Maximizing Employee Performance: A Key to Hospitality Industry Success - Research Paper

Introduction

Employee performance plays a significant role in the operations of an organization. In the current hospitality industry, there is extensive competition and organizations in the industry which need to stay above the others must devise means to have a competitive advantage. Borman and Motowidlo (1993) stated that one of the major means of remaining competitive and productive is to put pressure on the employees as these are main drivers of an organization (Borman, 2011). The behavior of the employees matters more than anything else in the operation of an organization. Performance is an essential criterion which is connected to the organization's success as well as the outcomes (Cherniss & Goleman, 2011). In order to deliver an outstanding performance, the employees need to be actively engaged both physically and mentally. The leaders of the organizations in the hospitality industry also need to make sure that the employees maintain good performance at all times for them to achieved good performance (Carmeli, Shalom & Weisberg, 2007). Even with this, it is prudent to realize that excessive pressure may stress the employees to the point of not delivering at all.

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Goleman (1998) observed that emotional intelligence has a great impact on the performance of the employees in the hospitality industry. The hospitality industry is a term that is used to refer to businesses that offer services to the customers (Alhashemi & Tzudiker, 2012). This area of business is majorly focused on the satisfaction of customers as well as providing various experiences to them. George (2000) stated that this industry is different from other industries since it relies a lot on the discretionary income and free time. The hospitality industry has three major areas. One of the areas is accommodations and this includes things such as hotels, restaurants, motels and lodging businesses (Ashkanasy, Zerbe, Hartel, & Rafaeli, 2002). The other area food and beverage and it comprises of fast food chains, as well as various establishments that provide beverages. Most of the foods and beverages may be located in permanent structures like hotels or can be located in standalone facilities (Goleman, 1996). The other area of the hospitality industry is the travel and tourism. This area is large as it includes trains, airlines and cruise ships.

The emotional intelligence of the employees have an impact on the performance of the employee. Various studies have looked at this topic and some have cited that the higher the EI, the higher the performance but others have argued vice versa (Bernhard & Glantz, 1992). This study will argue that the EI of the employees affects the performance of the staff in the hospitality industry positively. As such, the study will ride on the premise that the higher the EI of the employees, the higher their performance. Some of the key components of the EI which are essential to look at include self-awareness, social awareness, self-management and relationship management (Bar-On, 2011).

The EI industry is composed of people from various backgrounds. These people share different beliefs, ethnic backgrounds, morals and profiles (Beck, 2013). People in the workplace also have different personalities and these factors can serve to improve or derail performance in the workplace. With these differences, people need to stay in pact and cleverness to ensure that their differences are their strength. This is where EI becomes essential. Although various authors have different interpretations of the EI, in this context, EI will considered as the ability to recognize ones emotions, understand them and know how ones emotions affects other people that are around (Gardenswartz, Cherbosque, & Rowe, 2010). Thus, EI involves a person's perception of others and the understanding of how other people feel. As such, in the workplace, an employee has to be aware of his or her emotions as well as those of others.

To improve the performance of employees, the organization must work towards ensuring that the differences between the employees are used as a source of strength for the company. The diversity in the emotions could be a big boost for the organization if the differences are tailored towards improving the working of the employees (Flowers, 2000). Employee performance can be improved by boosting the EI of the employees (Mohla, 2015). The level of EI of the employees determines their professional prowess. For instance, it is assumed that transformational leadership develops more so when leaders are in a better position to become aware of themselves as well as be bale to manage others (Gardner, 2013). As regards EI, it is also essential to note that in the globalization world, people are concerned about paying attention to the identification of the EI of the employees since this is considered an essential aspect of employee performance. Individuals with higher EI are considered more efficient and productive than those with a lower EI.

Purpose of the Study

This study sought to examine the effects of emotional intelligence on the performance of the employees in the hospitality industry.

Research Questions

This study sought to address the following research questions:

• Does self-awareness have an effect on the performance of employees?
• Does self-management have an effect on employee performance?
• What effect does social awareness have on the performance of the employees?
• What effect does social management have on the performance of the employees?

