Discuss in detail whether you consider the innovation strategy suggested by Kattara and El-Said (2014) can be successful given that "consumers are increasingly searching for eco-friendly hotels over conventional hotels" (Han et al. 2011, p. 346)

Discuss in detail whether you consider the innovation strategy suggested by Kattara and El-Said (2014) can be successful given that "consumers are increasingly searching for eco-friendly hotels over conventional hotels" (Han et al. 2011, p. 346) Order Description Hospitality Concepts and Innovations Topic: Discuss in detail whether you consider the innovation strategy suggested by Kattara and El-Said (2014) can be successful given that "consumers are increasingly searching for eco-friendly hotels over conventional hotels" (Han et al. 2011, p. 346). Tip 1 Take time to read the university guidance on essay writing. This is available on your SHUspace. The guide gives you useful information about how to plan an essay and what it is. You must hand in by the deadline, unless you have submitted extenuating circumstance to your Student Support Officer before the hand-in date. These are submitted on form EC1 which is under the assessment regulations section, within support and guidance. Discuss in detail whether you consider the innovation strategy suggested by Kattara and El-Said (2014) can be successful given that "consumers are increasingly searching for eco-friendly hotels over conventional hotels" (Han et al. 2011, p. 346). This therefore involves you in accessing and reading these two papers. They are provided for you to download on the assessment section of Hospitality Concepts and Innovations Blackboard site. Your assignment should be presented as an academic essay of 1,500 words and should include: •    evidence of your understanding of  innovation You will therefore need to define what is meant by innovation and you are expected to draw upon course materials, linked resources and other academic resources to do this. •    a synopsis in your own words of the innovation strategy suggested by Kattara and El-Said (2014) •    a summary and evaluation of the key features of Han et al.'s (2011) article. You must use your own words to explain and evaluate the key messages in these articles. •    a critique** of  whether Kattara and El-Said (2014)'s innovation strategy is likely to be successful ** "A critique is a careful analysis of an argument to determine what is said, how well the points are made, what assumptions underlie the argument, what issues are overlooked, and what implications are drawn from such observations. It is a systematic, yet personal response and evaluation of what you read." (hws.edu 2010) Last accessed 19 August 2010 at: http://www.hws.edu/academics/ctl/pdf/critique.pdf Tip 2 A key skill that is developed on the course is the ability to evaluate information and to present reasons for either agreeing or disagreeing with it. In carrying out your evaluation you should draw upon additional academic and other sources to support your arguments. This is very important to the successful completion of this assignment. This assignment requires you to access other academic journal articles. * A journal is a refereed publication, whereas technical articles are often published solely relying on the expertise of the author You therefore need to seek out relevant academic journal articles to inform your work. All your sources need to be referenced using the Harvard conventions and there is University and Module Blackboard site guidance regarding this. Tip 3 As you can see the essay is quite open and allows you plenty of scope to structure and plan the essay around themes that interest you when critiquing the article. You will probably find that by no means all the interesting things written about innovation are written about the hospitality industry. In this case, try to apply generic management ideas within the hospitality industry context. Tip 4 The mark breakdown shows you how the marks awarded for this assignment are broken down. You can see that how you write and following the protocols for essay writing and referencing are very important, alongside the evidence that you draw upon and your application of comments to the hospitality industry. Within the overall mark breakdown above, we award marks according to how your work meets the criteria. Recovery of a mark less than 40% Providing you have completed and handed in assignment 1, in the unfortunate event of your work being assessed as "not yet competent" (below 40%), you will be given the opportunity to resubmit the work by Week 25. In this case, the maximum mark that you can achieve for the assignment will be 40%. Tip 5 For many of you, this will be one of your first assignments at Sheffield Hallam University and this can be daunting. Providing you make a start NOW and ask about any aspect that is not clear, there should be no need for in module recovery of your mark! The essay title asks you