BALD » The one about the leadership

Leadership: an introduction

Leadership theory has undergone significant evolution since its formal inception in the early 20th century. The journey began with the Great Man Theory, which proposed that leaders were born with inherent qualities that destined them for greatness. This was followed by the Trait Theory in the 19th century, popularized by philosophers like Thomas Carlyle and Francis Galton, which outlined specific personality traits that great leaders possess.

The 1940s and 1950s marked a pivotal shift toward Behavioral Theory, which asserted that leaders are made rather than born, focusing on learnable behaviors and actions. This was succeeded by Contingency and Situational Theories in the 1960s, recognizing that effective leadership depends on situational factors.

Modern leadership research has evolved into what scholars term "new leadership theories," which adopt more systemic approaches and acknowledge the complex, multifaceted nature of contemporary organizational environments. These include transformational leadership, authentic leadership, and servant leadership models that emphasize relationships, inspiration, and ethical foundations.

Leadership style and their characteristics

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership stands as one of the most researched and effective leadership styles in modern organizations. This approach focuses on inspiring and empowering employees to achieve their full potential through four key components: idealized influence (acting as role models), inspirational motivation (communicating clear vision), intellectual stimulation (challenging creative thinking), and individualized consideration (providing personalized mentorship).

Research demonstrates that transformational leaders create environments where innovation, teamwork, and exceptional performance become the norm. They motivate followers by helping them see the importance and higher purpose of their work, often resulting in performance that exceeds expectations.

Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership operates on a system of exchanges between leaders and followers, where specific goals and performance criteria are rewarded appropriately. This style emphasizes structure, organization, and supervision, making it particularly effective in environments requiring adherence to established procedures and meeting specific targets.

The transactional approach includes two primary factors: contingent reward (providing rewards for effort and recognizing good performance) and management-by-exception (maintaining status quo and intervening when performance standards are not met). While sometimes characterized as more passive than transformational leadership, transactional leadership remains crucial for operational efficiency.

Other Significant Leadership Styles

Servant Leadership prioritizes the needs of followers and emphasizes humility, authenticity, and stewardship. Participative Leadership involves employees in decision-making processes, fostering engagement and commitment. Autocratic Leadership, while sometimes necessary in crisis situations, focuses on top-down decision-making with limited input from subordinates.

Leadership in hospitality context

The hospitality industry presents unique leadership challenges and opportunities that distinguish it from other sectors. The industry's service-oriented nature, 24/7 operations, diverse workforce, and direct customer interaction create a complex leadership environment requiring specialized approaches.

Hospitality leaders must excel in several critical areas. Customer service excellence remains paramount, as leaders must create a culture focused on exceeding guest expectations. Team-oriented leadership proves highly effective due to the industry's reliance on different teams working seamlessly together to provide quality experiences.

The entrepreneurial and innovative leadership styles are particularly valuable given the industry's unpredictable nature and need for creative problem-solving. Leaders must demonstrate exceptional emotional intelligence to manage diverse teams and handle the emotional demands of service work.

Contemporary Hospitality Leadership Challenges

Modern hospitality leaders face unprecedented challenges that require adaptive leadership approaches. Employee-centric leadership has become essential to attract and retain Generation Z employees who expect more engaging, meaningful work and resist traditional hierarchical structures.

Figure 1. Major Leadership Challenges in Hospitality Industry - Frequency and Impact Analysis

Furthermore, the industry struggles with high employee turnover (78% frequency), customer service standards (85% frequency), and seasonal demand fluctuations (65% frequency), each requiring different leadership interventions. Crisis management capabilities have become increasingly crucial, particularly following global disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic (figure 1).

Academic Findings on Hospitality Leadership

Academic research (figur

e 2) consistently demonstrates that empowering leadership is particularly effective in hospitality contexts compared to other leadership styles. Studies show this approach promotes psychological empowerment and job engagement while enabling quick customer response and innovative problem-solving.

Transformational leadership research in restaurants reveals significant positive impacts on customer-oriented behaviors, with organizational social capital and work engagement serving as key mediating factors. The style proves especially effective in driving innovation, with menu innovations showing the highest positive impact on restaurant performance.

