BLOG
Two Separate Blogs
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[Name of the Institution]
Management Is the Pursuit of Flexibility
Blog 1
Academic Article: Organisational flexibility and HRM in the hotel industry: evidence from Australia.
Journal: Human Resource Management Journal
Author/s: Knox, A. and Walsh, J.
The hospitality industry is known for poor human resource management practices and inadequate conditions for the employees. However, according to ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"rlp7IsWp","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Knox and Walsh, 2005)","plainCitation":"(Knox and Walsh, 2005)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":171,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/PHX7KLMK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/PHX7KLMK"],"itemData":{"id":171,"type":"article-journal","abstract":"The hotel industry is renowned for its poor pay and employment conditions and a low take-up of HR practices. It is generally believed that the industry has relied on a lowcost, numerically flexible and disposable workforce. Recently, however, there has been debate concerning the extent to which managers in the hotel industry are embracing high commitment HRM and functionally flexible work practices. This study seeks to shed light on this question by analysing large-scale survey and interview data on the hotel industry in Australia. While hotel workplaces in general continue to be associated with high levels of numerical and temporal flexibility and greater informality of HR policies, it was apparent that larger luxury hotels were adopting more systematic employee management techniques and strengthening their internal labour markets through functional flexibility initiatives. Such firms were also pursuing numerical and temporal flexibility strategies, although in rather different ways.","container-title":"Human Resource Management Journal","DOI":"10.1111/j.1748-8583.2005.tb00140.x","ISSN":"1748-8583","issue":"1","language":"en","page":"57-75","source":"Wiley Online Library","title":"Organisational flexibility and HRM in the hotel industry: evidence from Australia","title-short":"Organisational flexibility and HRM in the hotel industry","volume":"15","author":[{"family":"Knox","given":"Angela"},{"family":"Walsh","given":"Janet"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2005"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Knox and Walsh, 2005), the hotel management is fulfilling commitment towards HRM practices and applying employment flexibility within the organizations in recent years. Generally, the hotels are embracing flexibility in their policies, whereas, the larger luxurious hotels are taking effective initiatives such as reinforcing their workforce and implementing employee management procedures to make their practices flexible towards their workforce.
In recent times, flexibility has become a key focus of management. According to Quinn et al. (2015), organizational productivity has increased due to managerial flexibility specifically in the hospitality industry. However, less commitment has been shown towards strategic targets by the hotel management working in developing countries where flexibility is difficult to achieve ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"xKfer7ne","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Majid et al., 2019)","plainCitation":"(Majid et al., 2019)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":167,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/N82BVERX"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/N82BVERX"],"itemData":{"id":167,"type":"article-journal","abstract":"Purpose This study aims to present an empirical model related to strategic performance (SP) of the hospitality industry. It focuses on the role of network capability (NC) in defining SP through the mediating role of structural flexibility (SF). Furthermore, the interaction effect of NC and top management commitment to strategic performance (MCSP) on SP is also tested. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 279 managerial-level employees of four-star and five-star hotels has been used to confirm the proposed hypotheses by using the technique of structural equation modeling. Findings The results reveal that NC positively affects SP. Moreover, the mediating role of SF in defining the nexus of NC and SP has also been confirmed. Results of moderation analysis reveal that MCSP strengthens the relationship between NC and SP. Research limitations/implications This study used a cross-sectional design for data collection, which prevents strong causal inferences. The authors recommend scholars to explicitly test for causal effect. This study used a cross-sectional design for data collection, which prevents strong causal inferences. The authors recommend scholars to explicitly test for causal effect among all these variables by using a longitudinal study in the future. Practical implications In developing countries, it has been observed that the hospitality industry pays less attention to its strategic targets. Operating in a network or adapting flexible structures is also not on their priority list. This study presents a pragmatic approach based on strong theoretical grounds to attain the goals of SP in the hospitality industry through NC and SF. Therefore, this study suggests that organization operating in the tourism and hospitality industry should pay greater attention toward synergies and business networks to achieve SP. Originality/value This research enriches the prevailing knowledge by testing a mediating role of SF between NC-SP link and, therefore, makes an important addition