Evaluating Crisis Management & Leadership in Service: Connaught Hotels

This report explores leadership and management strategies within service industries, focusing on crisis management through a case study of The Connaught Hotels. It examines classical management theories, leadership roles and styles applicable during the COVID-19 pandemic, and compares crisis management approaches with their advantages and disadvantages. Internal and external factors impacting crisis management are analyzed, along with changes in management approaches using crisis management theories. The report discusses hard and soft skills in management and leadership, future skills required by the service sector, and how the pandemic transformed crisis management and leadership styles. It further analyzes the impact of internal and external factors on specific management skills, compares crisis management systems across different service industry organizations, and evaluates the development of crisis management skills in response to change, highlighting the transformation of change management due to the pandemic.

Leadership and
Management for
Service Industries

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................3
TASK....................................................................................................................................................3
Classical management theories in relation to hospitality...................................................................3
Roles of leader and different leadership styles that are applicable in pandemic by using selected
hospitality company...........................................................................................................................5
Compare and contrast crisis management and leadership styles in The Connaught Hotels with their
advantages and disadvantages...........................................................................................................8
Evaluation of a specific organization’s current crisis management and leadership style at The
Connaught Hotels using a typical experience....................................................................................8
Internal factors that impact the crises management in leadership......................................................9
External factors that impact crisis management in leadership............................................................9
Analysis of internal and external factors that influence the impact of crisis and structures
identifying strengths and weaknesses..............................................................................................10
Changes in the management approaches using crisis management theories....................................10
Hard and soft skills in management and Leadership........................................................................11
Future management and leadership skills required by the service sector.........................................12
How the pandemic has transformed Crisis management and leadership styles and how it can be
overcome by using sustainable tourism...........................................................................................13
Analysis of how specific management skills have been impacted by internal and external factors in
the service industry organization.....................................................................................................14
Compare and contrast different service industry organizations crisis management systems and
leadership in implementing change using change management model i.e. Lewin model................14
Analysis of how change management affect management and leadership skills and styles
highlighting how the pandemic had transformed change management............................................15
Critically evaluate how in response to change, management and leadership skills of crisis
management in the service sector have developed...........................................................................16
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................16
REFERENCES..................................................................................................................................17

INTRODUCTION
Leadership can be defined as the organization of group of people for the attainment of
a common goal. It refers to the ability of individual or group of individuals to affect followers
of an organization. Management, on the other hand, refers to the administration of an
organization that focuses on supervising the work of workforce. The qualities of influencing
and inspiring differ the leaders from managers (Adams and et. al., 2021). The report will
cover the classical management theories to deal with the crises, mainly the Covid-19
outbreak. The chosen organisation is The Connaught Hotels i.e. a 5-star luxury hotel
headquartered in London. It was opened in 1897, having 121 rooms and 2 restaurants. The
report will cover the roles of leader and leadership styles with their advantages and
disadvantages for dealing with the pandemic and current crises management of the chosen
organization. It will also discuss the internal and external factors that impact the crises
management in leadership. The management and leadership skills with future skills and the
transformation of crises management by the pandemic will also be dealt with. Further, it will
also highlight how the pandemic has transformed change management in the hospitality
industry.
TASK
Classical management theories in relation to hospitality
The classical management theories of management are the styles of management that
put emphasis on hierarchy, specialized roles and particular & individual leadership for
maximizing the efficiency of the workforce in an organization. These theories are broadly
categorized into three main theories mentioned below in context with The Connaught Hotels
–
 Bureaucratic management theory – It states to manage an organization in an efficient
manner by having the clear line of authority with predefined rules, regulations and
procedures for controlling the business operations (Levy, 2021). The Connaught
Hotels follows this classical theory of management by having a proper chain of
command for managing the functions as well as human resources. Such as the hotel’s
mid-level managers are a tier below Assistant managers, and include the job roles like
Front Desk manager, food and Beverage manager, marketing manager, Sales
manager, House-keeping manager, financial as well as Humans resource manager. Its
hierarchy consists of different levels with heads like Restaurant manager, Catering

