global alliances in tourism and hospitality management 0789008181

Helmut Waser and Nick Johns 67
occur on n "top down" basis, and that considerable resources are required to
initiate and maintain it (see for example Johns and Chesterton, 1994 and
Jtihns and Wildblood, 1994). One ofthe objectives of such a change may be
the development ofa culture in which managers can see the value of integrating
themselves into the workgroup. In other words managers, who in the
present study were "individualistic" in outlook, both by nationality and in
the attitudes they exhibited, should be encouraged to develop a more "coltectivistic"
perspective. Manifestations of this would be;
• Managers speaking to their subordinates as though they were individuals
rather than just operative, i.e., asking after their families, hobbies,
soeiai life, etc.
• Managers adapting their communication style to make it more informal
and friendly, less abrupt and autocratic.
• Managers sharing aspects of the decision-making process and being
more open about the logic behind work patterns.
• Managers demonstrating themselves the operational knowledge and
skills that they require from their subordinates.
• The whole organisation emphasising teamwork and team needs, for example
by changing from an "employee ofthe month" reward system
common in many hotels, to a "team ofthe month."
Research Notes and Suggestions for Further Work
The qualitative approach described here was necessitated by the objectives
ofthe study and by the conditions under which access to the research site was
granted. Open-ended responses were obtained with the minimum of prompting
by the researcher and the questions and prompts used were of a general
nature, in order to draw out a spontaneous picture from the respondents.
Analysis was inductive in nature, grounded upon the statements of the respondents,
an approach which is generally accepted to minimise observer
bias in this type of work (e.g.., Glaser and Strauss. 1967).
Validity in such a study is obtained through the depth and complexity of
the data, rather than its quantity. However, the relatively small samples necessitated
by in-depth qualitative interviewing cannot claim to provide more
than a glimpse into the situation. A quantitative study, based upon larger
samples, and investigating a greater variety of workgroups and industrial
sectors would be necessary to test the hypotheses generated by the present
work.
Multicultural aspects of leadership and organisational development might
be examined and simultaneously enhanced through the use of action research
(see also suggestions by Teare, 1997 and Larkey, 1996). This technique might
make managers more aware of their communication practices and of the
expectations oi mtdti-etlmlc workgroups.