Samoa's Hospitality Industry - Case Study Example

Abstract

This study seeks to make a comparison between how effective servant leadership as well as authentic leadership is in Samoa’s Hospitality Firm in prospects of group level alongside individual level outcomes of work as well as their mechanisms of influence via trust climate. Following an objective research on the Samoa’s Hospitality Firm, the two leadership forms have been highly evident to possess positive influences on group trust climate as well as the work outcomes of the employees. The magnitudes as well as the paths of the effects of servant leadership and authentic leadership, however, have shown clear distinction from one another. For instance, servant leadership, as compared to authentic leadership, possesses a more vital influence on the creation of trust climate as well as a more direct influence in regards to the increase in the positive work attitude of the employees. As a result, it leads to the ultimate influence on the performance of work in the firm. In addition, the study offers a demonstration of the significance of group trust climate in regards to the relationship existing between group level leadership as well as individual level performance as well as work attitude of the employee. Therefore, the findings of the research study offer extensions into the scope of authentic leadership as well as servant leadership research (Stone, Russell & Patterson, 2004). Besides, it acts as an advocate of servant leadership in the industry of hospitality.

Introduction

To ensure high productivity in any hospitality firm, both authentic and servant leadership are of great value and needs upholding (Stone, Russell & Patterson, 2004). The start of a powerful, positive, as well as productive culture of work in a hospitality firm involves authentic care, which employees have constantly proven to uphold (Rego, Sousa, Marques & e Cunha, 2014; Panaccio, Henderson, Liden, Wayne & Cao, 2015). Moreover, it is the natural nature of humans to uphold authentic care. From the plans, decisions, as well as actions of their leaders, the employees are able to tell if the leadership values the selfish self-service or the selfless service to the employees as well as the customers (Rego, Sousa, Marques & e Cunha, 2014). The latter is very important in hospitality firms and is a major feature of servant leadership. A servant leader not only listens to and thanks the employees but also learns from them while encouraging the team members to soar high on a daily basis (Northouse, 2015). In a servant leadership environment, therefore, the firm is likely to retain its employees who are in most instances proactively involved in offering solutions to problems encountered. Moreover, employees not only frequently encourage one another to show much competence and kindness in offering services to the customers but also are involved in a cooperative work in ensuring the acquisition of the objectives of the company (Wang, Sui, Luthans, Wang & Wu, 2014).

Samoa’s Hospitality Firm is located inside the tourism fale of Samoa along the beach road in Apia. The management of the Samoa’s Hospitality Firm has ensured that the facilities are accommodative to all. The leadership of Samoa’s Hospitality Firm in the different levels of its hierarchal organization shows both servant and authentic leadership (Wang, Sui, Luthans, Wang & Wu, 2014). However, the two leadership styles, in terms of effectiveness, show variable similarities, as well as differences. The two leadership forms have been highly evident to possess positive influences on group trust climate as well as the work outcomes of the employees (Wang, Sui, Luthans, Wang & Wu, 2014). The magnitudes as well as the paths of the effects of servant leadership and authentic leadership, however, have shown clear distinction from one another.

The Effectiveness of Servant Leadership in Samoa’s Hospitality Firm

The growth in hospitality firms, like Samoa’s Hospitality Firm, as well as the relationship in demonstration between the fulfillment and motivation of the employee, satisfaction of the customer as well as the financial performance of the firm has made the study of servant leadership both timely and costly (Wang, Sui, Luthans, Wang & Wu, 2014; Stone, Russell & Patterson, 2004). However, servant leadership, owing to its effectiveness in charging the employees to hard work, has attracted the interest of several researchers. For instance, in 1997, Robert Greenleaf made a proposal of the servant leadership model, which is seemingly well suited to offering employees with adequate empowerment (Melchar & Bosco, 2010; Stone, Russell & Patterson, 2004). Moreover, the servant leadership model provides the employees with participatory features of a job that are in relation not only to the satisfaction of the employees but also to the satisfaction of the customer. According to Melchar and Bosco (2010), servant leadership not only focuses on others as opposed to self but also the ability of the leaders to understand that they are servants. A servant leader, therefore, attains the servant position to the colleagues with the main aim being the fulfillment of the needs of others (Van Dierendonck & Patterson, 2015). The top leadership of the Samoa’s Hospitality Firm has constantly practiced this form of leadership and its effectiveness has therefore been highly evident not only of the high sales outcome but also of the large profit margin. This realization has been mainly because servant leadership improves both group-level trust as well as individual-level work outcomes (Wang, Sui, Luthans, Wang & Wu, 2014; Stone, Russell & Patterson, 2004).