manager, Chief Sommelier etc. Thus, the adoption of this theory facilitates specific
duties and responsibilities and effective reporting as well. At the same time, it also
encourages specialization and centralization of powers.
 Scientific management theory – This management theory analyzes and synthesizes the
workflows of an organization. The main objective of this theory is to improve the
economic efficiency, mainly the employee productivity. Like Bureaucratic theory of
management, it also involves hierarchy of authority and strict surveillance of
workforce. It is followed worldwide including in the hospitality industry. The
standardization and techniques are also followed by The Connaught Hotels in terms of
communication with the customers at the dining or in the restaurants, Recruitment
Procedure, Advertising etc. But in regard to internal management, it mainly focuses
on line of authority and give priority to Bureaucratic management Theory.
 Administrative management theory – It puts emphasis on designing an organization as
a whole by adopting a rational way. It mainly focuses on creating a formalized
administrative structure and delegation of power and authority to administrators
required for their areas of responsibilities (Gudkova and et. al., 2021). The Connaught
Hotels has a Proper and formalized administration consisting of Food Preparation,
Guest accommodations staff, Hotel activities and housekeeping, with effective
management of business risks in terms of marketing, accounting and sales etc. So,
The Connaught Hotels follow Bureaucratic management theory while also having the
characteristics of Scientific and Administrative management theory in terms of
standardization in some functions and Proper & formalized administration
respectively. By following the classical management theories, The Connaught Hotels
is having the benefit of higher productivity due to the allocation of tasks as per the
capabilities of individuals.
Roles of leader and different leadership styles that are applicable in pandemic by using
selected hospitality company
A leader plays a crucial role in crises management by being able to feel the early signs
of crisis and providing warning to the employees against any negative consequences. It is the
main duty of a leader to take precautionary measures so as to deal with the crises. Such as in
dealing with the covid19 pandemic, they were the leaders who adopted best leadership styles
to motivate and inspire the employees to work and contribute to the economy to increase
economic efficiency. In context with The Connaught Hotels, its leaders also took decisive

steps to safeguard the core of their business and interest of the employees and facilitated the
team members until the elimination of crises and travel resumes. In an effective response to
the covid19, its leaders have led the organization with compassion and caring of the
workforce that the restaurant staff, accommodation staff and front desk manager etc.
The General Manager of The Connaught Hotels i.e. Sandeep Bhalla has reported that
the health and well-being of its guests, clients, customers and employees has always been a
priority. So, after the restrictions were imposed, they had maintained highly safe
precautionary environments in the hotel premises. The hotel also facilitated the testing for the
employees who tested positive and on their isolation, they were provided with medical
assistance by the hotel including a Covid19 test. The modifications of the hotel
administration include the installation of thermal imaging cameras at staff entrance so as to
monitor their temperatures.
To deal with the covid19 crisis, the effective leadership styles that must be adopted
are as follows -
 Democratic leadership style – For dealing effectively with the crises management, this
leadership style is considered as the most effective style as it facilitates redistribution
of power and authority between the employees and hotel managers so as to achieve
the involvement of employees in the decision-making process. (Pankratz and Hanzal,
2021).
 Transformational leadership style – For dealing with the covid crisis that had a major
impact on the hospitality functions such as financial losses, government bailout-
furlong, reduced pay, increased mental health and well-being etc., it was required by
the leaders to adopt transformational leadership style so as to cause change or
modifications in the individuals and systems in order to deal with the crises
effectively(Arici and Uysal, 2022).
 Charismatic leadership style – The leaders following this leadership style is able to
influence the team members with the communication skills, charm and
persuasiveness.
 Supportive Leadership Style – It is a leadership style where a manager does not only
delegate the tasks and achieve outcomes but also facilitates employees in tasks
completion until their fully completion.

