Hilton Hotel: Organizational Behavior and Leadership Report Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Hilton Hotel's organizational behavior, exploring key aspects such as leadership styles, employee motivation strategies, and corporate culture. It delves into the application of various motivational theories, including Herzberg's two-factor theory and Vroom's expectancy theory, to understand how Hilton motivates its employees. The report also examines the importance of emotional intelligence and soft skills within the company, particularly for managers. Furthermore, it highlights the significance of organizational culture in fostering innovation, creativity, and employee performance. The conclusion emphasizes the interplay of power, politics, and organizational structure, and how these elements influence employee motivation and productivity within Hilton. The report also touches on the importance of customer satisfaction in relation to employee behavior.

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12 Dec 2019
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Activity 1
1. The present report is based on the hospitality and organizational behavior of the
Hilton hotel. It is an international company that provides hotels and resorts related
services. It is basically an American multinational hospitality company. Since 1919, it
operated under the leadership of Conrad Hilton in Cisco, Texas and presently, it
operates under Blackstone Group. The brand operates nearly 4000 hotels in more than
90 countries and works with approximately 380.000 employees. Under the Hilton
company, there are a number of franchises that include Hilton Grand Inn, Hilton
Grand Vacations, Conrad Hotels, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, and DoubleTree. It is the
second-largest hotel chain in the hospitality industry on a global basis. Attainment to
this position is solely dependent on the culture and power of the employees and team
members involved in the company. According to Kwahar & Iyortsuun (2018), power
is defined as the ability to influence and attract the behavior of the other person. Most
of the companies have power but they are unaware of using it efficiently in order to
draw the maximum potential out of it. For using power efficiently, there is a need for
an effective leader. Under the effective leadership of Christopher J. Nassetta, CEO of
Hilton Hotels Corporation is able to use its power in the right direction and is able to
influence its competitors, stakeholders, and customers (Mitiku 2016). It is evident that
most of the subsidiaries of Hilton enjoy autonomy, but the company related important
decisions made at the administrative center. The decisions which affect stakeholder’s
interests are managed by the board of directors, while the decisions which are of
direct interest for the company's operation are managed by the CEO (Afsar & Badir
2015). Power is not related to the direction of influence rather it is dependent on
strategies for compliance. For this purpose, the employees working in Hilton are
highly disciplined and are least bothered about the origin of orders. Their primary
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objective is to perform better and remain in compliance with the provided direction.
There exists the politics in the decision-making process of the Hilton company. In
order to maintain political stability, it emphasizes balancing domestic adjustment and
global efficiency. Similarly, the organizational culture of Hilton Hotel Corporation
appreciates and encourages is cultural diversity. It ensures that the employees, as well
as customers, are valued as well as respected without judging their social status.
According to the report by Afsar et al (2015), the company emphasizes the
exceptional culture International market and strives to attain inclusiveness through its
workforce and strategies. It is the organizational culture that bounds employees and
management to service quality, high integrity, and excellence in work (Lam &
Cheung 2018). Through its organizational culture, the company is able to introduce
innovative programs and effective leadership. It has achieved a great place where
people can work for all without any kind of discrimination. Hence, it can be inferred
that business success is contributed by all cultures.
2. Hilton Hotels Corporation uses the Herzberg two-factor theory in order to motivate
employees. According to the theory of Herzberg, it is evident that employees get
motivated under the influence of their leaders and their assumption based on job
satisfaction (Yang 2015). This theory also argues that when the required components
for employees are present, which is termed as motivation, then there is a high
possibility of motivating employees (Brien, Thomas & Hussein 2015). In this context,
Hilton uses the concept of "Hospitality for All", the employees are treated like guests
(Yeboah & Abdulai 2016). It emphasizes building a workplace environment where all
the employees can enjoy it is protective of their background and job role. In addition
to this, it also provides a flexible working hour, performance-based financial reward,
pay and benefits, and effectual working condition. Besides, Hilton also provides its
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employees with the advantage of all Go Hilton privileges, where they can find special
discounts on room rates and food and beverages for themselves, friends and family
(Yeboah et al 2016).
