Imperial Hotel Case Study: Leadership, Motivation, and Team Management

This case study delves into the challenges faced by the Imperial Hotel in London, specifically concerning low productivity, poor teamwork, and inefficient use of IT solutions. It explores how different management approaches, including Bruce Tuckman’s Model of Team Stages, participative leadership, and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, can be applied to resolve these issues and enhance organizational efficiency. The analysis emphasizes the importance of effective leadership, employee motivation through financial and non-financial incentives, and positive reinforcement in improving team performance and IT usage. The study also highlights the role of cross-cultural understanding and targeted training programs in fostering a more productive and satisfied workforce, ultimately improving the hotel's brand image and customer satisfaction. Desklib provides access to this and other solved assignments for students.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Management
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Executive Summary
The report has thrown light on analyzing the major issues which have been faced by the
Imperial hotel concerning low productivity and weak team performance. With the help of the
different management approaches, the problems have been resolved which will be
appropriate for the overall efficiency of the organization appropriately. Furthermore, the
leadership and the motivational approaches are the major aspects which are required to be
adopted by new GM to become more effective in managing the different methods and
improve the workplace effectiveness. Moreover, the cross-functional team effectiveness has
been analyzed which will play a vital role in becoming more appropriate in the performance.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Overview of Case Study.............................................................................................................3
Summary of Problem.................................................................................................................3
Analysis of Issue Related to Poor Teamwork and Inefficient Usage of IT Solutions...............3
Techniques to Resolve Issues Related to Poor Team Work and Ineffective Usage of IT
Solutions.....................................................................................................................................5
Approach and Model of Team Management in Imperial Hotel.............................................5
The method of Leadership and Motivation Approaches in Imperial Hotel...........................6
Role of Reinforcement Theory on Effective Usage of Information Technology......................8
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The report helps in the overall analysis of the problems which are being faced by the
Imperial hotel which is based in London. The primary approach of the assessment is to
develop a team-based approach which will assist in identifying the different problem-solving
skills for the business which will resolve the issue with the implementation of the
management theories which will be appropriate for the analysis of the case in an efficient
manner.
Overview of Case Study
The case study deals with the Imperial Hotel which is situated in London which is
being managed and owned by a branded chain of 4-star hotels. There are different facilities
which are being provided by the hotel to their customers such as different facilities for
conference, swimming pool, leisure centre and bedrooms with the en-suite facilities.
Overview of Problem
The specific problem which is required to be analysed as per the case study is
regarding the front house staffs which are inclusive of conference, restaurant and bars along
with the reception. The major problem which is being seen in the respective department is
related to poor teamwork, there is an inefficient use of different IT systems in the reservation,
and the management systems are not useful as well. This particular issue can be termed as
human resource management issue which is affecting the overall brand image of the firm in
a negative manner.

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Analysis of Issue Related to Poor Teamwork and Inefficient Usage of IT Solutions
In the case scenario, this has been noticed that there are different kinds of problems
which are being faced by the Imperial Hotel which is inclusive of poor satisfaction among the
guests, there is the turnover of the staffs in which more than 80% of the staffs are leaving
their jobs within a year. The primary issue which has been seen is affecting the overall
reputation of the hotel the poor teamwork among the individuals along with the inefficient
usage of the different Information Technology Solutions regarding reservations and property
management systems. There is a lack of the proper training provided to the various
employees working in the front house staffs which have affected the reputation of the firm in
a negative manner.
Furthermore, this has been noticed that there is a lack of proper leadership approach
followed by the previous General Manager of the hotel. There was no such positive
reinforcement done by GM which demotivated the employees, and this affected the morale
the staffs working in the hotel. There was a lack of the defined goals in the organization as
the previous leader of the hotel did not set any goals for the hotel for making it successful
(Aga, Noorderhaven and Vallejo 2016).
From the above, this can be analysed that these are the significant issues which are
affecting the overall efficiency of the hotel and this has increased the total turnover of the
staffs negatively as well. Due to the absenteeism among the teams in a year and this has
affected the overall production of the company adversely as well. There has been fear of
failure among the employees which reduced the teamwork among the employees, and this
was the primary reason for the overall downturn of the hotel in the range of the four-star
chains of hotels.