In context with Connaught Hotels, its manager i.e. Sandeep Bhalla and other Senior and
administrative executives followed Democratic leadership style and Transformational
Leadership style to deal with the Covid19 crises. Democratic leadership style helped the
Hotel in bringing innovation in the organization and increasing its productivity in such a
financially tight position. Sandeep Bhalla has adopted the Transformational leadership style
to bring modifications in the business by way of installation of Thermal imaging cameras to
test the temperature of employees and provided medical care services to them during their
isolation. There has been a huge care of customers as well as employees to avoid the impact
of covid19. Crisis management in the hospitality industry with current scenario of Connaught
Hotels
Crises management refers to the application of strategies that are created to facilitate
an organization in dealing with the sudden and substantial negative event. A crises can
happen due to an unpredictable event or an unforeseen event that poses a threat of risk to the
organization. (Rastegar, Seyfi and Rasoolimanesh, 2021). For example, the crises of Covid19
lead to ban on travels, application of social distancing norms in the hotels, restaurants and
travel destinations, expenditure on sanitization and maintenance of more hygiene at the
workplace; many organizations have responded to the crises in an effective manner by
adopting effective management approaches and leadership styles.
The Connaught Hotels has also adopted various management and leadership strategies
to deal with the crises that it is still following for future crises management and taking
precautionary measures for any future mishappening. It has entirely followed the government
regulations and responded to the crises by incorporating major modifications in the hotel
through transformational leadership style. The modifications included Thermal imaging
cameras installed at the main entrance of the hotel, standardization of housekeeping team
with enhanced cleaning procedure, contactless payment methods, training to the hotel staff to
reach the highest health and safety standards, etc.
In the crises management of The Connaught hotels, the leadership approach followed
by the leaders of company has played an important role. For example, prior to the covid19
pandemic, the leaders of hotel were primarily following Democratic, charismatic and
supportive leadership style but to deal effectively with covid19, its manager has successfully
adopt transformational leadership style. It has been done to introduce above-mentioned

modifications in the organization so as to increase the health and mental well-being of the
customers as well as employees of the business. (Loeffler, 2021).
Compare and contrast crisis management and leadership styles in The Connaught Hotels with
their advantages and disadvantages
The General Manager of The Connaught Hotels has taken due care in dealing with the
covid19 issue by effective crises management policies. Such as the installation of thermal
imaging cameras to test the temperature of employees and clients was done to avoid any
negative impact on the health of customers as well as staff. For crises management, the
leaders of The Connaught Hotels have introduced various modifications in the hotel for
safety and cleansing facilities. For this, they adopted the Transformational leadership style
that assisted in change management. But they also faced the disadvantages in terms of
increased pressure on the team members. The hotel followed Bureaucratic management style
in dealing with the crises by having clear lines of authority that helped in creating
predictability of the crises to take corrective measures. But its disadvantage is that it causes
slow adaptation to change as in the leaders want to work the same way all the time. So, this
management style is not in line with the leadership style followed by the hotel.
Evaluation of a specific organization’s current crisis management and leadership style at The
Connaught Hotels using a typical experience
In context with The Connaught Hotels, the current crisis management style of the
hotel is Bureaucratic that is facilitated the company in the pandemic by having clear lines of
communication in the organization at all levels with a proper administration. It helped in
standardization of all the work in ensuring safety of the employees of all departments from
housekeeping to restaurant chefs. With this management style, the hotel has been able to
conveniently comply with the government regulations regarding covid19. The
Transformational leadership style has facilitated the manager in enthusing the hotel staff to
contribute more to the overall productivity. During the pandemic, it has been the priority of
hotel to ensure safety of its employees that has helped in increased productivity on the part of
employees.
Internal factors that impact the crises management in leadership
 Corporate culture – The culture of The Connaught Hotels helps the company in
preparing, responding and coping with the crises. As its culture decides the brand by
deciding how will the hotel handle the emergency and how will not be recalled by the