to assess the extent to which the innovation strategies suggested by Kattara and El-Said (2014) will lead to successful innovations. Tip 6 Can you identify the innovation strategy suggested by Kattara and El-Said (2014)? What is it? What kind of innovations do you think they are likely to lead to? The question then asks you to link the Kattara and El-Said (2014) and Han et al.'s (2011) articles by asking whether the Kattara and El-Said (2014) innovation strategy will be successful. Tip 7 Can you discuss "consumers are increasingly searching for eco-friendly hotels over conventional hotels" and the kind of innovations that are required as a consequence? Understanding customer attitudes towards eco-friendly hotels choices is important in helping you determine whether or not the innovation strategy suggested by Kattara and El-Said (2014) can be successful. Your answer to these questions will affect how you answer the question set. Tip 8 At this point you might want to draw upon a wider range of evidence about the nature of hotels and the kind of experiences that guests require. This also needs to be connected with whether the strategy suggested by Kattara and El-Said (2014) are likely to be innovative for hoteliers given that "consumers are increasingly searching for eco-friendly hotels over conventional hotels" (Han et al. 2011, p. 346). Tip 9 Your module handbook provides you with a list of references which you can use as a base to gain plenty of additional references. Other references can help you critique the innovation approach proposed by Kattara and El-Said (2014). Consider, to what extent do the innovation processes identified by the other authors provide? Both papers are empirical pieces of work however you might consider the methodology of the articles and the population under investigation as part of your critique in determining whether the innovation strategy suggested by Kattara and El-Said (2014) can be successful. Tip 10 What is the sample frame for the both articles article? Both papers administered a questionnaire, are there any limitation to this? One paper used mixed methods - did this lead to more valid research? Did the two papers focus on the same types of organisations? What are the implications of the both of the above, in terms of reliability and generalisability? By now you should be generating themes that you can incorporate within the essay and build further on. Hopefully you are becoming aware that this is not a question to which there is an easy answer and that there is plenty to write about! You should begin to plan how you will tackle the essay. Don't forget you should start of the main body of the essay by defining innovation. The introductory paragraph should set out what you will cover in the essay. Tourism andhttp://thr.sagepub.com/ Hospitality Research Innovation Strategies: The Implementation of Creativity Principles in Egyptian Hotels Osman Ahmed El-Said and Hanan Saad Kattara Tourism and Hospitality Research published online 4 February 2014 DOI: 10.1177/1467358414522053 The online version of this article can be found at: http://thr.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/02/03/1467358414522053 A more recent version of this article was published on - Apr 23, 2014 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com Additional services and information for Tourism and Hospitality Research can be found at: Email Alerts: http://thr.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Subscriptions: http://thr.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Version of Record - Apr 23, 2014 >> OnlineFirst Version of Record - Feb 4, 2014 What is This? Downloaded from thr.sagepub.com at Sheffield Hallam University on June 30, 2014 XML Template (2014) [30.1.2014–3:44pm] //blrnas3/cenpro/ApplicationFiles/Journals/SAGE/3B2/THRJ/Vol00000/140003/APPFile/SG-THRJ140003.3d (THR) [1–9] [PREPRINTER stage] Article Innovation strategies: The implementation of creativity principles in Egyptian hotels Tourism and Hospitality Research 0(0) 1–9 ! The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1467358414522053 thr.sagepub.com Hanan S Kattara and Osman A El-Said Alexandria University, Egypt Abstract The concept of employee creativity enhancement is an important factor that impacts hotel position. Therefore, this study aims at studying the implementation of creativity and idea generation principles in upscale hotels in Egypt. It tries, as well, to identify the internal barriers that hinder the greatest implementation of creativity principles in hotels. The study is the first outcome of a series of research examining innovation strategies in hotels. Results of the study revealed that means of scores, regarding the agreement of hotel managers that creativity principles are implemented in their hotels, are high. The results proved that creativity was well valued in hotels and the general work climate and culture promoted creativity. Results reveal that