A critical discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic on transformability of resources in the hotel industry

Yıl 2021, Cilt 8, Sayı 2, 285 - 298, 29.12.2021

Hasan Evrim ARICI

Öz

Drawing on the transformative learning theory and focus group discussions, this study investigates the transformation of organizational resources in the hotel industry facing numerous challenges with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper identifies three basic internal resources of hotel organizations, namely, physical resources, human resources, and financial resources, which should be transformed because of the detrimental influences of the recent pandemic and proposes ten components under these three transformed resources. These components display how hotel practitioners reacted to the pandemic by transforming their organizations into the new normal. Using these transformative reactions, this study develops a conceptual framework, which proposes a new attribute “transformability” for the resources. This research makes a contribution to fulfil a knowledge void by investigating the context of the pandemic in which an urgent need for a transformative approach and expansion of resource attributes emerged. The hotel transformation framework provides a conceptual foundation for further investigation and calls more research for redesigning and managing transformative practices.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Transformation, transformative learning, focus group, organizational resources, hotel industry, COVID-19

A critical discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic on transformability of resources in the hotel industry

Öz

Bu çalışmada, dönüşümsel öğrenme teorisi ve odak grup tartışmaları kullanılarak Kovid-19 pandemisi ile birlikte önemli sorunlarla karşılaşan otelcilik endüstrisinde örgütsel kaynakların dönüşümü irdelenmektedir. Bu bağlamda otel endüstrisi için pandeminin etkileri neticesinde dönüştürülmesi gereken üç temel örgütsel kaynak (fiziksel kaynaklar, insan kaynakları ve finansal kaynaklar) ve 10 boyut tanımlanmaktadır. Bu boyutlar otel işletmecilerinin organizasyonlarını yeni normal’e dönüştürürken ortaya koydukları reaksiyonları ifade etmektedir. Bu çalışmada, sektör profesyonellerinin gösterdikleri reaksiyonları temel alarak, örgütsel kaynakların yeni bir özelliğini (dönüştürülebilirlik) ortaya atan bir model önerilmektedir. Bu araştırma acil bir dönüşüm ihtiyacını ortaya koyan pandemi sonrası kaynakların dönüştürülebilirlik özelliğini araştırarak mevcut alanyazına anlamlı bir katkı ortaya koymaktadır. Otel dönüşüm modeli ileriki araştırmalar için bir kaynak teşkil etmekte ve dönüşümsel uygulamaların geliştirilmesi ve yönetilmesi için yeni araştırmalara çağrı yapmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Dönüşüm, dönüşümsel öğrenme, odak grup, örgütsel kaynaklar, otel endüstrisi, Kovid-19

Kaynakça

• Alonso, A. D., Kok, S. K., Bressan, A., O’Shea, M., Sakellarios, N., Koresis, A., ... & Santoni, L. J. (2020). COVID-19, aftermath, impacts, and hospitality firms: An international perspective. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 91, 102654.
• Altinay, L., & Arici, H. E. (2021). Transformation of the hospitality services marketing structure: a chaos theory perspective. Journal of Services Marketing, doi: 10.1108/JSM-01-2021-0017
• Balve, P., Wiendahl, H. H., & Westkämper, E. (2001). Order management in transformable business structures - basics and concepts. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 17(6), 461-468.
• Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120.
• Barney, J. B. (2001). Resource-based theories of competitive advantage: A ten-year retrospective on the resource-based view. Journal of Management, 27(6), 643-650.
• Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd Ed.). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Bojlen, N.S., & Lunde, I.M. (1995). Focus group interview as a qualitative research method. Ugeskr Laeger, 157(23), 3315-3318.
• Elkins, S. L. (2003). Transformational learning in leadership and management positions. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 14(3), 351-358.
• Gelter, H. (2010). Total Experience Management: a conceptual model for transformational experiences within tourism. In Conference proceedings, The Nordic Conference on Experience 2008. Research, Education and Practice in Media (pp. 46-78). Tritonia.
• Gössling, S., Scott, D., & Hall, C. M. (2020). Pandemics, tourism and global change: a rapid assessment of COVID-19. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1-20.
• Goscé, L., Phillips, A., Spinola, P., Gupta, R. K., & Abubakar, I. (2020). Modelling SARS-COV2 Spread in London: Approaches to Lift the Lockdown. Journal of Infection, 81, 260-265.
• Hall, C. M., Scott, D., & Gössling, S. (2020). Pandemics, transformations and tourism: be careful what you wish for. Tourism Geographies, 1-22.
• Hannah, S. T., Uhl-Bien, M., Avolio, B. J., & Cavarretta, F. L. (2009). A framework for examining leadership in extreme contexts. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(6), 897-919.
• Kirillova, K., Lehto, X., & Cai, L. (2017). Tourism and existential transformation: An empirical investigation. Journal of Travel Research, 56(5), 638-650.
• Knollenberg, W., McGehee, N. G., Boley, B. B., & Clemmons, D. (2014). Motivation-based transformative learning and potential volunteer tourists: Facilitating more sustainable outcomes. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 22(6), 922-941.
• Krueger, R. A. (1994). A Practical Guide for Applied Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
• Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions in adult learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Mezirow, J. (1997). Transformative learning: Theory to practice. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 1997(74), 5-12.
• Mezirow, J. (2009). Transformative learning theory. In J. Mezirow, & W. Taylor (Eds.), Transformative learning in practice. Insights from community, workplace and higher education (pp. 18-32). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
• Morgan, D.L. (1996). Focus groups. Annual Review of Sociology, 22(1), 129-52
• Noy, C. (2004). This trip really changed me: Backpackers’ narratives of self-change. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(1), 78-102.
• Parks Daloz, L. (2000). Transformative learning for the common good. In J. Mezirow (Ed.), Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on theory in progress (pp. 103-124). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Pearce, P. L., & Foster, F. (2007). A “university of travel”: Backpacker learning. Tourism Management, 28(5), 1285-1298.
• Porter, M. E. (1981). The contributions of industrial organization to strategic management. Academy of Management Review, 6(4), 609-620.
• Pung, J. M., Gnoth, J., & Del Chiappa, G. (2020). Tourist transformation: Towards a conceptual model. Annals of Tourism Research, 81, 102885.
• Soulard, J., McGehee, N. G., & Stern, M. (2019). Transformative tourism organizations and glocalization. Annals of Tourism Research, 76, 91-104.
• Sönmez, S., Apostolopoulos, Y., Lemke, M. K., & Hsieh, Y. C. J. (2020). Understanding the effects of COVID-19 on the health and safety of immigrant hospitality workers in the United States. Tourism Management Perspectives, 35, 100717.
• Wolf, I. D., Ainsworth, G. B., & Crowley, J. (2017). Transformative travel as a sustainable market niche for protected areas: a new development, marketing and conservation model. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(11), 1650-1673.