customers. So, it is the responsibility of leaders of the organization to ensure
development of positive organizational culture.
 Company policy – During the pandemic, the internal policies of The Connaught
Hotels included enhanced cleaning, development of cleaning standards in dining and
drinking at restaurants, well-being of the employees and customers etc. that wanted
the leaders to better arrange the change management in the organization to introduce
policies to deal with the crises management.
 Technology - The social media platforms used by The Connaught Hotels has helped
the company in sharing stories with the public during the emergency or the pandemic,
it provided the hotel with valuable insight. So, the leaders must also be technology
savvy and provide their workforce training about the use of technology in their work.
 No. of staff – The employees of The Connaught Hotels have helped the company in
identifying the causes of crises and in devising relevant strategies to avoid it. They
contributed to the organization even during the pandemic such as the housekeeping
staff etc. So, it is the responsibility of leader to keep its employees motivated to
contribute more to the organization.
External factors that impact crisis management in leadership
Leaders must analyze the impact of suppliers, customers and competitors to measure
the current external factors that affect the industry. These factors have been explained by
PEST Analysis in relation with The Connaught hotels to analyze the external environment for
better crises management. These factors have impact on how the leaders attain their goals.
 Political – The political factors include the impact of political conditions and
government policies such as trade restrictions, political instability etc. Leaders of The
Connaught Hotels also have to educate themselves on the suppliers, customers and
competitors to determine the above political factors and their impact on the prices
offered by suppliers, competitors and the hotel itself to be offered to the customers.
These factors impact how leaders attain their goals.
 Economical – Leaders must analyze the economic environment so as to take
precautionary measures for the crises management. The economic factors include
rising inflation rate, interest rate etc. that have occurred after covid19 due to which
The Connaught hotels has also hiked the prices of its hotel packages (Helmold, 2022).
 Social – Leaders are required to understand the demographics and cultures of
customers and suppliers of the organization and trends in the industry for designing

the products and services for particular populations. So the leaders of The Connaught
hotels must analyze the social factors so as to deal with the situation of crises
management.
 Technological – To respond to the covid19 pandemic, the leaders are required to
adjust their management styles to facilitate the company adapt to technology
(Lafferty, 2021). For example, the leader of The Connaught Hotels i.e. Sandeep
Bhalla adopted the transformational leadership style to introduce modifications in the
hotel in the form of effective technology yon ensure contactless payment and to
ensure testing of employees by Thermal Imaging cameras that reflects that the leaders
of The Connaught Hotels have observed the positive impact if the technological
factors.
Analysis of internal and external factors that influence the impact of crisis and structures
identifying strengths and weaknesses
The strengths of The Connaught Hotels include string brand awareness due to which
it is able to attract the high-income group customers. The weakness of the hotel is that its
global presence is not as elaborate as international hotel chains like Intercontinental hotels,
Hilton Hotels etc. he analysis of internal and external factors has helped the hotel in
effectively identifying the reasons of crises i.e. Covid19 and their impact on business
performance and organizational structure and culture so as to take corrective measures to
manage the crises.
Changes in the management approaches using crisis management theories
Crises management strategy is the collective framework of decisions and choices
made by a business organization for making an effective response to the crisis. The objective
of a crises management strategy is to position the organization to withstand a crisis
(Schermer, 2021). In present covid19 pandemic, the managers of The Connaught hotels must
adopt specific changes in the management styles using the crises management strategies so as
to effectively deal with this covid19 crises.
For dealing with the pandemic The Connaught hotels needs to change its management
style such as it must adopt charismatic, Laissez-faire or supportive management style in the
crisis management. The charismatic leadership focuses on professional guidance, or
management on the basis of strong communication skills, persuasiveness, etc. (Gholami and
et. al., 2022). The laissez faire managers encourage the employees to use their own creativity

and experience in dealing with the crises that help in achieving the desired goals of
organization.
The managers with these management styles can follow an appropriate strategy of
crises management that include prediction, preventions, preparation, performance, and poste
action and Assessment in terms of management of crises.
Hard and soft skills in management and Leadership
Hard skills are the skills that are required to be developed for a particular job role and
soft skills are the personal skills of an individual.
Skills in management
Hard Skills
 Communication skills – They are essential in the hospitality industry that The
Connaught Hotels is operating in. it helps in enhancing the customers’ experience
through verbal communication.
 Interpersonal skills – Presently, the manager of The Connaught Hotels i.e. Sandeep
Bhalla is focusing on strong interpersonal skills so as to take more and more orders
from the customers to be back to the normal position after the crises (Figueiredo,
2022).
Soft Skills
 Language skills – The manager of The Connaught Hotels has strong language skills
that depict the ability to handle customers from different backgrounds and countries
speaking different languages that helps in enhancing customers’ experience.
 Networking skills – The manager is proficient at networking skills because of the
ability to build a loyal clientele who are interested in returning to the restaurant or
hotel or accommodation after the pandemic.
Skills in leadership
Hard Skills
 Motivation – It is the most influential skill of a leader for his team and this has also
worked in the crises by motivating the workforce to contribute for the business.