to the existing knowledge on tourism and hospitality industry by concentrating on the relationship between NC, SF, MCSP and SP.","container-title":"International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management","DOI":"10.1108/IJCHM-04-2018-0277","ISSN":"0959-6119","issue":"8","page":"3077-3096","source":"Emerald Insight","title":"Role of network capability, structural flexibility and management commitment in defining strategic performance in hospitality industry","volume":"31","author":[{"family":"Majid","given":"Abdul"},{"family":"Yasir","given":"Muhammad"},{"family":"Yousaf","given":"Zahid"},{"family":"Qudratullah","given":"Hassan"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2019",1,1]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Majid et al., 2019). Flexibility in management facilitates organizations to adapt to the changes such as socio-economic, technological and legal developments, uncertainties and risks involved, increased market competition, and diverse workforce settings. Managerial flexibility demands adaptability and responsiveness towards market ambiguities and innovations along with the workforce commitment for effective management ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"Rlgt0ktZ","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Quinn et al., 2015)","plainCitation":"(Quinn et al., 2015)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":175,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/QL58UDGK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/QL58UDGK"],"itemData":{"id":175,"type":"book","abstract":"Becoming a Master Manager is appropriate for management and organizational behavior courses that emphasize critical management skills that yield sound organizational results. Developed from both theory and empirical evidence, the text provides a compelling case for why managerial and leadership competencies are essential for employee engagement, effective communication, and sustainable organizational success. The competing values framework offers future managers a foundation for analyzing, understanding and executing the behavior that will achieve positive performance, productivity and profitability.","ISBN":"978-1-118-58258-9","language":"en","note":"Google-Books-ID: T7vlBQAAQBAJ","number-of-pages":"352","publisher":"John Wiley & Sons","source":"Google Books","title":"Becoming a Master Manager: A Competing Values Approach","title-short":"Becoming a Master Manager","author":[{"family":"Quinn","given":"Robert E."},{"family":"Bright","given":"David"},{"family":"Faerman","given":"Sue R."},{"family":"Thompson","given":"Michael P."},{"family":"McGrath","given":"Michael R."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015",1,12]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Quinn et al., 2015). Conversely, if organizational policies are not in favour of such approaches, it will resist the implementation of flexibility. For instance, the majority of luxurious hotels have formal policies to implement flexibility initiatives for their employees such as training, health, and safety as compared to other Australian workplaces. Discussion with MTLs:
I participated in an informal discussion with a group of management team learners (MTL) and shared my knowledge regarding the topic, “Management is the pursuit of flexibility”. According to my understanding, the present revolutionary era in the world of business pays more attention to the flexibility of management practices in their organizations as compared to the previous studies. Moreover, if the organizations allow more flexibility in applications, they become more adaptable to the market innovation. As explained by ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"YICWWeJA","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Quinn et al., 2015)","plainCitation":"(Quinn et al., 2015)","dontUpdate":true,"noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":175,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/QL58UDGK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/QL58UDGK"],"itemData":{"id":175,"type":"book","abstract":"Becoming a Master Manager is appropriate for management and organizational behavior courses that emphasize critical management skills that yield sound organizational results. Developed from both theory and empirical evidence, the text provides a compelling case for why managerial and leadership competencies are essential for employee engagement, effective communication, and sustainable organizational success. The competing values framework offers future managers a foundation for analyzing, understanding and executing the behavior that will achieve positive performance, productivity and profitability.","ISBN":"978-1-118-58258-9","language":"en","note":"Google-Books-ID: T7vlBQAAQBAJ","number-of-pages":"352","publisher":"John Wiley & Sons","source":"Google Books","title":"Becoming a Master Manager: A Competing Values Approach","title-short":"Becoming a Master Manager","author":[{"family":"Quinn","given":"Robert E."},{"family":"Bright","given":"David"},{"family":"Faerman","given":"Sue R."},{"family":"Thompson","given":"Michael P."},{"family":"McGrath","given":"Michael R."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015",1,12]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} Quinn et al. (2015), the pursuit of flexibility will lead to effective management and will increase organizational performance in the hospitality industry.
Blog 2
Industry Article: Labour flexibility in the hospitality industry: questioning the relevance of deregulation.
Journal: International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Author/s: Buultjens, J. and Howard, D.
