Human resource management in the Bulgarian hotel in dustry
Management rather than personnel management. The British managers were far from participative, on the whole, but the Bulgarian managers were considerably more likely to tend towards an autocratic style. This clearly reflects the traditional style carried over from the command system where it was not usual, indeed not permitted, for subordinates to criticize their bosses, to take responsibility for decision making in general or even to take responsibility for their own work patterns and performance. Under the old system and still, employee interests are recognised and represented, but conflict within organizations was seen by the majority of the Bulgarian managers as unhealthy and undesirable. In comparison to their British colleagues, the majority gave responses which indicated that they tended to have more autocratic or directive communication and management styles, which undoubtedly derive from in the old centralized 'command' political economy. The picture presented by the survey findings and the interviews is of a hierarchical, low-trust industry where, although their basic rights are well-represented by the unions and respected by management, the majority of employees are neither required nor expected to work flexibly or participate in strategic or tactical decisions, even in relation to the performance of their own jobs. The responses to the questions indicated that there remain firm obstacles to change, as summarized below.
• Established inflexibilities of centralization;
• uncertainties related to privatization engender fatalism;
• increasing defensive strength of Trade Unions;
• present management paradigm provides conceptual as well as practical and ideological obstacles to taking a strategic approach to managing people;
• absence of a 'Service orientation'--particularly, absence of 'emotional labour' in the
perception of interactive service jobs.
But the survey indicated that British HRM practice in the industry had changed over the last decade, to meet the changing labour demands stimulated by the growth and diversification of the industry along very similar lines to those identified at the outset in relation to Bulgaria. Company cultures and employment strategies have been changing in Britain: is it likely that the same evolution will occur in Bulgaria? It can be plausibly argued that the most successful large international hotel companies are those which have a sophisticated and explicit organizational culture. A good example is the Marriott Corpor- ation, an American-owned multinational with hotels worldwide. All management recruits to the organization are presented on appointment with a booklet, Success Kit for New Managers, which begins with a letter from the Company President setting out the organization's philosophy and introduces a detailed account of the history, policies and procedures----down to outlines of the payment and appraisal systems. The HRM philoso- phy is encapsulated in the introductory letter, which states:
Our success at Marriott is directly linked to total customer satisfaction. We believe the key to satisfied customers rests with you, the manager, and your ability to lead and motivate empowered associates to create extraordinary customer service. This is a basic premise of our Total Quality management strategy and will be critical to our success throughout the 1990s and beyond.
Your associates will be inspired to provide quality service if you treat them well and guide them in a positive manner. (Marriott Corporation)
The Marriott Corporation compares with the Bulgarian State-owned hospitality industry in terms of size and turnover and, it could be further argued, is also a highly