 Positivity – During the pandemic, the leader of The Connaught Hotels has been able
to create a sense of positivity in the hotel staff and develop their positive attitude
towards the job (Sayed, 2021).
Soft Skills
 Communication skills – These are the skills due to which leaders are worth to be
leaders. These are the personal skills of leaders due to which they are able to
communicate with the customers at the restaurant or accommodation that helps in
adding value to the customers’ experience.
 Teamwork skills – It is the ability of leaders to ensure clarity in the goals on the part
of general manager to the gate keeper to ensure Guest Satisfaction in the hotel. For
this it is required to be available for each other that is possible through teamwork
skills.
Future management and leadership skills required by the service sector
In view of the current pandemic, the leaders and managers have learnt a lot as to how
to deal with the crises management. The skills required for management of future crises on
part of managers and leaders are explained below in light of the service sector –
Future leadership skill required in The Connaught Hotels:
 Stress management – A leader with a stress-free mind can effectively observe the
signs of trouble in the team and can promptly solve these issues in an effective
manner. So the leaders in hospitality industry must also develop stress management
skills for the future.
 Flexibility – The leaders must develop flexibility skills so as to prepare themselves for
meeting with the future uncertainties and taking the strong actions to respond to them.
It is considered as the venerable trait worldwide to deal with the pandemic. So.
Leaders of The Connaught hotels must also develop flexibility skills to deal with the
future crisis.
Future management skills required by The Connaught Hotels:
 Managing crisis – These skills include the agility, decision making, communication,
empathy and connection that must be possessed by the leaders to manage the crises.
In times of crises, managers must be able to communicate with other members of the
organization so as to ensure connection and take effective decisions (Ayoko, 2022).

 Analytical and critical thinking – Crises management requires critical thinking on part
of managers and leaders. Managers of Connaught Hotels are required to develop
open-mindedness, problem solving, interpretation and self-regulation.
How the pandemic has transformed Crisis management and leadership styles and how it can
be overcome by using sustainable tourism
The leaders and managers may be expert at running the organization but very few of
them have been able to cope up with covid19. It has changed the crises management of
hospitality organizations in a major way. For example, to cope up with the pandemic, the
organizations have introduced advance technology to predict the crises and their impact, they
are incurring expenditure on the health and safety of the employees and they are required to
pay to even those employees who are on isolation according to the government norms.
The impact of covid19 on the crises management holds significant importance for the
hospitality industry as they have faced the covid19 crises in terms of disrupted operations,
loss of potential customers due to travel bans and government restrictions. The importance is
that they are now ready to prepare effectively for the future crisis to respond in an effective
manner. As a result of Covid19, The Connaught Hotels is also assembling a cross-function
crisis response team and assessing the organizational exposure. It is preparing for a
proportionate response to prepare for the pandemic plans in the future. For achieving this, the
hotel businesses need to analyze the impact of covid19 on present crises management. The
pandemic has also transformed the leadership skills as the leaders have become more
transformational and are putting pressure on the hotel staff so as to consider change
management in the organization.
But the issue of covid19 can be overcome by adopting sustainable tourism i.e.
concern for economic, social and environmental issues to improve the experience of clients
and to address the needs of host communities. The sustainable tourism practices include
maintaining hygiene at the workplace and at the restaurants, following the social distancing
norms and policies formed by the government. The pandemic has transformed the physical
infrastructure and has made the organizations to rely more on technology so as to avoid
public gatherings. By this, they will be able to overcome this crisis successfully. The impact
can be overcome by raising concerns for public health, social inclusion, biodiversity
conservation, climate action, circular economy etc.