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Techniques to Resolve Issues Related to Poor Team Work and Ineffective Usage of IT
Solutions
Approach and Model of Team Management in the Imperial Hotel
There are different techniques which can be used by the Imperial Hotel to reduce the
inefficiency of the teamwork and the usage of IT solutions. Goetsch and Davis (2014), have
commented that with the implementation of the Bruce Tuckman’s Model of Team Stages,
the particular theory or the model can be applied for the productive and successful team
building which will be appropriate for improving the team spirit among the employees
working in the hotel. From the case scenario, this has been identified that the previous GM
did not take any steps to develop the proper team spirit and thus it led to poor team
performance in the hotel.
However, with the application of Bruce Tuckman’s Model of Team Stages, there can
be the inclusion of four stages which are as follows:
 Forming- Firstly, Peter Farnsworth can apply the respective hotel in such a manner
which will be requiring the guidance of the team members and directors. Situational
leadership can be adopted in the forming process which will be serving the objectives
and purpose of the hotel, and the employees will be improving their teamwork and
spirit (Goetsch and Davis 2014). Storming- The new GM needs to apply the step in a more efficient manner in which
there can be different conflicts among the team members. In such scenario, this is the
entire responsibility of the team leader to provide the various solutions to the conflicts
which will be beneficial for the success of the team and the organization as well
(Freedy and Hobfoll 2017).

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 Norming- The new GM needs to resolve the different issues in the norming stage in
which there will be the inclusion of socialization among the employees and GM can
provide constructive feedback that can prove to be beneficial to develop a substantial
commitment of the employees towards the team goals (Couper 2017). Performing- This is the stage of performing wherein there should be a delegation of
the tasks among the employees, and the GM needs to concentrate on developing team
members who will play a vital role in achieving the goals of the team efficiently
(Downes et al. 2017). Adjourning- This is the last stage wherein there can be the inclusion of restructuring
in the teams that will assist in creating close relationships with the different members,
and the teamwork will be successful (Hastings et al. 2018)
From the above, it can be identified that these steps can be followed by the team
leader of the organization which will be playing an essential role in managing the overall
effectiveness of the firm and there will be positive and effective teamwork among all the
employees working in the respective Imperial hotel as well. To create a successful team, this
is the duty of the members to follow these steps as to be more successful.
The approach of Leadership and Motivation Approaches in Imperial Hotel
The new General Manager of the Imperial Hotel can use the participative style of
leadership in which this will invite the employees for the entire process of decision-making.
The participative style of the leadership can be adopted by the new GM in which the
employees will be provided with the scope of motivating them to perform the tasks
effectively (Miller 2015). Motivation is one of the significant aspects wherein Maslow’s
Hierarchy theory can be included by the GM which will be appropriate for the meeting the

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different needs of employees and increase their morale in performing the tasks (Nielsen et al.
2016).
Figure 1: Maslow’s Hierarchy Theory
(Source: Moore, Everly and Bauer 2016)
As per the participative leadership, Napiersky and Woods (2018), have commented
that business leaders cannot afford to ignore the competitive advantages in the market.
Quality leadership is the critical ingredient in the success of the business which will be
appropriate for gaining competitive advantage. While GM can follow the participative
leadership style, this will help in better decision-making which will increase the team
effectiveness. To improve the teamwork and decision-making approach of the organization,
this will be critical in becoming efficient, and the employees will be valuable to solve the
problems appropriately.
The new GM should provide the employees with a sense of purpose, meaning along
with belongingness wherein the involvement of the employees will be helpful in fostering the