According to this article, flexibility among labour advocates free competition which is continually increasing in the Australian labour market. In the hotel industry, the representatives highlight that a high level of flexibility towards labour is imperative to achieve market stability and competitiveness. The exclusion of resistance towards the implications of flexibility has lessened the unemployment and escalated the competition in the market. However, previously, the regularized system repressed the flexibility and resultantly, the competitiveness among the labour markets in Australia. The initiatives such as labour costs, education, and training and working patterns determine worker flexibility in an organization ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"wDxOcaOg","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Buultjens and Howard, 2001)","plainCitation":"(Buultjens and Howard, 2001)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":161,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/CSC4J47M"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/CSC4J47M"],"itemData":{"id":161,"type":"article-journal","abstract":"The search for labour flexibility has assumed great importance in most developed countries and has been the catalyst for the deregulation which has occurred, and continues to occur, in the Australian labour market. However, despite this, the question remains whether deregulation of the labour market in Australia is necessary for the attainment of flexibility since the empirical evidence is inconclusive. Industry representatives from the hospitality sector argue that a high degree of labour flexibility is a vital component in being able to meet market demands and achieve a competitive environment. Using data from a study of 435 registered clubs in the Australian state of NSW, areas of labour flexibility which these hospitality enterprises value are examined. Managers’ perceptions of the impact of awards and trade unions on the ability of the enterprises to achieve labour flexibility in a variety of areas are also examined. It was found that while there was a perception by managers that awards and trade unions did have a moderate to low impact or restriction on labour flexibility, the impact was not perceived to be as great as the proponents of deregulation would suggest. It is argued that registered clubs are choosing not to enter into formal enterprise bargaining because of this perceived low/moderate level of award and trade union impact on labour flexibility.","container-title":"International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management","DOI":"10.1108/09596110110381834","ISSN":"0959-6119","issue":"2","page":"60-70","source":"Emerald Insight","title":"Labour flexibility in the hospitality industry: questioning the relevance of deregulation","title-short":"Labour flexibility in the hospitality industry","volume":"13","author":[{"family":"Buultjens","given":"Jeremy"},{"family":"Howard","given":"Dennis"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2001",1,1]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Buultjens and Howard, 2001).
As Quinn indicated that in the hospitality industrial sector, human resource practices play a vital role in creating value. In an organization, a more flexible approach is adopted externally to adapt to market changes and internally with the help of labour commitment and engagement to produce valuable outputs ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"bD19x6lW","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Quinn et al., 2015)","plainCitation":"(Quinn et al., 2015)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":175,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/QL58UDGK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/QL58UDGK"],"itemData":{"id":175,"type":"book","abstract":"Becoming a Master Manager is appropriate for management and organizational behavior courses that emphasize critical management skills that yield sound organizational results. Developed from both theory and empirical evidence, the text provides a compelling case for why managerial and leadership competencies are essential for employee engagement, effective communication, and sustainable organizational success. The competing values framework offers future managers a foundation for analyzing, understanding and executing the behavior that will achieve positive performance, productivity and profitability.","ISBN":"978-1-118-58258-9","language":"en","note":"Google-Books-ID: T7vlBQAAQBAJ","number-of-pages":"352","publisher":"John Wiley & Sons","source":"Google Books","title":"Becoming a Master Manager: A Competing Values Approach","title-short":"Becoming a Master Manager","author":[{"family":"Quinn","given":"Robert E."},{"family":"Bright","given":"David"},{"family":"Faerman","given":"Sue R."},{"family":"Thompson","given":"Michael P."},{"family":"McGrath","given":"Michael R."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2015",1,12]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Quinn et al., 2015). It is depicted that the management's flexibility and commitment impact positively on the workers and their performance ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"Ync61u20","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Dimmock et al., 2003)","plainCitation":"(Dimmock et al., 2003)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":179,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/NFKWQ84E"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/NFKWQ84E"],"itemData":{"id":179,"type":"article-journal","abstract":"Management education has the responsibility to provide industry with graduates equipped with relevant management competencies (Christou 2002). This paper agrees with this view and reports on the first and second stages of a longitudinal study that explores tourism and hospitality students' perceptions