By using Vroom's expectancy theory, Hilton is able to understand that motivation is
solely dependent on employee's expectations. According to Kwahar et al (2018), it is
identified that an employee is made to believe about a particular thing and when he/
she gets an unexpected outcome, then the motivation gets negatively affected. This
theory assumes that the employee's behavior is the result of conscious choices from
the available alternatives with an intention to increase pleasure and reduce pain (Yang
2015). The theory helps in identifying the individual factors which have a significant
impact on employee’s performance such as knowledge, abilities, personality, and
skills. In this context, Hinton thrives to align the company policies along with its
promises to the employees. It keeps complete trust in its employee’s capabilities and
aligns tasks according to their expertise. For instance, the employee having creativity
and cleanliness as the skill is given the task of housekeeping. In addition to this, the
management team has also made a clear boundary between performance and reward,
in order to improve the employee’s overall performance (Brien et al 2015).
Apart from using different theories of motivation, Hilton has also used motivation
techniques for its employees such as emotional intelligence and soft skill. Emotional
intelligence is defined as the ability of an individual to identify emotions,
understanding them and realizing that impact on people surrounding the individual
(Yeboah et al 2016). Emotional intelligence is also defined as the individual’s
perception of others which helps understanding people in a better way and managing
relationships efficiently. Employees are emphasized to improve their emotional
intelligence features like self-regulation, social skills, motivation, and empathy. It has
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been stated by Brien et al (2015) employees with high emotional intelligence are
generally, empathetic and find pleasure in helping others, and this is considered an
important aspect in the hospitality industry. In addition to this, Hilton also works on
improving the soft skills of employees, especially managers to deal efficiently with
subordinates and guests (Afsar et al 2015). In this context, managers are required to
improve their soft skills like communication, problem-solving, teamwork, conflict
resolution, leadership, critical observation, and adaptability. For this purpose, Hilton
also provides special training courses to its employees.
3. By using the Herzberg motivation Theory, Hilton not only motivates its employees
but is also able to influence employees as well as customer’s behavior. According to
this theory, there are basically two factors that influence and motivate employees;
Motivators and hygiene factors (Yeboah et al 2016). It acts as a framework to
motivate employees. On the basis of the theory, the employee's behavior gets
motivated under the influence of their leader (Yang 2015). Moreover, their behavior
also changes towards a positive attitude when all the components related to job
satisfaction are accomplished. Thus, an employee with a positive attitude and
behavior also treats in the same way to the customers and clients (Yeboah et al 2016).
In the hotel industry, the behavior and attitude of employees decide the success of the
company. In Hilton, the management team takes care of the needs of employees,
would use for the reflector in their customer service, especially of the frontline
employee’s behavior. The Hilton hotel has sufficient options for analyzing which
products and services will provide value to the customers and employees. Hilton
having a positive corporate reputation, which makes employees create the
organizational identity and individual level by devoting more effort and gaining a
higher level of job satisfaction (Afsar et al 2015). The corporate reputation of the
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Hilton brand is directly linked to improving the self-concept of employees and
thereby making them feel proud of belonging to the brand (Lam et al 2018). Besides
motivating and influencing employee’s behavior, the theory also emphasizes
motivating customers. In this regard, Hilton identifies the internal needs of its guests.
The theory helps in understanding the approach for motivating customers. Hilton
targets its customers by manipulating their beliefs about the hotel's product and
services. In this context of manipulating the belief system, Hilton provides several
professional pictures of its products and services online platform that can attract and
positively influence customers (Yeboah et al 2016).
With the use of Vroom's expectancy theory, the Hilton company aims at rewarding
employees for their performance. In this context, the effort, performance, and
outcome are separated in order to increase productivity as well as satisfaction among
the employees in a hotel setting (Brien et al 2015). In the hotel industry, work is
considered as labor-intensive whereas the turnover is high, therefore it is necessary to
understand the attitude and motivation of hotel workers (Yeboah et al 2016). For this
purpose, Hilton provides opportunities for advancement (promotion), monetary
bonuses, recognition from their supervisor, and job security. In addition to this, Hilton
also provides its top workers with challenging work which can, in turn, develop their
self-esteem and can be regarded as the best employee of the year (Yeboah et al 2016).
These approaches by the company are highly appreciated and influence the behavior
of employees in a positive direction. The employees can directly interact with the
guests at the front line representatives of the Hilton brand. Therefore, increasing the
satisfaction level of these employees can present a positive outlook of the company.
