In a competitive business scenario, attracting and retaining customers is a daunting task for managers of the service industry in general and five star hotels in particular. The present study has tried to suggest a few measures through which customer care can be improved or in other words–well defined job, better superior subordinate relationship and effective delegation may help frontline employees to take extra care of customers and retain them.
Direct and interaction effect of determinants of delegation i.e., job characteristics and superior-subordinate relationship has been studied. Effect of these determinants on factors of delegation i.e., amount of delegation, process of delegation and facilitating factors of delegation, has also been studied. A sample of 319 frontline employees of five star hotels of Mumbai was chosen. It has been found that job characteristics and superior subordinate relationship significantly influences delegation. Interaction effect of job characteristics and superior-subordinate relationship were also found to be influencing significantly.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BassB M, (1990), Bass and Stogdill's Handbook of Leadership, 3rd Edition, NY, Free Press.
2.
BriefA PAldagR J, (1978), The Job Characteristics Inventory: An Examination, Academy Of Management Journal, 21, 659–670.
3.
CammannCFichmanMJenkinsDKleshJ, (1979), The Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire, Unpublished Manuscript, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
4.
CosierR AAplinJ C, (1980), Effects of Delegated Choice on Performance, Personnel Psychology, 1980, 33, 581–593.
5.
CrouchAYettonP, (1988), Manager Subordinate Dyads: Relationships Among Task and Social Contact, Manager Friendliness and Subordinate Performance in Management Groups, Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 41, 65–82.
6.
DansereauFGraenGHagaW, (1975), A Vertical Dyad Approach to Leadership Within Formal Organizations, Organizational Behaviour And Human Performance, 13, 46–78.
7.
FriedYFerrisG R, (1987), The Validity of Job Characteristics Model: A Review and Meta Analysis, Personnel Psychology, Vol.40, Pp287–322.
8.
GraenG B, (1989), Unwritten Rules For Your Career: 15 Secrets For Fast-Track Success, New York: Willey.
9.
GraenGCashmanJ F, (1975), A Rulemaking Model in Formal Organizations: A Developmental Approach. HuntJ GLarsonL L (Eds.), Leadership Frontiers, pp 153–165, Kent, OH: Kent State University Press.
10.
GraenGLidenR CHoelW, (1982), Role of Leadership in The Employee Withdrawal Process, Journal Of Applied Psychology, 67, 868–872.
11.
GraenGScanduraT A, (1987), Toward a Psychology of Dyadic Organizing, Research In Organizational Behaviour, 9, 175–208.
12.
GraenGUhl-BienM, (1991), Relationship Based Approach to Leadership: Development of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory of Leadership Over 25 Years: Applying a Multilevel Multi-Domain Perspective, Leadership Quarterly, 6, 219–247.
13.
GlissionCDurickM (1988), “Predictors of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in Human Service Organizations”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 33(March), 61–81.
14.
GraenG BScanduraT AGraenM R, (1986), A Field Experimental Test of the Moderating Effects of Growth Need Strength on Productivity, Vol-71, Journal of Applied Psychology, No. 3, 484–491.
15.
GrönroosC, (1990), Service Management and Marketing, Lexington Books, Lexington, MA.
16.
HackmanJ RLawlerE E, (1971), Employee Reactions to Job Characteristics, Journal Of Applied Psychology, 55, 259–286.
17.
HackmanJ ROldhamG R, (1975), Development of the Job Diagnostic Survey, Journal Of Applied Psychology, 60, 159–170.
18.
HackmanJ ROldhamG R, (1980), Work Redesign, Reading Ma: Addison-Wesley.
19.
HonigW K. (Ed.) (1966), Operant Behaviour: Area of Research and ApplicationNew York: Appleton- Century- Crofts.
20.
HonigW KStaddenJ E R, (1977), Hand Book of Operant Behavioiur, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
21.
HollanderE POffermanL R, (1990), Power and Leadership in Organizations, American Psychologist, February, 184–185.
22.
JamesL RJamesL A, (1989), Integrating Work Environment Perceptions: Explorations into the Measurement of Meaning, Journal Of Applied Psychology, 74: 739–751.
23.
JablinF M, (1979), Organizational Entry, Assimilation, Exit. In JablinF MPutnamL LRobertsK HPorterL W (Eds.), Handbook Oganisational Communication, pp 679–740, New-burry Park, CA: Sage.
24.
LeanaC R, (1986), Predictors and Consequences of Delegation, Academy of Management Journal, 29, 754–774.
25.
