Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management Essay -- Tourism Hospita

The need for high-quality leaders in the cordial reception industry has been readily treasure and is seen as critical to the long-term well-being of the industry. In recent years, the industry has undergone something of a sea change in its gender composition, with increasing numbers of females graduating from hospitality and tourism management courses. This suggests that the gender composition of managerial ranks is likely to change in the medium term, with concurrent changes in the typical leadership style precious in the industry. This article seeks to explore and quantify the differences in gender-based perceptions of leadership styles and outcomes in the hospitality industry. Using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ Bass & Avelio, 1995), a well-established self-administered instrument, the researchers used a snowballing technique to recruit a self-selected sample of 264 hospitality employees. These employees work in a variety of sectors in the hospitality industry, including large international-style hotels, small franchised motels, food and beverage operations and contract catering, and at levels ranging from junior staff to senior property and site managers. The data indicated that despite their similarities, there were a number of subtle but prodigious differences between males and females in terms of the behaviours used and the extent to which various behaviours contributed to successful leadership outcomes, One potentially confounding result was the high emphasis determined upon the contingent reward leadership style by females and may be explained by the females desire for clear, open and transparent communication. More generally, the differences between males and females were manifested in the form of the males placing greater emphasis on confronting and sporting leadership styles while the females placed greater emphasis on leadership styles which are built upon clear and compact communication and a greater focus on personal consid eration for the team members. However, these subtle differences warrant further investigation--possibly using a more holistic approach-such as a 360 degree assessment or semi-structured interviews. ********** This study sought to explore and quantify the differences in gender-based perceptions of leadership styles and outcomes in the hospitality industry. Leadership studies in the hospitality industry ... ...use, R.J., & Shamir, B. (1993). Toward the integration of transformational, charismatic and visionary theories. Leadership theory and research perspectives and directions (pp. 81-107). New York Academic Press. Howell, J.M., & Avolio, B. (1993). Transformational leadership, transactional leadership, locus of control and support for innovation. Key predictors of unify business unit performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 891-902. Manning, T.T. (2002). Gender, managerial level, transactional leadership and work satisfaction. Women in Management Review, 17(5), 207-216. Tej ada, M.J., Scandura, T.A., & Pillai, R. (2001). The MLQ revisited. Psychometric properties and recommendations. The Leadership Quarterly, 12, 31-52. Tracey, J., & Hinkin, T.R. (1994). Transformational leaders in the hospitality industry. Cornell Hotel and eating place Administration Quarterly, 35(2), 18-24. Correspondence Paul Whitelaw, Senior Lecturer, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Marketing, Faculty of Business and Law, Victoria University, PO Box 14428, Melbourne, Vic 8001, Australia. Email Paul.Whitelawvu.edu.au Paul Whitelaw and Romana Morda Victoria University, Australia