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understanding along with the commitment as well. There can be the inclusion of financial and
non-financial motivational aspects which will be beneficial in retaining the employees and
develop a more creative workforce which will make the hotel more efficient in the different
kinds of tasks and services provided by them to the customers.
There can be the improvement in the bonus schemes which plays a significant role in
motivating the employees and the training and development aspects will provide coordination
between the team members to resolve the team conflicts and make the work more productive
as well. Peter Farnsworth has to survey this will generate feedback from different employees
that will improve the individual performance regarding productivity and performance in the
hotel and reduce the cross-cultural conflicts as well (Smith 2016).
Role of Reinforcement Theory on Effective Usage of Information Technology
Settle and Shaw (2018), have commented that reinforcement theory of the motivation
was proposed by Skinner along with his associates. The theory helps in stating that the
individual's behaviour is the principal function of the consequences. In the Imperial Hotel,
there was the inclusion of negative reinforcement in which the there was no such effective
teamwork and the employees were not motivated previously to perform the tasks which led to
inefficient usage of Information Technology aspects (Ingalls 2018).
However, in the present scenario, the new GM can use the positive reinforcement
theory through which proper training can be provided to the employees which will improve
the usage of IT solutions and gain the more competitive advantage in the working
environment. With the help of the training program, this will allow the employees to
strengthen their skills in learning and to develop the techniques to improve the team
effectiveness.

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Perryer (2016), has commented that with the positive reinforcement aspects, this
focuses on providing positive response wherein the individuals will be focusing mainly on
increasing the positive approach to improving the overall efficiency of the teams and this will
train them, and this will promote the overall growth of the hotel as well.
Figure 2: Reinforcement Theory
(Source: Yi 2016)
Additionally, there can be a review in the bonus schemes of the team which will be
beneficial for the deepening the collaboration. The team-based approach is the other tool
which can be considered to improve the IT systems usage and increase the customer
satisfaction rate in comparison to the other competitors. The other reason for the conflict
between the team members is due to the cross-cultural aspects that have led to inefficiency in
the teamwork approach and led to negative consequences.

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The new GM of the Imperial Hotel will promote appreciation of the cultural
differences and learn the culture of the employees to make the tasks more productive.
OnPoint Consulting can offer the research-based on-the-job training to employees who will
be playing the major role in decision-making, and the mistakes will not be repeated in nature
as well. The complaints regarding the incorrect data on banquet and reception will be dealt
with proper training of the IT systems and reviewing the team bonus schemes that will
improve the morale of the employees working in the organization (Mackey, Perrewé and
McAllister 2017).
Conclusion
Therefore, this can be concluded that motivation plays a significant role in managing
the different activities performed by the employees in the organization. In case of the
Imperial hotel, this can be identified that previously the hotel faced extremely poor ratings
regarding the customer satisfaction and the inefficient usage of the IT solutions due to the
improper governance of the team leader or the General Manager. However, in the present
scenario, the teamwork aspects and motivation have played a vital role in managing the
different operations of the hotel in a successful manner.
The participative leadership style is the other approach which will be beneficial for
the improvement of the different services which will be helpful for the development of the
team efficiency in an appropriate manner. The Maslow’s Hierarchy theory has been analysed
which will be beneficial for the overall success of the hotel.
There has been an inclusion of positive reinforcement theory which will be beneficial
for solving the problem and gaining competitive advantage in comparison to the other
competitors. Moreover, this can be noticed and seen that with participative leadership, the

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cross-functional teams can collaborate efficiently and the team building activities will be
more appropriate.
References
Aga, D.A., Noorderhaven, N. and Vallejo, B., 2016. Transformational leadership and project
success: The mediating role of team-building. International Journal of Project
Management, 34(5), pp.806-818.
Couper, J., 2017. Best Teaching/Learning Strategies to Foster Collaborative Learning and
Team Building: A Literature Review.
Downes, P.E., Kristof-Brown, A.L., Judge, T.A. and Darnold, T.C., 2017. Motivational
mechanisms of self-concordance theory: Goal-specific efficacy and person-organization fit.
Journal of Business and Psychology, 32(2), pp.197-215.
Freedy, J. and Hobfoll, S.E., 2017. Conservation of resources: A general stress theory applied
to burnout. In Professional burnout (pp. 115-129). Routledge.
Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.
Hastings, E.M., Jahanbakhsh, F., Karahalios, K., Marinov, D. and Bailey, B.P., 2018.
Structure or Nurture?: The Effects of Team-Building Activities and Team Composition on
Team Outcomes. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 2(CSCW), p.68.
Ingalls, J.S., 2018. Improvisational Theater Games: Performatory Team-building
Activities. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 89(1), pp.40-45.