It has been acknowledged that motivation is one of the major factors contributing to employees’ high performance and commitment to organizational goals. A considerable bulk of research on the matter suggests that diverse aspects have an impact on employees’ motivation (Lorincová, Štarchoň, Weberová, Hitka, & Lipoldová, 2019; Frye, Kang, Huh, & Lee, 2020). The role of managers in motivating people has been researched for years, but some areas still need further investigation. For instance, the role of managers on the performance and motivation of intercultural and international employees is not well-researched (Frye et al., 2020). At the same time, the U.S. labor force is highly diverse in terms of culture, which is specifically pronounced in the hospitality industry.
Some steps in identifying the exact influence of managers on employees’ motivation and performance with the focus on their cultural background have been undertaken. For instance, Kim, Choi, Knutson, and Borchgrevink (2017) explored the ways managers influence employees in the American and Chinese cultural contexts. It was found that managers’ leadership style had a significant effect on employees’ motivation, and the effects differed across cultures. The researchers compared the way American and Chinese employees responded to certain managerial techniques and styles (Kim et al., 2017). Nevertheless, the present composition of the labor force in the hospitality industry is characterized by a high degree of cultural diversity. Therefore, it is critical to explore the relationship between managers’ styles and international or intercultural employees’ performance.
It was also reported that cultural awareness of employees and managers has an impact on the overall working atmosphere and employees’ performance (Presbitero & Attar, 2018; Kadam, Rao, Kareem Abdul, & Jabeen, 2020). Nevertheless, the researchers examined the way employees’ cultural intelligence helped them cope with work-related stress. Little attention was paid to managers’ exact impact on people employed in the U. S. hospitality industry. Hence, it is important to identify the effects of managers’ leadership style and cultural intelligence on international and intercultural employees.
The proposed study will be based on the use of the quantitative research design. This approach enables the researcher to identify current trends and obtain generalizable data. The present study will explore the correlation between managers’ leadership style and employees’ motivation and performance. Specific attention will be paid to possible mitigating effects of managers’ cultural intelligence. Employees of several U.S.-based restaurants located in urban areas characterized by a culturally heterogeneous population will complete surveys aimed at identifying their motivation and commitment. Managers’ leadership style and the level of their cultural intelligence will be identified. Restaurants with more than 30 employees will be included as smaller facilities tend to have quite a specific working environment that may disrupt the findings. The restaurants with a clear cultural concept (for example, concentrating on a national cuisine) will also be excluded as such facilities tend to have culturally homogeneous staff. Such variables as gender, age, and socioeconomic backgrounds of the participants will not be explored.
The proposed study may have multiple implications and positively affect the development of the hospitality industry of the United States. The findings can be utilized for the development of staff development interventions to enhance managers’ productivity, as well as employees’ performance and motivation. The study will also shed light on the factors affecting the motivation and performance of intercultural and international employees involved in the American hospitality industry.
References
Frye, W. D., Kang, S., Huh, C., & Lee, M. J. (2020). What factors influence Generation Y’s employee retention in the hospitality industry?: An internal marketing approach. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 85, 1-9. Web.
Kadam, R., Rao, S. A., Kareem Abdul, W. K., & Jabeen, S. S. (2020). Diversity climate perceptions and its impact on multicultural team innovation and performance. Measuring Business Excellence, 24(3), 301-318. Web.
Kim, M., Choi, L., Knutson, B. J., & Borchgrevink, C. P. (2017). Hotel employees’ organizational behaviors from cross-national perspectives. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(12), 3082-3100. Web.
Lorincová, S., Štarchoň, P., Weberová, D., Hitka, M., & Lipoldová, M. (2019). Employee motivation as a tool to achieve sustainability of business processes. Sustainability, 11(13), 1-15. Web.
Presbitero, A., & Attar, H. (2018). Intercultural communication effectiveness, cultural intelligence and knowledge sharing: Extending anxiety-uncertainty management theory. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 67, 35-43. Web.