Managing and Developing People in the Hospitality Industry: A Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of performance management, team development, and leadership within the hospitality industry, specifically using Hilton Hotel as a case study. It critically examines the systematic approach to performance management, highlighting its importance in human resource development. The report then delves into the stages of team development, based on Tuckman's theory, for creating high-performance teams within the hotel. Furthermore, it demonstrates an understanding of 21st-century leadership principles, emphasizing the need for adaptable and technologically proficient leaders. Finally, the report identifies and analyzes the causes of conflict, along with effective conflict-management skills and strategies, crucial for leadership development within the hospitality sector. The report emphasizes practical application of these concepts to improve performance and foster a positive work environment within Hilton Hotel.

Managing and
Developing People in
the Hospitality
Industry

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAINBODY....................................................................................................................................1
Critically analyse the systematic approach to the performance management process as part of
human resource development within the hospitality industry.....................................................1
Analyse the stages of Team Development for the creation of high-performance team within
your selected hospitality organisation.........................................................................................2
Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding about leadership in the 21st century within
the hospitality organisation.........................................................................................................4
Identify and analyse the causes of conflict, conflict-management skills and strategies within
the leadership development process............................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Hospitality industry is the booming and flouring industry within the world and this industry
has the high level of employee within them following retail sector. Hilton Hotel is a large hotel
that caters to a wide variety of customers, from business travellers to holiday makers. It has
many services such as dining, lodging, valet, banquet, which are managed by people at the front
end and backend. Therefore, managing people is very important for this hotel because without
the right direction, staff cannot provide high quality services to the guest and their support and
trust cannot be won (Hán, Petříček and Chalupa, 2020).Therefore, following rapport is used to
understand the performance management process within the hospitality sector. The main aim of
this report is to evaluate the benefits of staff development and engagement to the Hilton hotel
and in this direction following report also outline the stages of high performance team
development along with throwing light about the leadership in this 21st century in a hospitality
business. Further, conflict management skills within the leadership management is also covered
in this report.
MAINBODY
Critically analyse the systematic approach to the performance management process as part of
human resource development within the hospitality industry
Performance appraisal is a systematic way of assessing the quality of an employee’s
performance ability for his work and development. An important basic need arises for Hiltion to
do its evaluation Continue the employee’s performance to track their progress and know their
contribution in hotel. Performance appraisal and management is a valuable tool for making
employment decisions, determining pay and promotions, identifying professional development
needs and identifying factors in employment performance. When a Hilton does not have a clear
goal, it usually has many misconceptions. Therefore, having a clear definition of success
provides focus and clarity at the individual, team and organizational level. This will motivate and
motivate people to do better while aligning everyone and moving in the same direction.
Performance management is a collaborative effort (Helgadóttir, 2018). Leaders, managers and
employees all have a role to play in creating performance excellence. Having effective processes
and tools to manage performance makes it easier for everyone to perform better in their roles and
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achieve your company’s strategic goals. A good performance management approach involves
five key steps:
Establish goals.
Define success. Incorporate what needs to be done at each level into your strategic
planning framework. Clarify releases (not assignments) and timelines for teams and roles.
Create a plan-
Discuss short- and long-term development needs. Find out how and when growth will
occur and prioritize growth for business needs. Create a plan to achieve the required and desired
learning and development.
Take action.
Be the best at providing feedback! Provide constant and frequent guidance and support as
Hilton focus on achieving goals while using the energy of their staff.
Evaluate performance-
Evaluate progress and continue to provide feedback to the employee on a formal and
informal basis (Pius and et. al., 2020). This will act as the progress card for the employees to
improve their performance as per the workplace benchmark.
Give rewards-
Create corporate programs or personal rewards that recognize and recognize employees for
good performance. On the other hand, acknowledge poor performance with consequences or
disciplinary action.