4. According to Lam et al (2018), the corporate culture of an organization and
motivational level of employees are directly linked with each other. Organizational
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culture is an effective medium to understand the human system. Organizational
culture defines the set of values, beliefs, customs, and behavior from which the
organizational members can understand and consider what is important for the
company (Afsar et al 2015). Corporate culture has been defined as a way of doing
things within a group which ultimately sets priorities and expectations for the
employees to make them understand what is important. They are able to understand
what leads to punishment and what actions lead to rewards. It eventually creates a link
between culture and motivation factors, which indirectly promotes individual as well
as organizational performance. In the given case example of Hilton, it has a flat type
of organizational structure where the lower-level has supervisory control, while a high
level of empowerment is generated through promoting creativity. As per the report by
Yeboah et al (2016), the Hilton brand always emphasizes and promotes the
exceptional culture of different International communities as well as promotes
inclusiveness. Thus the organizational culture of Hilton is based on innovation and
creativity, thereby considering the requirements and demands of guests. Hence a
positive organizational culture is considered as a key link such thing as well as
improves employee’s performance thereby increasing their motivation to achieve
more (Yang 2015). In conclusion, corporate culture holds a significant role in
facilitating a framework where various motivational issues can work.
In a similar way, every organization provides powerbase for each employee. The
employee has the highest power and the organization has the capability to manage
resources and manpower, which is defined as the art of politics (Yeboah et al 2016).
Power and politics are partners and go hand-in-hand. It is noteworthy that in an
organization power is necessary for handling resources along with accomplishing the
political requirement (Yang 2015). Power as a political force has different
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characteristics, such as source, coercion, and agency. The very first part of developing
politics is the acquisition of power. While the second step is to sustain power through
coercion and the third step is to exercise power for certain agencies. The organization
where power lies in a single hand has the possibility of developing politics. On the
contrary, when power is distributed equally among the employees, then there is the
least possibility of any workplace politics (Afsar et al 2015). Hence, in conclusion, it
can be inferred that the organizational culture which promotes equal power among all
its employees promotes motivation, thereby increases the overall productivity, and on
the contrary, it reduces the existence of organizational politics.
Activity 2a
1. The foremost thing while conducting a seminar is to design and select a theme that is
eye-catching as well as draws the attention of other people. The team selected should
define the central message of the seminar. It should be capable of sharing the message
of the theme without failing to convey the message to the attendees (Yeboah et al
2016). It is because attendees have high expectations from the seminar and want that
they should get for what they have paid for. Hence, to design a theme, it is vital to
prepare a catchy presentation along with the tagline, orient people, colorize themes,
and send exciting invites.
In order to have a successful welcome desk, it is necessary to have a strong leader, to
whom anyone can enquire their question. The welcome desk should look presentable
all the time of the event, as it will create the first impression of the seminar. The
person sitting in the welcome desk should be in business casual wear (event t-shirt or
uniform) along with a smile while welcoming the demeanor (Lam et al 2018). The
welcome desk should be at the entrance of the main building so that the attendees
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arriving the first time to the event and venue can reach the seminar sport with the
instruction from the welcome desk.
The delegates of the seminar include key clients and prospective audience. The
seminar is an effective medium to describe the products and services being offered by
the Hilton hotel. It helps in securing new businesses and protect existing customers as
well as generates new leads. In this context, before the seminar, each invite should be
personally provided to the delegates. Moreover, for key customers, invites should be
provided through phone calls or personal visits to make them feel special and increase
the chance of accepting the invite (Yeboah et al 2016). Once the date of the seminar
comes closer, then each delegate should be provided a package containing
transportation options, brochures, maps, and accommodation facilities. The team
members will make possible arrangements to make the guests feel comfortable
through polite and ongoing behavior. During the break time, staff members should be
kept on hand by keeping extra brochures and handouts to give guests during need
(Yeboah et al 2016). After a day or two of the seminar, the guests should be sent a
thanksgiving note to attend the seminar, help in reinforcing their relationship with the
company.
The team members involved in the seminar will be assigned their respective
responsibilities. This will help in easing the pressure of the total seminar event. The
overall goal of the seminar is to inform the clients about the companies agenda and
take care of the seminar guests. it is the responsibility of the team leader to ensure that
the particular team member has a responsibility to take care of the little things which
often get overlooked (Brien et al 2015). These little things include additional pants,
paper, tissues, water, juice, which might be needed by the guests.
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2. A team is basically a group of people working together for a common goal and is
dependent on each other for accomplishing the overall objective (Yeboah et al 2016).