managers face several internal barriers which slow down the proper implementation of creativity principles and make it complicated to grasp the perspective of employees in this context. Moreover, international hotel chains were found to be more innovative than independent hotels, and no significant differences were detected between managers of different educational and experience levels. The study ended up with valuable recommendations and implications of the results. Keywords Creativity, idea generation, creativity barriers, Egypt Introduction The concept of employee creativity enhancement is overlooked, although it is as an important factor that impacts hotel position. In a competitive and an uncertain economic environment, organizations need creative employees to improve service quality, enhance organizational effectiveness, and ensure long-term survival (de Jonge et al., 2012; Lusch et al., 2007). Moreover, the success of any organization depends on its ability to adapt to change, that in turn requires creativity and innovation (Carr and Johansson, 1995). Therefore, the research objectives for this paper were to investigate the level of implementation of key creativity principles from hotel managers’ point of view, to compare the implementation of key creativity principles between chain and independent hotels, and to compare the implementation of key creativity principles among managers according to their demographics. This study is the first outcome of a series of researches examining innovation strategies building blocks and their implementation in Egyptian hotels. Theoretical background Creativity concept Creativity means the capability to produce novel ideas or effective solutions to problems (Amabile, 1988), and organizations with creative employees can thus create extra value and maintain competition advantages in a dynamic business environment (Amabile et al., 2005; George, 2007). Basically, there are two main definitions of creativity. The first defines Corresponding author: Osman A El-Said, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Hotel Management Department, Alexandria University, Ibrahimia, Alexandria, Egypt. Email: Osman_ahmed12@yahoo.com Downloaded from thr.sagepub.com at Sheffield Hallam University on June 30, 2014 XML Template (2014) [30.1.2014–3:44pm] //blrnas3/cenpro/ApplicationFiles/Journals/SAGE/3B2/THRJ/Vol00000/140003/APPFile/SG-THRJ140003.3d (THR) [1–9] [PREPRINTER stage] 2 Tourism and Hospitality Research 0(0) creativity as the production of ideas that are both novel and applicable to an identified opportunity (Amabile, 1997; Oldham and Cummings, 1996). The second describes it as the mental process that allows people to think up new and useful ideas (Gaspersz, 2005). Recently, Marja and Tomic (2010) viewed creativity as the production of new and useful ideas or solutions by one or more individuals within a work environment. From another perspective, Zeng et al. (2010) defined product and service creativity as the subjective judgment of a product or service to exhibit novelty and appropriateness, which elicits a positive emotional response compatible with users’ preferences and evokes their intentions to purchase, use, and value it. There are three main types of creativity involving different ways of generating the novel ideas (Boden, 1998). First, the combinational creativity that involves new combinations of familiar ideas. Second, the exploratory creativity that involves the generation of new ideas by the exploration of structured concepts. Third, the transformational creativity that involves the transformation of some dimension of the structure so that new structures can be generated (Boden, 1998). Work environment requirements for creativity Researchers have indicated many work environment practices required to promote creativity in different organizations such as giving rewards to creative employees; setting clear visions and goals for employees; encouraging creative thinking; removing constraints; providing information and helpful feedback; creating a risk-taking environment; promoting open communication including everybody in the creativity and innovation process; sharing knowledge; bringing people from different disciplines together; creating a climate with tolerance for failure; making sure that team members have an equal status; and creating an open, fun, trusting, and caring environment where a new understanding is valued (Deci and Ryan, 1987; Drazin et al., 1999; El-Said, 2013; Mumford, 2000; Mumford and Gustafson, 1988; Shalley, 1995; Weiss, 2001; Woodman et al., 1993; Zhou, 2003). In the content analysis of the research study by Amabile and Gryskiewicz (1989), they reviewed nine qualities of environments that served to promote creativity, including (1) freedom; (2) good project management; (3) sufficient resources; (4) encouragement; (5) various organizational characteristics; (6) recognition; (7) sufficient time; (8) challenge; and (9) pressure. Similarly, they also reviewed another nine ‘‘environmental obstacles’’ that inhibit creativity. They are (1) weak organizational characteristics, e.g. inappropriate reward system; (2) lack of freedom; (3) organizational disinterest; (4) poor project management; (5) inappropriate evaluation; (6) insufficient resources; (7) time pressure; (8) overemphasis on the status quo; and (9) competition. Information flow is also a crucial aspect of promoting creativity throughout the organization. Adams (2005) showed that creatively healthy companies have a high volume of diverse information that flows freely throughout the organization, increasing the likelihood of collision among beliefs, presumptions, possibilities, and new facts. Mauzy and Harriman (2003) assumed that this ease of information flow can be attained through designing the physical workspace to create opportunities for interaction among otherwise separate workers, which may also help improve the flow of unrelated information to spark new connections leading to creativity. Welby (2005) added that, in order to encourage creativity, management must also build diverse teams and create mechanisms by which individuals with different perspectives can interact productively. Leonard and Straus (1999) explained that the successful manager figures out how to get different ideas and approaches to collide in a productive process called ‘‘creative abrasion’’; by deliberately creating diverse organizations and explicitly helping team members appreciate thinking-styles different than their own, creative abrasion can result in successful innovation. Encouraging creativity in the workplace also requires the establishment of the right environment for the creativity process. Results of a recent study conducted by Hon (2011) indicated that the organization environment plays a significant role in predicting employee creativity. Johnston and Bate (2003) explained that the creativity process must be built based on the interactions and immersions of the creativity team which provide them with a deep understanding of customers and what they value, the emerging marketplace of the future, and the potential for business model innovations. The creativity team has collected experiences and valuable insights that now can be used to create the business opportunities of the future. The environment for the creativity process is a very important consideration. Creativity and innovation Creativity and its support of innovation are vital for long-term corporate success. Firms that deliver the same products and services in the same way will not survive for long, especially in the growing global economy, which continually emphasizes creativity (Gautschi, 2001). The success of the innovation process in an organization depends on the way of organizing the search for new ideas that have commercial Downloaded from thr.sagepub.com at Sheffield Hallam University on June 30, 2014 XML Template (2014) [30.1.2014–3:44pm] //blrnas3/cenpro/ApplicationFiles/Journals/SAGE/3B2/THRJ/Vol00000/140003/APPFile/SG-THRJ140003.3d (THR) [1–9] [PREPRINTER stage] Kattara and El-Said 3 potential outside the organization (Salter and Laursen, 2005). New models of innovation have suggested changing the way organizations search for new ideas, and adopting open search strategies that involve the use of a wide range of external actors and sources to help them achieve and sustain innovation (Freeman and Soete, 1997; Tidd et al., 2000). Chesbrough (2003) suggested that many innovative firms have shifted to an open innovation model, using a wide range of external actors and sources to help them achieve and sustain innovation. In this respect, innovators rarely innovate alone. They tend to band together in teams and coalitions based on ‘‘swift trust’’, nested in communities of practice and embedded in a dense network of interactions (Brown and Duguid, 2000; Scott and Brown, 1999). To gain access to networks and external sources, organizations need the capability to absorb ideas from external sources and to integrate them with their internal processes in order to achieve an innovation (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990). The openness of organizations to external sources is also profoundly shaped by the search activities of other organizations in the industry and by the nature of the environment in which they operate (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990). In this respect, the openness of organizations to external sources of innovation is subject to a degree of managerial choice, but many of these choices are conditioned by the external environment and by their past (Salter and Laursen, 2005). The role of managers in enhancing creativity Many studies have investigated the role of managers in encouraging work-place creativity. Robinson and Beesley (2010) conducted a study on hotel chefs and indicated that their sample ranked creativity more highly than working conditions