Analyse the stages of Team Development for the creation of high-performance team within your
selected hospitality organisation
Teamwork is the ability to work together towards a common vision - the ability to direct
personal accomplishments towards organizational goals. Fuel is what allows ordinary people to
achieve extraordinary results. “Recognizing, understanding and building the stages of team
development are important for fostering a high-performance culture. Tuckman theory of team
development were used by the Hilton for creation of high performance team and to formulate a
high performance culture within the organisation. Tuckman theory of team development have the
following key stages which area as-
1. Forming stage
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The first stage of team development forming, which is like an orientation day in college or a new
job. People can compare forming stage like going out on a first date. The team is now introduced
and everyone is more polite and sweet. In the beginning, most people are excited to start
something new and learn about other team members. Rely strongly on the leader; Seeks clarity,
guidance and guidance from the team leader feels uncertain about their roles within the team; It
is not yet certain what is expected of them or what and how they can contribute start working
together and get to know each other; Learning each other’s skills, abilities and willingness to
participate (Bhat and Sharma, 2021). As the team members begins to introduce themselves, roles
and responsibilities begin to develop. It is important for team members to develop relationships
and understand what role each person plays. But, because forming stage focuses more on people
than work, team will be less productive in this stage.
2. Storming stage
In the initial stage member may think that someone is right and flawless. But, later they
understand that they are not. Once member know their flaws, team learn to embrace them or the
relationship will end quickly. In the storm, the reality and weight of completing the task at hand
has now hit everyone. Early feelings of excitement and the need to be polite slightly affected.
Members begin to think individually, have conflict, and are distracted from goals, there are
chances of personality clashes on the Hilton workplace. If someone thinks they are not pulling
their weight, members disagree on how to complete a task or voice their concerns (Sampson,
2018). They may even question the authority or guidance of group leaders. But, it is important to
remember that most teams experience conflict. So for an effective conflict management leader of
Hilton should remind members that disagreements are normal.
Some teams avoid the storm phase or try to avoid conflict at any cost. Avoidance usually
causes the problem to grow until it erupts. So, identify conflicts and resolve them early. As the
leader of a team in the storm phase, further guidance is needed to establish the structure, clearly
define how the team will work together, and clarify roles and responsibilities of each member to
avoid any confusion regarding the task.
3. Norming stage
At Norming stage member of the team at Hilton begin to notice and appreciate the strength of
their team members.. Everyone contributes and works as an integrated unit this shows that there
are less conflict among the member at Hiltion. Members begin to work together, have less
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conflict, and focus on goals. Members begin to support the leader, Understand their roles and
responsibilities, understand the roles and responsibilities of others; Start working together as an
integrated team The focus shifts from conflict and challenge to achieving goals; There is trust
and cooperation within the team As the leader of a team for developing high productive team
leader need to coordinate the team’s activities and activities at the highest level and to lead the
team to accept responsibility and manage towards the achievement of Hilton goals.
4. Performing stage
In the performance phase, members are confident, motivated, and adequately familiar with
the project and their team that can operate without supervision. Everyone is on the same side and
driving at full speed towards the end goal. Members begin to focus on the process, act
efficiently, and achieve goals. Disclosure of open dialogue and communication; As a result of
positive energy, motivation and enthusiasm dependence on each other; Teams operate at peak
performance with minimal oversight from team leaders (Ford and Sturman, 2018). Problems
have yet to come, but at this point, teams have strategies to solve problems without
compromising time and progress. Adjourning stage
When a project is completed, the group disbands. This phase is sometimes called grief
because members grow closer and now feel a loss as the experience is over. The teams complete
the details of their project, what went well and what could be improved for future projects. Then,
team members move on to new projects. Here leader should try to create a cherishing memories
for their member so that they can take the same energy and experience to the next task at Hilton.
Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding about leadership in the 21st century within the
hospitality organisation
The 21st century is characterized by constant change and disruption. During this period the
world has reached unprecedented milestones in history, which has greatly affected the way
people work and live. The rise of dotcom, technological innovations (personal computer,
entertainment), the invention of the smartphone, the emergence of digital as a platform and the
advent of social media are some of the amazing events that have taken place in a short period of
time. They significantly affect how Hilton operate and how they conduct business globally. As
world becomes increasingly complex, the traditional leadership style of “command and control”
is rapidly being replaced with a more comfortable style of leadership (Chen and et. al., 2021).
