetary rewards will act as a driving force for
such employees and will enhance their performance.
TASK 4
4.1 Role of managerial and personal skills will support career development
It is important that individuals construct their own career development plan, since only
they can decide what career or job environment interests them (Riley, 2014). A plan for career
development is mentioned below as
Setting up career goals
Individual needs to ensure that their career goals should represent what they ultimately
hope to accomplish (Pyo, 2013). Individuals also needs to set a time frame which will highlights
the time period when the goals needs to be accomplished.
Developing a plan for action
Individuals needs to develop a plan of activities to reach their desired goal (Evans,
Stonehouse and Campbell, 2012). Plan for action is a series of step by step activities which will
help individual to reach and satisfy his goals and objectives.
Obtaining approvals
Individuals career development plan will require the approval of their supervisor. It can
be their parents and teachers (Pinder, 2014). The coordination and assistance of other is required
because of the possible need for release time, funding, or other considerations.
Pursuing the plan
The personal development aspects individual can only be successful if they are
committed to the plan (Cook and Marqua, 2014). In order to accomplish the plan it is required by
individuals to invest time and efforts. Further without efforts the objectives cannot be achieved.
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4.2 Review of current development plan
In order to achieve the goals and objectives it is very essential to review current personal
development plan. It can be stated that some skills needs to be the part of career development
program. Managerial and personal skills are very important for every person to achieve success
in his personal as well as professional life. These skills not only improves the productivity and
efficiency of employee but also increase the chances of future growth and development. One of
the important skills is Communication skills which helps individual to develop effective
coordination with other (Anderson and Mehta, 2015). Now days these skills have become
essential in every industry as it increases the productivity of employees.
In addition to this communication skill also assist individual to listen and understand the
message which is provided to him. With the help of these skills opinions, views, ideas, messages
and information can be expressed and communicated effectively. On the other hand management
skill helps individuals to manage their activities in appropriate manner. In both personal and
professional life management skills are very essential (Crawford and Hoffman, 2011). Further
they help in career development of individuals. Work can be managed and multitasking can be
done easily with the help of management skill. In addition to this, it helps individuals to
complete the assigned task on time. Other than this, planning skills, time management crises
management, stress management, interpersonal skill, emotional stability, execution skills,
listening skills are some of the essential skills which are required for individuals personal and
professional growth and development (Proctor, 2014). By reviewing the current career
development plan it can be stated that improvement in skills and learning of individuals needs to
be the part of plan.
Personal and professional development plan
Program/activities Action plan Review
dates
Achievement dates
Managerial and personal skills taking part in simulation
games and self learning on
internet
08/07/16 15/11/16
Improving communication Attending various seminars 08/04/16 16/08/16
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skills and workshops. I will also
use the process of self
learning in order to improve
my communication skills
Interpersonal skills Workshops related to
interpersonal skills
22/07/16 13/12/18
CONCLUSION
To develop effective manager it is very essential to acquire knowledge regarding various
skills and aspects of management. It can be concluded by this report that various tools such as
recognition, monetary and non monetary rewards can be used by managers in order to motivate
employees at workplace. Other than this it is required by individual to develop their own career
development plan that can assist them to achieve success in personal and professional life. A
career plan has been provided in this report. Further essential changes which are required in
current development plan are highlighted in this report.
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REFERENCES
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Online
Hilton hotel. 2015. [Online]. Available through: <http://www3.hilton.com/en/index.html>.
[Accessed on 15th July 2015].
Marriott hotel. 2015. [Online]. Available through: <http://www.marriott.co.uk/default.mi>.
[Accessed on 15th July 2015].
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