Literature Review

This is a review of literature that outlines and analyses the context and extent to which the emotional intelligence influence staff performance in hospitality. Various literary sources indicate that emotional intelligence has greatly influenced staff in hospitality in multiple ways. Many people who work in the hospitality sector face challenges such as lousy altitude from the clients, and this requires emotional intelligence to design better solutions to such problems. For instance, people working in hotels and clubs encounter problems when dealing with intoxicated customers. Scott-Halsell, Blum, and Huffman (2008, p.136) assert that most of the employees in the hospitality sector are wage earners who may not afford the services they are offering. Therefore, some of the customers undermine such workers, and this affects their performance. It is essential to appreciate the staff since it boosts their morale and helps them to reach their goals. Consequently, hospitality managers should ensure that workers are supported and valued, since this helps in improving their emotional intelligence and improve the working spirit (Scott-Halsell, Blum, and Huffman, 2008, p.136). Furthermore, the hospitality sector is mainly a service-oriented industry that requires high emotional intelligence employees.

Self-Awareness

Emotional intelligence influences the performance of the staff in hospitality by enhancing one's self-awareness. According to Scott-Halsell, Blum, and Huffman (2008, p.137), people who recognize and understand their emotions are likely to relate well with others. In this case, staff members who appreciate and understand their feelings are expected to perform well since they can connect well with their co-workers and clients. Similarly, leaders who are aware of their emotional responses are likely to improve the performance of the team members by properly relating to them. In this case, leaders in the hospitality sector can focus on emotional intelligence, the reason being that they can monitor and control their emotions and help in advancing the efficiency of an organization (Kim, Jung-Eun, Lee, and Kim, 2012, p.1038). For example, a team leader in a hotel can ensure that his or her emotions do not negatively impact the productivity of the company. According to Scott-Halsell, Blum, and Huffman (2008, p.138), managers who have higher levels of emotional intelligence are likely to be high-performing. Typically, employers hire employees based on their intelligence quotient according to their academic credentials (Mayer, and Salovey, 2001, p.87). Nonetheless, their emotional intelligence has an impact on their performance.

In most cases, service delivery is affected by one's emotional competence, and this largely dictates the outcome of the services a company offers. The tendency of employers to hire employees on cognitive-based qualifications such as education and their mental capacity may cause a tremendous decline in workforce performance since emotional intelligence is overlooked during hiring. Mayer, Roberts, and Barsade (2008, p.532) state that managers who are deemed to be emotionally intelligent can be able to utilize charismatic leadership skills positively and regulate their own and other people's emotions and use emotional information to improve the productivity of the team. Self-awareness influences how an individual responds to various challenges (Matthews, Roberts, and Zeidner, 2004, p.183). For instance, an emotional intelligence staff in a casino can handle a situation where a customer makes rude remarks after losing his or her money. In some cases, workers in hospitality encounter abusive comments from clients, and this requires emotional intelligence for the worker to respond in a sophisticated way. Typically, emotional intelligence mainly involves personal competence and social competence, whereby how we manage ourselves and how we lead others dramatically affects how we relate with other people.

Social Awareness

Emotional intelligence enables an individual to be aware of the feelings of others. Empathy is also required in the hospitality sector and may influence the performance of an individual. Typically, empathy involves one's capability to be aware of other people's feelings and being able to see things not only from a personal perspective but from the perspective of others. According to Scott-Halsell, Blum, and Huffman (2008, p.139), managers in the hospitality sector need to ensure that they improve the social awareness of the employees since it helps in improving their performance. Lyons and Schneider (2005, p.701) affirm that leaders should understand the feelings of the employees and help them in case they are facing challenges.

Emotional intelligence allows leaders to see themselves in other people's positions and provide the necessary support required by the subordinates, and this shows their appreciation in the company and improves their working spirit (Carmeli, 2003, p.798). The emotional intelligence of the workers may also steer organizational awareness. In this case, the organizational knowledge entails being aware of the environment around oneself. In most cases, workers in the hospitality sector deal with people of different cultures and origins. Thus, social awareness helps these workers to relate well with the customers and offer the needed services with ease (Lopes, Grewal, Kadis, Gall, and Salovey, 2006, p.136). Moreover, social awareness helps leaders to design solutions in cases of crisis.

Emotional intelligence helps the staff to calm down and solve issues in instances of emergency. The social awareness helps the staff members to understand the diverse worldviews and sensitive differences, and this allows workers to work collectively and attain collective goals regardless of their differences (Cavelzani, Esposito, and Villamira, 2006). Emotional intelligence also enable leaders to form productive teams whereby they can team up people based on their skills and psychological knowledge. Social awareness in a company is also crucial since it helps workers to respect and relate well to people from different backgrou...