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Convenient leadership is team-based, which allows each person to bring part of their puzzle into
the conversation. It collaborates collaboratively and supports diverse perspectives. As leaders
have been trained to do in the past, one person can no longer integrate all the different data and
come up with a solution. Leadership is an attribute of an individual that enables them to
influence the behavior of others to achieve a goal or to do things that they do not have the skills
or motivation to do. Definitions of needs, motivations, and satisfaction as individuals have
changed significantly in recent times. The ever-growing global business environment has
profoundly affected personal and professional lives. In such uncertain times, leadership is even
more important aspect in the hospitality sector like in hotels.
Talented leadership in the 21st century requires a complex and diverse portfolio of
leadership skills such as driving for business decisions, working with others, building effective
teams and mastering technology. First of all, how to use new technologies to your advantage is
very important in today’s global hospitality industry. From mobile check-in and geo-location to
special discount apps, online advertising and digital reception systems, you need to make sure
your customer experience is unique. In short, 21st century leadership is a multi-dimensional and
integrated view of leadership based on relationships (Ntounis and et. al., 2021). Through shared
intentions and aspirations, leadership presents new ways of being, knowing and doing while
respecting the developmental nature of human life. 21st century leadership considers leadership
as the property of any social network, rather than the behaviors, traits, and styles of individuals.
Leadership is not just a domain of "responsible people", it is one in which everyone participates.
When fulfilling management and management functions, leadership is a unique dimension of
organizational life, and its development requires its own focus.
Identify and analyse the causes of conflict, conflict-management skills and strategies within the
leadership development process.
Hospitality is a labour intensive sector where conflict is inevitable in the daily life of the Hilton
as the individual is an integral part because the environment of this industry has many unique
characteristics that contribute to the development of a conflict situation. Some of them are
relationship managers-employees-customers, the speed of the working processes, which causes
stress and strain (Schwepker Jr and Dimitriou, 2021). Inter-departmental interdependence is
essential in many situations for customer satisfactory service, thus increasing the tendency for
conflict. Some prior cause of conflict seen at Hilton are as following-
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Resistance to change
People get stuck in their habits because they are accustomed and easy to follow. With change
comes the fear of not knowing that not everyone is ready to embrace. Change can cause stress
and often lead to conflict between team member and management.
Vague job expectations
A job description with an outlook on responsibilities always comes with a new position.
But without training and coaching it is very difficult for team members to become great actors.
Each level has a learning curve that plays a large role in the employee’s future success. Some
people have been at their job for years at Hilton hotel to guess what their manager’s expectations
are. Others move out and move forward. If someone is not sure how they should act, they may
lose confidence and become defensive which is major cause of conflict due to job dissatisfaction
at Hilton.
Bad communication
Communicating in every activity we do in the workplace. Everyone thinks they are a
great communicator, but many conflicts happen due to miscommunication
Personality differences
Any workplace brings together people with different backgrounds, attitudes, experiences
and preferences. We will not be friends with everyone we meet - so we should not expect all
team members to behave properly. While it is not necessary for all co-workers to be friends, a
level of mutual respect is important for a healthy workplace culture.
Bad work habits
Many of the habits that people demonstrate at work are harmless and can even be helpful
for their personal work performance (Kenyon, Robinson and Musgrave, 2020). Even unusual
things like getting up a few times a day to do sit ups or drinking 3 cups of coffee before lunch
will not bother others. However, some habits can affect the whole team, cause irritation, and
spark conflict.