Melchar and Bosco (2010), for instance, states that firms, which are able to offer a creation of a culture that is both healthy and servant-minded has predisposition to maximizing not only the workforce but also the leadership, an experience that Samoa’s Hospitality Firm can stand a witness to. The management of Samoa’s Hospitality Firm, which has practiced the servant leadership style, shows influence in a manner that is non-traditional hence allows the workforce more freedom to exercise their individual abilities (Sipe & Frick, 2015; Stone, Russell & Patterson, 2004). As a result, the work is smooth as it remains in tandem within the qualities specified in the employee fulfillment model. Servant leadership improves the organizational commitment of the employees, their work engagement as well as performance as it offers them freedom, which enables them build both group-level trust as well as individual-level work outcomes (Wang, Sui, Luthans, Wang & Wu, 2014). Therefore, the smoothness of work within the firm has augured well with the customers as the employees have constantly showed a wonderful relationship to the customer increasing the market share of the firm (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016). Owing to the application of the servant leadership model to the Samoa’s Hospitality Firm operations, the customers have constantly experienced wonderful services since the model enables the whole workforce to work selflessly in a greater commitment to duties (Waite, McKinney, Smith Glasgow & Meloy, 2014). Servant leadership boosts the morale of the employees as they feel an immense respect as well as value of their views regarding the operation of the firm. As a result, the employees work passionately and deliver their full potential to ensure the firm realizes its goals (Waite, McKinney, Smith Glasgow & Meloy, 2014). The major goal of Samoa’s Hospitality Firm, as any other hospitality facility is maximizing profits. The application of the servant leadership model to the management of the facility has ensured the achievement of this goal through improvement of market share and consequently the realization of high profit margins (Waite, McKinney, Smith Glasgow & Meloy, 2014).

Moreover, servant leadership, owing to its possession of positive influences on group trust climate as well as the work outcomes of the employees, has led to the increase in the sales volume in Samoa’s Hospitality Firm (Waite, McKinney, Smith Glasgow & Meloy, 2014). As stated above, servant leadership increases work commitment as well as performance by charging the employees to work hard towards the achievement of the objectives of the organization (Waite, McKinney, Smith Glasgow & Meloy, 2014). Therefore, it improves both the group-level trust as well as individual-level work outcomes by ensuring that the employees are committed their duties in the organization (Liden, Wayne, Liao & Meuser, 2014). As a result, the employees observe teamwork while at the same time perfecting their individual involvement hence their work performance increases greatly. Therefore, they courteously serve the customers with kindness and respect, a reflection of the same respect shown to them by their leaders, in the servant leadership model (Ma & Tsui, 2015). Actually, every human would want to receive nice treatment, especially in hospitality firms, as it is human nature. Therefore, through servant leadership, every unit of the firm aims at providing their best services both at the individual and at the group level (Waite, McKinney, Smith Glasgow & Meloy, 2014). The customers have therefore identified the exceptional service provided at Samoa’s Hospitality Firm hence more of them have constantly flocked the facilities. As a result, the firm has greatly increased its market share as it has received more customers annually due to the great services offered (Winston & Fields, 2015). A large market share, therefore translates into increased sales volumes since the facilities receives more customers yearning for their services (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016).

According to Waite, McKinney, Smith Glasgow and Meloy (2014), servant leadership has resulted in positive employees’ behavior, which in turn has impressive effects on individual-level outcomes. As an underpin of leader-member exchange theory as well as social exchangetheory, the effectiveness of servant leadership increases the affective commitment of the employees in a hospitality industry like the Samoa’s Hospitality Firm (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016). In the Samoa’s Hospitality Firm, there exists a positive correlation between empowerment and stewardship. Moreover, the correlation between humility, standing back as well as courage besides accountability, courage, as well as forgiveness among employees is highly positive in a servant leadership model (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016). Therefore, servant leadership possesses positive influences on group trust climate as well as the work outcomes of the employees (Rivkin, Diestel, & Schmidt, 2014). Moreover, servant leadership possesses an important influence on the creation of trust climate as well as a more direct influence in regards to the increase in the positive work attitude of the employees. As a result, it leads to the ultimate influence on the performance of work in the firm (Welty Peachey & Burton, 2017).

