appointed on a short-term contract under the employee-transfer program in order to
train local managers and to disseminate best practices. Nevertheless, the duration of
their employment per se seems to be problematic in their effort to transfer the parent
company’s best practices.
Managers who work in the same resort for a long period of time (local resorts in
particular) seem to be able to develop strong relationships with the GMs and owners.
As a result, they more easily influence GMs and owners to approve their preferred
choice of HRM for the respective departments. As the following comment from the spa
manager who have been working in resorts that belong to the parent company of
Resort C for 16 years illustrated:
I have a totally different HR system for my department. We have motivational rewards for
employees, which involve finance. Our staff salaries are higher than those working in other
departments. All HR-related practices are more advanced in our department. I personally
approached the owner and [he] approved it (LNM06, Resort C).
However, in this case, the line manager might have been able strike the deal with the
owner because the spa is the “cash cow” of the resort. This shows how the strategic
position of the unit (that the manager heads) within the organisation gives line
managers the required leeway to manoeuvre with the owners in the design and
implementation of HRM procedures.
Cognitive social capital: shared language and vision
As presented before, there seems to be tension between HR and line managers as the
HRM responsibilities are being devolved to line managers. However, workplace culture
seems to be helping them ease the tension. As a HR director noted:
But I need to convince the managers that it’s not just HR that should be doing it [the
orientation program], we do it together. In the case of the arrival of new hosts [employees], we
perhaps should be the last person talking to them about their contracts and things but I need
the line manager, supervisor, and a buddy, you know, if it’s a female host for example, I would
want someone female from the respective department to be there to greet them on their
arrival as well (HRM39, Resort A).
As the above quote indicates, the workplace culture in Resort A promotes shared
responsibilities and a collaborative work environment. Likewise, most of the resorts
seem to embrace a strong corporate culture which is reflected in their management
style and communication methods. Different resorts use different corporate language.
For example, staff are addressed in Resort A as “hosts”; in Resorts B and C as “family”;
in Resort E as “associates”; and in Resorts E and F as “teams”.
Some senior managers seem to promote a shared vision and systematically shape
managers and employees towards common goals. For example, Resort E promotes its
vision, “we would always be the hospitality trendsetter”.Managers in Resort A are required
to read certain library books such as “From Good to Great”; “Built to Last”; “The Richer
Way”; “Hostage at the Table”; and “Maverick”. These strategies, besides helping to educate
managers towards common HR and organisational goals, also seem to be influencing
the opinion of employees towards work and their attitude towards providing service to the
customers. Overall, all interviewees from Resort A took pride in working in the resort.
Discussion
This paper offers an analysis of the role of HR actors in designing and implementing
HR practices in general and the interplay between the HR actors in the implementation