The role of the leader in managing conflict can have a significant impact on how they are
resolved in Hilton hotel. Leaders spend 24% of their time resolving conflicts, although the
process of approaching conflict management is largely related to their leadership style. Leaders
who use conflict management skills can provide direction and guidance for conflict resolution to
Hilton hotel. They need to be comfortable resolving conflicts through effective conflict
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management. Leaders must act responsibly to be respected. Following are the ways for conflict
management by a complete leadership development while working at Hilton
The right time
People often create unnecessary conflict. Leaders who avoid conflict at all costs will
regret it later. When dealing with conflict it all takes time, and the best time to take action is
when there is hard evidence / evidence that an employee has a track record of wrongdoing that
negatively affects the performance of others in the Hilton so leaders should be disciplinary in
nature.
Respect the differences
Instead of imposing own influence, hierarchy or quality - learn to respect the unique
differences in people and see things from different perspectives so that leader can better
understand how to avoid conflict in the future at Hilton (Bratton and Watson, 2018). In fact,
there are more and more gray areas these days as workplaces are more generationally and
culturally different than ever before.
Be a candidate-
Leaders can not hesitate to put on the table the issues that need to be discussed. Leaders
must ensure that team members understand that conflicts are justified and that everyone's views
will be discussed.
Learn to listen
Leaders should listen carefully and make sure to provide feedback as well effective
listening make things clear (Riley, 2018). Leaders need to make sure all team members
understand how decisions are made to resolve conflict therefore effective listening is foremost
skills for future leadership development.
Triangle outside the frame.
Leaders must prevent team members from "ganging" at the Hilton on others with whom
they disagree. Leaders need to make sure they follow their actions, but also involve others in
their actions
Face the tension
Leadership is often about doing things that others do not want to do. Conflict resolution is
one of those things - but we as leaders have to deal with tension. Don’t wait, but rather activate
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own leadership to resolve the conflict before circumstances force at Hilton and things turn into
the emotional aspects.
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CONCLUSION
From the above carried out research it has been concluded that managing people within
the hospitality sector is important for a hotel in order to give better service to guests and won the
trust of customer through effective customer service and this goal can only be achieved by the
performance management and team development process. Moreover, it has been discussed that
leadership is important for managing people in hospitality sector so report also discussed the
understanding about the leadership in the 21st century for conflict management and how leaders
with leadership development process can manage the conflict.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bhat, D.A.R. and Sharma, V., 2021. Enabling service innovation and firm performance: the role
of co-creation and technological innovation in the hospitality industry. Technology
Analysis & Strategic Management, pp.1-13.
Bratton, J. and Watson, S., 2018. Talent management, emotional labour and the role of line
managers in the Scottish hospitality industry. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism
Themes.
Chen, H.S., and et. al., 2021. Invisible yet powerful: the unseen obstacles women leaders face in
their hospitality careers. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, pp.1-
21.
Ford, R.C. and Sturman, M.C., 2018. Managing Hospitality Organizations: Achieving
Excellence in the Guest Experience. SAGE Publications.
Hán, J., Petříček, M. and Chalupa, Š., 2020. Business Process Management Approach in the
Hospitality Industry. In Sustainable Hospitality Management. Emerald Publishing
Limited.
Helgadóttir, G., 2018. Herding livestock and managing people: The cultural sustainability of a
harvest festival. In The Routledge Handbook of Festivals (pp. 333-343). Routledge.
Kenyon, A., Robinson, P. and Musgrave, J. eds., 2020. Managing Hospitality Experiences.
CABI.
Ntounis, N., and et. al., 2021. Tourism and Hospitality industry resilience during the Covid-19
pandemic: Evidence from England. Current Issues in Tourism, pp.1-14.
Pius, A., and et. al., 2020. Contemporary Quality Management Approaches and Practices Within
the Hospitality Industry. In Contemporary Management Approaches to the Global
Hospitality and Tourism Industry (pp. 1-34). IGI Global.
Riley, M., 2018. Managing People in the Hospitality Industry. Routledge.
Sampson, E., 2018. Hospitality Management: An Introduction. Scientific e-Resources.
Schwepker Jr, C.H. and Dimitriou, C.K., 2021. Using ethical leadership to reduce job stress and
improve performance quality in the hospitality industry. International Journal of
Hospitality Management, 94, p.102860.
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