and that there is a clear relationship between creativity and both organizational and occupational satisfaction. Ladkin and Wong (2008) used a case study of hotel employees in Hong Kong. They found a relationship between creativity and job-related motivators. Therefore, companies have to enhance the creative climate in different ways (Mauzy and Harriman, 2003). Adams (2005) stated that management must truly want and be committed to creativity and be willing to sacrifice shortterm results for innovation. One essential element is that top management should respect creativity outcomes from all levels of management. Unfortunately, many managers equate creative ability with position or rank within the organization, assuming that only the higher-ups have the best ideas and decision-making abilities (Adams, 2005). Mauzy and Harriman (2003) concentrated on a three-pronged approach that managers must take into consideration in order to promote creativity known as (1) a top-down approach involving seminars on entrepreneurship for management, (2) a bottom-up approach involving company-wide training focused on personal transformation and building skills necessary for creativity and innovation, and (3) brush fire teams that undertook projects to create products or processes of immediate value. Creativity importance in the hospitality industry With increasing competition and an uncertain economic environment, many hospitality firms require their employees to work creatively to improve service quality, enhance organizational effectiveness, and ensure long-term survival (de Jonge et al., 2012; Kattara et al., 2008; Lusch et al., 2007; Robinson and Beesley, 2010; Tag-Eldeen and E l-Said, 2011; Wong and Pang, 2003). Applying creative concepts in hospitality operations will not only influence guest and customer satisfaction, but also increase financial performance (Chang et al., 2011; Hon, 2012; Kwong, 2005; Wong and Ladkin, 2008). The research conducted by Wong and Pang (2003) indicated that creative ideas generate business benefits to the hotel industry. Additionally, a job creativity requirement has been championed as one of the ways in which firms can secure their profitability and growth (Barnett and McKendrick, 2004 and Shalley et al., 2000). For example, studies examining creativity’s influence on restaurant performance and profitability (Kim et al., 2006) have elucidated how creativity factors such as dining space design and environment are related to restaurant performance. Tsai and Lu (2012) noted that creative restaurant environments influence customers’ dining experiences and their intentions of returning. As the world becomes more complex, the tourism and hospitality industries are continuously submitted to change and to the new global challenges, compelling the companies to adapt to this new, accelerated, and discontinuous environment. The traditional solutions, which granted success for a long time, are no longer suitable. New, innovative ways of doing business are imperative (Monteiro, and Sousa, 2011). Organizations need flexibility to face the unexpected changes, in addition to efficiency, to maintain successful routines (Basadur, 1997). Further, organizations should be able to analyze and reflect upon their routines, in order to anticipate environmental changes and adapt by creating new products, services, or processes (Monteiro and Sousa, 2011). Downloaded from thr.sagepub.com at Sheffield Hallam University on June 30, 2014 XML Template (2014) [30.1.2014–3:44pm] //blrnas3/cenpro/ApplicationFiles/Journals/SAGE/3B2/THRJ/Vol00000/140003/APPFile/SG-THRJ140003.3d (THR) [1–9] [PREPRINTER stage] 4 Tourism and Hospitality Research 0(0) Creativity barriers There were many attempts to determine the barriers and challenges that face creativity efforts in different organizations. Among them was the study of Jeston and Nelis (2006) who found that the biggest challenge for creativity and innovation has often proven to be the actual implementation. Moreover, Tiwari and Buse (2007) compared the findings of international surveys and listed the most dominant barriers to innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises. These barriers include financial barriers, shortage of qualified personnel, limited management capabilities, lack of customers’ information, and lack of intellectual property rights. Dube et al. (2000) examined the barriers of creativity and innovation in hotel organizations. They argued that one factor that can become a barrier is that operational procedures and policies for chains are usually established in corporate echelons. Thus, the chances for developing innovative practices are much greater at the corporate level than at the property level. They added that the barriers to innovation at the property level may be restrictive vertical relationships within the organization that prevent dialogue and personal relationships between members of different functional areas; constrained resources, particularly for new or unproven ideas; limited mobility across job positions and job assignments so narrowly defined that employees face only their own personal situations. Research questions The present study is aiming at testing the propositions cited in the following questions from hotel managers’ point of view: 1. Are creative ideas and knowledge constantly generated and valued? Does creativity have a role to play in employee advancement and the hotel financial position? Does the general work climate and culture promote creativity? 