It can be effective or ineffective on the basis of the leadership approach. An effective
team is the one that encourages discussion and clarifies any doubts or points of
disagreement related to the common goal. The effective team uses healthy conflict
and incorporates creativity in ideas before reaching the final consensus (Brien et al
2015). These teams take conflict in a positive light. On the contrary, an ineffective
team is the one that establishes an agreed opinion quickly and opposes any new or
original idea (Altinay, Dai and Chang 2019). The ineffective team holds an
atmosphere of indifference that has tension, intimidation and lacks attention. In such
type of team, the discussion is dominated by only one or more team members,
communication and ideas get biased. Some of the significant factors that help in
developing an effective team as opposed to that of the ineffective team are as
follows:
 Strong leadership - The existence of strong and reliable leaders is the most
important criteria for developing an effective and successful team. Strong
leaders follow their commitments and provide guidance when the team
requires. Then either provide micromanaging or a complete hand of approach
type of leadership (Yeboah et al 2016). The leaders of effective teams are
always available and approachable, and give importance to each and every
input from the team members. They recognize and deal with the problem
quickly, to avoid any type of conflict within the team.
 Effective communication - In an effective team, communication happens on a
regular basis. According to Yeboah et al (2016), regular communication and
team meetings are good approaches to discuss the new projects and ongoing
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activities. However, in the case of any crisis or an emergency situation, this
team does not wait to communicate for any team meeting. Besides the
personal meeting, they also use email, conference calls, and impromptu
meetings for communicating and making quick decisions. They follow the
first rule of communication that is listening and then making clear ideas before
further commenting (Yang 2015). Clear communication also avoids
misunderstanding and sets a fixed set of roles and responsibilities for each
member. This approach reduces conflict and misunderstanding within the team
members.
 Diversity management - In an effective team, the team leader focuses on
bringing diverse torts, skills, and experience to the team. Unlike, ineffective
teams, they do not assemble people who think similarly and have a similar
background, as it serves little purpose. it is the responsibility of the leader to
assemble a diverse team, manage and use them effectively to accomplish the
common goal of the organization (Yang 2015). A diverse team can provide a
wide range of solution what a common problem. In an effective team, such
variety and unusual solutions are considered without dismissing them.
3. In 1965, Bruce Tuckman a psychology professor introduced a model for team
development known as Tuckman's team development model (Natvig & Stark 2016).
This model has four stages of development, viz., forming, storming, norming and
performing. These stages are the commonly experienced stages in every team. Apart
from these four stages, that is a fifth stage known as adjourning. The adjourning step
involves the disengagement of team members as well as recognizing the team
achievements. According to Bruce Tuckman, every team has to go through and
unproductive stage in the initial phase prior to becoming a self-reliant unit (Lam et al
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2018). Tuckman's team development model suggests that until the issues related to
processes and feelings are addressed satisfactorily, it is doubtful that the team will
reach the most productive and successful final stage (Afsar et al 2015). Based on
Tuchman’s theory, there are basically three issues around which most of the team
performs, that is; content, process, and feelings (Brien et al 2015). Besides, the major
issue faced by most of the teams is that team member wants to move directly to the
performing stage without completing the first three stages. It is the responsibility of
the team leader to take the team members slowly in a definite pattern. These four
stages are necessary as well as inevitable for every team to grow, confront challenges,
handle problems, generate solutions, designing work and providing final results.
Tuckman has further identified a number of significant observations from his research
work on different teams. The first observation reflects that the team cannot be fully
efficient until it reaches the performing stage. The second observation states that most
of the team considers the storming stage as in a normal way of processing, while there
are also some teams that are unable to get beyond the forming stage (Yeboah et al
2016). The final observation outlines that the time consumed for completing the entire
cycle of stages movie tremendously on the basis of team capabilities. Thus, following
these steps and above-mentioned observations, it will become easier for anything to
develop dynamic cooperation between the team members.
Dr. Meredith Belvin and his team found that there exist nine types of team roles.
These rules include; resource investigator, team worker, coordinator, plant, monitor
evaluator, specialists, shaper, implementer, and completer finisher (Yang 2015). To
become an effective, successful, and high-performing team, there is a requirement of
accessing these nine team roles within the team (Afsar et al 2015). It is important to
analyze the objective of a particular team and accordingly identify the requisite team
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