of their competency development in the first and final year of the Bachelor of Business in Tourism program. A self-assessment instrument that measures perceived competence in management competencies and roles within the Competing Values Framework (CVF) (Quinn, Thompson, Faerman & McGrath 1996) was used. Results from this investigation indicate that since the outset of their tertiary studies, students perceive they have begun to develop a majority of the competencies and roles tested. Students' perception of improving skills and competencies in these roles indicates they are taking steps towards mastery of management (Quinn et al. 1996), and thereby acquiring competence in areas important to their careers in industry. The outcomes of this research contribute to development of appropriate educational experiences, which in turn assist competency development that enhances student career opportunities and experiences.","container-title":"Journal of Management & Organization","DOI":"10.1017/S1833367200004892","ISSN":"1833-3672, 1839-3527","issue":"1","language":"en","page":"12-26","source":"Cambridge Core","title":"Management Competencies: An Australian Assessment of Tourism and Hospitality Students","title-short":"Management Competencies","volume":"9","author":[{"family":"Dimmock","given":"Kay"},{"family":"Breen","given":"Helen"},{"family":"Walo","given":"Maree"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2003",1]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Dimmock et al., 2003). The quest of flexibility in management help workers to enhance their competencies through education and training to achieve managerial goals. The direct association between employees and employers help organizations to achieve labour flexibility ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"KxRwnPwz","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Sheridan and Conway, 2001)","plainCitation":"(Sheridan and Conway, 2001)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":181,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/XEE4W9TL"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/2y0xTiQs/items/XEE4W9TL"],"itemData":{"id":181,"type":"article-journal","abstract":"The rapid expansion in part-time employment in Australia over the past two decades has largely been driven by organisations’ desire to achieve numerical and functional flexibility (the business case for flexibility) rather than a desire to assist employees balance work and family responsibilities (the equal opportunities case for flexibility). Argues that the differences between the business and equal opportunities discourses surrounding flexibility result in significant problems for both employees and organisations – problems that limit the growth of the individual and the organisation. For part-time employment to be an effective organisational strategy, it is critical that the human resource management (HRM) role actively negotiate between the different needs of employers and employees. This will entail making both parties’ needs explicit, acknowledging the differences between their needs and directing efforts towards constructing outcomes that are mutually satisfying.","container-title":"Women in Management Review","DOI":"10.1108/09649420110380238","journalAbbreviation":"Women in Management Review","page":"5-11","source":"ResearchGate","title":"Workplace flexibility: Reconciling the needs of employers and employees","title-short":"Workplace flexibility","volume":"16","author":[{"family":"Sheridan","given":"Alison"},{"family":"Conway","given":"Mary-Louise"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2001",2,1]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Sheridan and Conway, 2001). For instance, during the period of low profits, management that has high flexibility can reduce wages and increase the working hours of workforce required to improve the production.
Discussion with MTLs:
In an MTL discussion, according to my perspective, flexibility is characterized as an ability to adapt to or to conform to the changing environment. Flexibility practices for labour force can lead organizations to become more stable and competitive in the market. The Management flexibility initiatives positively impact the performance and commitment of the workers towards achieving their organizational goals. Moreover, the management values those employees or workers who perform their jobs with a flexible frame of mind. That is why being flexible towards your workforce can lead organizations to success.
Bibliography
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Buultjens, J., Howard, D., 2001. Labour flexibility in the hospitality industry: questioning the relevance of deregulation. Int. J. Contemp. Hosp. Manag. 13, 60–70. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110110381834
Dimmock, K., Breen, H., Walo, M., 2003. Management Competencies: An Australian Assessment of Tourism and Hospitality Students. J. Manag. Organ. 9, 12–26. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1833367200004892
Knox, A., Walsh, J., 2005. Organisational flexibility and HRM in the hotel industry: evidence from Australia. Hum. Resour. Manag. J. 15, 57–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-8583.2005.tb00140.x
Majid, A., Yasir, M., Yousaf, Z., Qudratullah, H., 2019. Role of network capability, structural flexibility and management commitment in defining strategic performance in the hospitality industry. Int. J. Contemp. Hosp. Manag. 31, 3077–3096. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-04-2018-0277
Quinn, R.E., Bright, D., Faerman, S.R., Thompson, M.P., McGrath, M.R., 2015. Becoming a Master Manager: A Competing Values Approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Sheridan, A., Conway, M.-L., 2001. Workplace flexibility: Reconciling the needs of employers and employees. Women Manag. Rev. 16, 5–11. https://doi.org/10.1108/09649420110380238