LeanaC R, (1987), Power Relinquishment Versus Power Sharing: Theoretical Clarification and Empirical Comparison of Delegation and Participation, Journal of Applied Psychology, 72, 228–233.
26.
LikertRWillitsJ M, (1940), Morale and Agency Management, Hartford, CT, Life Insurance Agency Management Association.
27.
LockeE A, (1976), The Nature and Causes of Job Satisfaction, In DunnettM D (Ed.), Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Chiago: Rand McNally.
28.
ManzC CSimsH P, (1987), Leading Workers to Lead Themselves: The External Leadership of Self Managed Working Teams, Administrative Science Quarterly, 32, 106–128.
29.
MartinS, (1983), Managing Without Managers: Alternative Work Arrangements In Public Organizations, Beverly Hills, CA, Sage.
30.
ManerikerVPatilV., (1982), A Profile of Indian Managers Perception of Job Characteristics, Managerial Psychology, 3, 71–75.
31.
McEvoyG MCascioW F, (1985), Strategies For Reducing Turnover: A Meta Analysis, Journal of Applied Psychology, May, and Pp-342–53).
32.
McIntyreR MSalasE (Eds.), (1995), Measuring and Managing for Team Performance: Lessons From Complex Environments, In GuzzoR ASalasE (Eds.), Team Effectiveness and Decision Making In Organizations, Jossey- Bass, San Francisco.
33.
NairS K, (1988), Role of Cognitive Styles in Job Cognitions and Job Attitudes, Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Nagpur University, Nagpur.
34.
PareekU (1997), Training Instruments For Human Resource Development, Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Co. Ltd., New Delhi, 517–525.
35.
ParkerS K, (1998), Enhancing Role Breadth Self-Efficacy: The Roles Of Job Enrichment and Other Organizational Interventions, Journal of Applied Psychology, December, Pp-835–52.
36.
PierceJ LDunhamR B, (1978), The Measurement of Perceived Job Characteristics: The Job Diagnostic Survey Versus the Job Characteristics Inventory, Academy of Management Journal, 21, 123–128.
37.
RoebuckC, (1996), Long Range Planning, Vol. 29, No. 3, 328–336.
38.
SchriesheimC ANeiderL LScanduraT A, (1998), Delegation and Leader-Member Exchange: Main Effects, Moderators, and Measurement Issues, Academy of Management Journal, 1998, Vol. 41, No.3, 298–318.
39.
SekaranU, (1981), Are US Organizational Concepts and Measures Transferable to Another Culture? An Empirical Investigation. Academy of Management Journal, 24, 2, Pp- 409–441.
40.
SekaranUTraftonR. S, (1978), The Dimensionality of Jobs: Back to Square One, Twenty First Midwest Academy of Management Proceedings Pp- 249–262.
41.
SeashoreS ELawlerE EMirvisPCammannC (Eds) (1982), Observing and Measuring Organizational Change: A Guide to Field Practice, Wiley, New York.
42.
SimsH PSzilagyA DKellerR T, (1976), Role Dynamics, Locus of Control, and Employee Attitudes and Behaviour, Academy of Management Journal, 19, 259–276.
43.
Tracey, (1988), Deft Delegation: Multiplying Your Effectiveness, Personnel, February, 36–42.
44.
UlrichRStachnikTMabryJ (Eds.), (1966), Control of Human Behaviour (Vol. 1), Glenview, IL, Scott, Foresman.
45.
UlrichRStachnikTMabryJ (Eds.) (1970), Control of Human Behaviour: From Cure to Prevention (Vol. 2), Glenview, IL, Scott, Foresman.
46.
UlrichRStachnikTMabryJ (Eds.) (1974), Control of Human Behaviour: Behaviour Modification in Education (Vol. 3), Glenview, IL, Scott, Foresman.
47.
WakabayashiMGraenGGraenMGraenM, (1988), Japanease Management Progress: Mobility Into Middle Management, Journal of Applied Psychology, 73, 217–227.
48.
WagnerJ AIII, (1994), Participations Effect on Performance And Satisfaction: A Consideration of Research Evidence, Academy of Management Review, 19, 312–330.
49.
WayneS JFerrisG R, (1990), Influence Tactics, Affect and Exchange Quality in Supervisor Subordinate Interactions: A Laboratory Experiment and Field Study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75, 487–499.
50.
YuklG, (1994), Leadership In Organizations, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall.
51.
YuklGPingFU, (1999), Determinants of Delegation and Consultation by Managers, Journal of Organization Behaviour, 20, 219–232.
52.
ZandD E, (1972), Trust and Managerial Problem Solving, Administrative Science Quarterly, 17, 229–239.