Figure 2. Leadership Style Effectiveness in Hospitality Industry - Comparative Analysis Across Key Performance Metrics

Research indicates (figure 2) that transformational and empowering leadership styles significantly outperform autocratic approaches across all key metrics. Transformational leadership achieves the highest scores in innovation (9.0), employee satisfaction (8.5), and guest satisfaction (8.8), while maintaining strong retention rates (85%). Autocratic Leadership shows the weakest performance across all metrics, particularly in innovation and employee satisfaction.

Essential leadership competencies

Figure 3. Leadership Competency Gap Analysis - Priority Matrix for Hospitality Development

The competency gap analysis reveals (figure 3) critical areas requiring attention in hospitality leadership development. Communication emerges as the most important competency (9.2 rating) with a manageable 25% gap, while customer focus ranks equally high (9.0) with only a 20% gap.

However, significant development opportunities exist in innovation (50% gap), crisis management (45% gap), and adaptability (40% gap). These gaps represent priority areas for leadership development programs, particularly given the industry's dynamic nature and need for continuous adaptation.

Leading from the Front

Research emphasizes the importance of visible leadership in hospitality operations. Leaders who actively participate in daily operations can better understand challenges, build stronger team relationships, enhance guest experiences, and respond quickly to changing situations.

This approach includes setting positive examples, effective communication, and balancing involvement with empowerment. Leaders must delegate appropriately while maintaining engagement, creating environments where employees feel supported and empowered to make decisions.

Cross-Functional Leadership Approaches

Modern hospitality leadership increasingly emphasizes horizontal collaboration over traditional hierarchical structures. Successful properties implement cross-functional teams that break down departmental silos and encourage knowledge sharing across different operational areas.

Outstanding example is set by The Royal Savoy Hotel Lausanne which exemplifies this approach through their "Quality Teams" initiative, where staff volunteers from different departments collaborate on operational improvements without managerial oversight. This bottom-up approach empowers employees and creates ownership over key guest interaction areas.

The role of consultancy in leadership change

Hospitality consultancy plays a crucial role in implementing leadership changes and organizational transformation. Consultants bring specialized expertise, objective perspectives, and proven methodologies that internal teams may lack.

Strategic Leadership Development: Consultants help identify specific leadership gaps and design targeted development programs aligned with organizational goals. They provide change management expertise essential for implementing new leadership approaches while minimizing operational disruption.

Implementation Support: Professional consultants offer structured frameworks for leadership transition, including stakeholder analysis, communication strategies, and phased rollout plans. They help organizations understand their unique cultural context and adapt leadership approaches accordingly.

Measurement and Sustainability: Consultants establish metrics and feedback systems to track leadership effectiveness and ensure sustainable change. They provide ongoing support to refine approaches based on results and changing business conditions.

Specialized Hospitality Knowledge: Industry-specific consultants understand the unique challenges of hospitality leadership, from managing diverse, multilingual teams to maintaining service standards during leadership transitions. They bring best practices from successful implementations across different property types and markets.

Consultancy services prove particularly valuable during crisis management, technology implementations, cultural transformations, and leadership succession planning. The external perspective and specialized expertise help organizations navigate complex changes while maintaining operational excellence and guest satisfaction standards.

Conclusion

Leadership in hospitality management requires a sophisticated understanding of both general leadership principles and industry-specific challenges. The most effective hospitality leaders combine transformational and empowering approaches while maintaining the operational focus necessary for service excellence. Success depends on developing key competencies, particularly in communication, emotional intelligence, and adaptability, while addressing critical gaps in innovation and crisis management capabilities. Professional consultancy support proves invaluable in implementing leadership changes, providing the expertise, objectivity, and structured approaches necessary for sustainable transformation in this dynamic industry.

References

https://bmjleader.bmj.com/content/5/1/3

https://getsling.com/blog/leadership-theories/

https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/reinventing-leadership-styles-hospitality-industry

https://info.ehl.edu/en/tourism-leadership-excellence-singapore

https://leadership.global/learning/membership-tools/leadership-framework/authenticity/self-awareness/spotlight-on-leadership-styles.html

https://lesroches.edu/blog/leadership-in-the-hospitality-industry/

https://lesroches.edu/blog/leadership-styles/

https://lorojournals.com/index.php/emsj/article/view/1260

https://managemagazine.com/article-bank/leadership/leadership-styles/shift-general-manager-leadership-styles-drive-hotel-success/

https://moderna.edu.pl/majors/management/bachelor-of-management/hotel-tourism-management/

https://online.keele.ac.uk/the-history-of-leadership/