Servant leadership has also proven to possess positive influences on group trust climate as well as the work outcomes of the employees since it shows an immense care for the employees (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016). Every human feels happy when others are in their service. In many occasions, the leaders have always expressed their authority over the employees as opposed to service (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016). Therefore, the employees mainly work because of fear of being fired by the management. However, with the service that a servant leader offers to the employees, their morale at work receives a great boost (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016). As a result, they work not only with dedication but also with enthusiasm. Under servant leadership, the employees can work efficiently as well as effectively with less or no supervision since they feel trusted by their leaders (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016). Therefore, the employees in an hospitality facility such as Samoa’s Hospitality Firm tend to give the best service to the customers. Their good service in turn translates into good customer relations and hence an increase in market shares (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016). With an increase in market shares, the profitability of the hospitality facility consequently greatly increases. Therefore, servant leadership, as compared to authentic leadership, possesses a more vital influence on the creation of trust climate as well as a more direct influence in regards to the increase in the positive work attitude of the employees (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016).

The Effectiveness of Authentic Leadership in Samoa’s Hospitality Firm

The leadership of Samoa’s Hospitality Firm has also practiced authentic leadership styles, which has shown a variety of effectiveness as far as organizational commitment as well as the impact of the workforce on the organizational commitment regarding its turnover intention (work engagement as well as performance) is of concern (Rego, Sousa, Marques & e Cunha, 2014). Authentic leadership in hospitality firms has shown a composition of four elements that are not only distinctive but also distinctive. These components include self-awareness as well as rational transparency in addition to balanced processing as well as internationalized moral (Rego, Sousa, Marques & e Cunha, 2014). Moreover, authentic leadership has an indirect effect on the turnover intention of the employees through organizational commitment (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016).

Like servant leadership, authentic leadership also possesses a positive influence on group trust climate as well as the work outcomes of the employees. However, the magnitudes as well as the paths of the effects of servant leadership and authentic leadership have shown clear distinction from one another (Rego, Sousa, Marques & e Cunha, 2014). For instance, in the Samoa’s Hospitality Firm, authentic leadership has proven to increase organizational commitment, just like servant leadership, but has also proven to decrease turnover intention of the employees (Rego, Sousa, Marques & e Cunha, 2014). Through structural equation modeling, the positive effect that authentic leadership has on organizational commitment in Samoa’s Hospitality Firm is evident. Moreover, the structural equation modeling offers suggestion that organizational commitment is a vital mediator in the reduction of turnover intention of the employees (Rego, Sousa, Marques & e Cunha, 2014). Therefore, unlike servant leadership model, which is important in increasing organizational commitment as well as work engagement and performance, authentic leadership actually, is instrumental in decreasing work engagement and performance (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016).

Conclusion

The paths as well as the magnitude of the influence of servant leadership and authentic leadership have constantly shown clear distinction from one another. The leadership of Samoa’s Hospitality Firm in the different levels of its hierarchal organization shows both servant and authentic leadership. For instance, servant leadership possesses positive influences on group trust climate as well as the work outcomes of the employees (Wang, Sui, Luthans, Wang & Wu, 2014). Moreover, servant leadership is also in possession of an important influence on the creation of trust climate as well as a more direct influence in regards to the increase in the positive work attitude of the employees. As a result, it leads to the ultimate influence on the performance of work in the firm (Hoch, Bommer, Dulebohn, & Wu, 2016). Authentic leadership, however, has proven to increase organizational commitment, just like servant leadership, apart from decreasing the turnover intention of the employees. Through structural equation modeling, the positive effect that authentic leadership has on organizational commitment in Samoa’s Hospitality Firm is evident (Ling, Liu & Wu, 2017). Moreover, the structural equation modeling offers suggestion that organizational commitment is a vital mediator in the reduction of turnover intention of the employees (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016). Similarly, the correlation between humility, standing back as well as courage besides accountability, courage, as well as forgiveness among employees is highly positive in a servant leadership model (Hirst, Walumbwa, Aryee, Butarbutar & Chen, 2016).