Managerial competencies and exemplary leadership in the lodging industry: An empirical study

In facing the rising demand for improved quality, reduced costs, and constant innovation, the need to continuously upgrade knowledge, skills, and abilities is essential for all leadership roles including those held by executives, managers, and supervisors (Kay & Russette, 2000; Mirabile, 1997; Okeiyi, Finley, & Postel, 1994; Sandwith, 1993; Tas, 1988; Tas, LaBreque, & Clayton, 1996). With management scholars racing to meet this demand, competency modeling has become one of the most frequently used techniques to help organizations profile jobs, select, as well as prepare the right person for the right leadership position (Katz, 1955; Sandwith, 1993). Under the auspices of transformational leadership, Kouzes and Posner (1995) introduced the Exemplary Leadership model which aims at helping managers lead their organizations more effectively. The authors believe that the "great person" theory is not accurate since anyone can aspire to become an exemplary leader by following the five practices in their model (Goldsmith, 2007). In general, the lodging industry has plenty to benefit from adopting competency models in identifying competencies necessary for current and aspiring leaders of lodging establishments. In today's global business environment, lodging companies that want to stay competitive must identify the competencies required for leadership not only for the present but also for the future. The purpose of this explanatory (correlational) study was to examine the relationship among the Demographic Profile, Professional Profile, Organizational Profile, Managerial Competencies, and Exemplary Leadership practices of managers in the Lebanese lodging industry. The design was a non-experimental, quantitative, explanatory, correlational design, and has been conducted through an onsite survey to collect data. The survey included five parts: Demographic Profile, Professional Profile, Organizational Profile developed by the author, a modified version of the Managerial Competency survey by Koenigsfeld (2007), and the LPI survey by Kouzes and Posner (1987) (the latter two used with permission). The target population consisted of general managers and department managers of hotels in Lebanon. Two hundred and fifty two (252) managers completed the survey with a sample design that was considered a convenience sampling plan. The methods of data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation, factor analysis, and hierarchical (forward) regression analyses that tested the five research questions (which included forty subhypotheses). Finally, all scales were examined for reliability and validity. Findings indicated that there exists a relationship among the Demographic Profile (nationality and age); Professional Profile (studying hospitality management); Organizational Profile (size of the property, rating by the Lebanese government, and chain aflliation); Managerial Competencies (Leadership, Technical: Administrative and External Governmental Influence, Technical: Front Desk, and Technical: Food and Beverage); and Exemplary Leadership practices of managers in the Lebanese lodging industry. Future research can explore the same relationship of managers in other industries in the country where different business environments exist as well as replication in other countries to further extend the body of knowledge of Leadership practices globally. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY Introduction and Background to the Problem Purpose Definition of Terms Demographic Profile Characteristics Professional Profile Characteristics Organizational Profile Characteristics Managerial Competencies Exemplary Leadership Other Definitions Justification Delimitation and Scope Organization of the Study CHAPTER 11: LITERATURE REVIEW, RESEARCH QUESTION, HYPOTHESES, THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK, AND HYPOTHESIZED MODEL Theoretical Literature Competency Models and Theories Exemplary Leadership Model Empirical Literature Research Question Research Hypotheses Theoretical Framework Hypothesized Model CHAPTER 111: METHODOLOGY Research Design Population and Sampling Plan Target and Accessible Population inclusion and Exclusion Criteria Sampling Selection Plan, Size, and Setting Instrumentation Survey Instruments Data Coding Continued . 111 . Vll l . Xll l TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page Procedures Ethical Considerations Data Collection Methods Data Analysis Methods Evaluation of Research Methods Internal Validity External Validity CHAPTER IV: RESULTS Results Final Data Producing Sample Characteristics of Respondents Descriptive Statistics Frequency Distribution for LPI Survey Frequency Distribution for Managerial Competency Survey Reliability and Validity of the Measurement Scales Internal Reliability and Exploratory Factor Analysis for Managerial Competencies Survey Reliability Analysis for the Managerial Competencies Survey Exploratory Factor Analysis for the Managerial Competencies Survey Internal Reliability and Exploratory Factor Analysis for the LPI Reliability Analysis for the LPI Exploratory Factor Analysis for the LPI Research Question Results of Hypotheses Testing Research Hypothesis 1 Research Hypothesis 2 Research Hypothesis 3 Research Hypothesis 4 Research Hypothesis 5 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION Summary Interpretations Research Hypothesis 1 Research Hypothesis 2 Research Hypothesis 3 Research Hypothesis 4 Research Hypothesis 5 Practical Implications Conclusion Limitations Continued Recommendations REFERENCES TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page APPENDICES Appendix A: Survey Instrument Appendix B: Permission to Use Managerial Competencies Instrument Appendix C: Permission to Use LPI Instrument Appendix D: Permission From General Manager to Conduct Survey Appendix E: Factor Loading for the Managerial Competencies Survey Appendix F: Factor Loading for LPI VITA