J. Bruce Tracey

THE COST OF TURNOVER: PUTTING A PRICE ON THE LEARNING CURVE

Employee turnover does more than reduce service quality and damage employee morale—it hits a hotels pocketbook.

The influence of individual characteristics and the work environment on varying levels of training outcomes

This study tested a model in which pretraining self-efficacy and motivation were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between job involvement, organizational commitment, perceptions of the work environment, and training reactions and knowledge acquisition. It also proposed hierarchical relationships between levels of training effectiveness criteria. A series of analyses demonstrated support for the model. Future research should incorporate a multilevel framework and consider the multidimensional nature of training outcomes.

Construct Validity of a General Training Climate Scale

There is growing evidence that an organization’s training climate can influence the effectiveness of formal and informal training activities. Unfortunately, there is limited data regarding the psychometric properties of climate measures that have been used in training research. The purpose of this article is to examine the construct validity of a training climate measure. Results from content adequacy, reliability, aggregation, and convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity assessments provide support for the measure’s use in diagnostic and theory testing efforts.

Contextual Factors and Cost Profiles Associated with Employee Turnover

To gain insights about the nature and expenses of specific aspects of employee turnover, the authors gathered data from thirty-three U.S. hotels and found that the costs of turnover were generally higher for (1) high-complexity jobs; (2) independent properties; (3) high—average daily rate (ADR) properties; (4) large properties; and (5) high-occupancy properties. The authors also identified several activities associated with recruitment, selection, and training that were linked to lower overall costs of turnover. The results shed new light on the nature and consequences of turnover and provide some prescriptive guidance for managing this serious operational and strategic challenge.

Transformational Leadership or Effective Managerial Practices

Over the past several years, much attention has been given to Bass and Avolios notion of transformational leadership. However, there are striking similarities between Bass and Avolios concepualization and several fundamental managerial practices. To examine this concern, we conducted a study that compared the transformational leadership scales from Bass and Avolios Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) with four scales from Yukls Managerial Practices Survey (MPS). The results provided mixed support for the distinctiveness of the MQ. A confirmatory factor analysis supported a distinction between the underlying constructs measured by the MLQ and MPS scales. In addition, a composite measure of transformational leadership did account for a significant proportion of variance in ratings of leader effectiveness, beyond that accounted for by the MPS scales. However, the proposed dimensionality of the MLQ was not supported, and the MLQ scales were highly related to the MPS scales.

An Analysis of Variance Approach to Content Validation

Although procedures for assessing content validity have been widely publicized for many years, Hinkin noted that there continue to be problems with the content validity of measures used in organizational research. Anderson and Gerbing, and Schriesheim, Powers, Scandura, Gardiner, and Lankau discussed the problems associated with typical content validity assessment and presented techniques that can be used to assess the empirical distinctiveness of a set of survey items. This article reviews these techniques and presents an analysis of variance procedure that can provide a higher degree of confidence in determining item integrity and scale content validity. The utility of this technique is demonstrated by using two samples and two different measures.

Transformational Leaders in the Hospitality Industry

The classic metaphor of the manager as one who fights fires may need to be replaced by that of one who focuses on fire prevention.

The relevance of charisma for transformational leadership in stable organizations

One of the primary dimensions of the multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ) developed by Bass and associates is idealized influence, or charisma. However, there has been very little empirical support for this dimension in a number of previous studies. We argue that this lack of support is due to the attributional nature of charisma and the situational impact on the existence of, or the need for, charismatic leadership. The current study supported this contention and provided a more parsimonious operationalization of the MLQ, which did not include the idealized influence dimension.

What Makes It So Great? An Analysis of Human Resources Practices among Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For

Although few hospitality organizations are listed in the annual survey of Fortune magazine’s one hundred best companies to work for, an analysis of companies with similar operating challenges provides clear direction for hospitality and service companies’ human resource practices. This study examined twenty-one companies, including one food-service firm (Starbucks) and three hotel chains (Four Seasons, Kimpton, and Marriott). The remainder of the companies analyzed were grocery and health care organizations, both of which share human resources issues with the hospitality industry, such as long operating hours, relatively high turnover, and relatively low pay. The innovative human resources practices isolated in this analysis were a culture that emphasizes the value of people, scheduling flexibility, creative staffing practices, people-oriented training programs, transparent and well-aligned performance management policies, and compensation policies that reflect the organization’s values and link pay to performance.

Transformational Leadership in the Hospitality Industry

In recent years, the hospitality industry has undergone major changes both within the industry and in its operating environment. Researchers have posited that in an environment of change, as described above, a visionary, or leadership style, would be most appropriate. The study, reported here, compared the use of transformational leadership style with the more traditional transactional style, and examined the effects of transformationalleadership on individual and organizational outcomes in a hotel management organization. Results suggest that transforma tional leadership both impacts perceptions of leadership effectiveness and subordi nate satisfaction, and clarifies the direction and mission of the organization.