2. What are the internal barriers that hinder the greatest implementation of creativity principles? 3. Do hotel management types and hotel managers’ education and experience affect the implementation of creativity principles? Research methodology This study adopted both qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate differences in managers’ perceptions regarding the implementation of creativity practices. The quantitative approach involves statistical analysis and thus depends heavily on numerical findings in drawing conclusions. Such an approach is suitable for examining trends, attitudes, and perspectives at a subgroup level, and for making comparisons and connections. Furthermore, this study adopted a sequential exploratory design as the qualitative data collection, in order to examine the underlying problem and then follow up on this exploration with quantitative data. The data of the study were collected using two instruments. Firstly, a questionnaire survey was designed, based on the scale developed by Goktan (2005) in addition to the related literature review. Survey study was deemed as the most appropriate methodology to follow because (1) survey study is the most useful tool for studying sensitive opinions, attitudes preferences, and behaviors of individuals, particularly when the opinions are reflections of larger underlying attitudinal constructs; (2) questionnaire surveys could be analyzed in a short period of time and with a minimum of expense; (3) they also permit the measurement of variables as well as the relationships among them. The researcher preferred to use a self-completion questionnaire over a structured interview because it is cheaper and quicker to administer, it has the absence of interviewer effects, no interviewer variability, and it is convenient for respondents. It aimed at collecting data in order to elicit managers’ opinions concerning the implementation of creativity and idea generation principles in their hotels. The questionnaire comprised three main parts. The first part was concerned with gathering data on the implementation of creativity and idea generation principles from hotel managers’ point of view. Respondents were also asked if their organizations were successful at coming up with new and innovative ideas and if they are better at generating ideas compared to their competitors. The questionnaire consisted of seven impact variable items incorporating a 5-point Likert scale to measure respondents’ level of agreement or disagreement with a statement about innovation generation and creativity in the hotel. Some statements were expressed positively and others negatively to encourage respondents not to respond automatically, but to think about each statement. The second part of the questionnaire was concerned with the profile of respondents and the characteristics of the hotel. The questionnaire was first pre-tested to ensure the clarity of the questions and to measure whether the questionnaire could be completed within a reasonable period of time. The survey instrument was modified on the basis of comments and suggestions made by the pre-test subjects. Re-wording of the questionnaires was done in order to Downloaded from thr.sagepub.com at Sheffield Hallam University on June 30, 2014 XML Template (2014) [30.1.2014–3:44pm] //blrnas3/cenpro/ApplicationFiles/Journals/SAGE/3B2/THRJ/Vol00000/140003/APPFile/SG-THRJ140003.3d (THR) [1–9] [PREPRINTER stage] Kattara and El-Said 5 remove any jargon, inconsistencies, or leading questions. Secondly, in order to trace the internal barriers that hinder the greatest implementation of creativity principles, a face-to-face interview was held with hotel managers. To encourage participation, interviewees were assured confidentiality of their data. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured format. In this study, the target population consisted of 156 five-star hotel managers in Egypt. Stratified random sampling technique was employed, as it has the advantage that every element in the defined population has a known, independent, and equal chance of being selected as a subject, and selection of one element does not affect the selection of another element. Therefore, a random sample of 60 five-star hotel managers was taken, representing 38.4% percent of the total population. From the 60 distributed questionnaires, 46 were answered, giving a response rate of 76.6%. Results and discussion Data analysis and interpretation for research question no. 1 The objective of this section was to evaluate managers’ agreement/disagreement on the implementation of basic principles of creativity. Results shown in Table 1 revealed that most managers indicated that they agreed that creativity principles were implemented in their hotels. The overall average mean score for all the creativity principles reached a high score of 4.08. This indicates a strong awareness and basic knowledge of the principles of creativity. Moreover, means of scores of all phrases regarding the existence of creativity principles in the workplace were noted to be high. Managers’ responses were ranked using scores of means. Principle (3) ‘‘Creativity is not valued in this hotel (!)’’ was recorded as the highest existing principle by hotel managers with a mean score of 4.39, and was followed by principle (6) ‘‘The general work climate and culture in this hotel work against creativity (!)’’ with a mean score of 4.35. On the other hand, principle (4) ‘‘Our hotel is better at generating ideas compared to our competitors’’ recorded the least agreement and practice among hotel managers with a mean score of 3.65, followed by principle (2) ‘‘This hotel is successful at coming up with innovative service techniques’’ with a recorded mean score of 3.96. Data analysis and interpretation for research question no. 2 When hotel managers were asked to determine the internal barriers that they face and prevent the greatest implementation of creativity principles, hotel managers indicated several internal barriers making it difficult to completely grasp the potential of employees in this important area. They were namely (1) high rate of labor turnover; (2) the increase in employee workloads; (3) the lack of motivation; (4) poor management; and (5) poor labor. Managers stated that the first barrier, that is High rate of labor turnover, affects employees’ working culture and their rehabilitation, and causes the lack of skilled labor, which impedes the creativity and idea generation process within the hotel. In addition, the increase in employee workloads in some hotels as a result of the high rate of labor turnover is a second barrier to the development and implementation of creativity. The lack of motivation amongst hotel employees is another barrier that makes creative thinking quite useless. Poor management is another important barrier in many hotels, as well as poor educational and Table 1. The implementation of creativity principles in hotels. Creativity principlesa Mean S.D. Ranking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Overall 4.20 3.96 4.39 3.65 4.07 4.35 3.98 4.08 0.78 0.79 0.77 0.82 0.74 0.90 0.86 0.84 3 6 1 7 4 2 5 New ideas and knowledge are constantly generated in this hotel This hotel is successful at coming up with innovative service techniques Creativity is not valued in this hotelb Our hotel is better at generating ideas compared to our competitors Creativity has a role to play in employee advancement in this hotel The general work climate and culture in this hotel work against creativityb Creativity has a positive effect on the financial position of this hotel agreement regarding the presence of creativity principles a Likert Scale: where 1 ¼ completely disagree and 5 ¼ Completely agree. Negative statement where the scale is converted. S.D.: Standard deviation. b Downloaded from thr.sagepub.com at Sheffield Hallam University on June 30, 2014 XML Template (2014) [30.1.2014–3:44pm] //blrnas3/cenpro/ApplicationFiles/Journals/SAGE/3B2/THRJ/Vol00000/140003/APPFile/SG-THRJ140003.3d [1–9] [PREPRINTER stage] (THR) 6 Tourism and Hospitality Research 0(0) professional levels for most employees in the hotel sector making it harder for them to acquire the necessary skills. Data analysis and interpretation for research question No. 3 The objective of this section is to present results related to the implementation of creativity principles in hotels. First, in order to indicate the difference between chain and independent hotels concerning the implementation of creativity principles, means of scores for managers’ responses were compared. As apparent in Table 2, all P values were above 0.05, which means that a significant difference between chain and independent hotels regarding the implementation of all creativity principles exists. Results demonstrate that chain-managed hotels have higher scores for the implementation of all principles. Second, when investigating the level of creativity principles implementation based on respondent’s profile, results were as shown in Table 2. For the level of education, managers were classified into two categories: tourism degree graduate and non-tourism degree graduate. Significant difference between the two categories (P <.05) was only detected in the implementation of one of the creativity principles. On the other hand, no differences were identified when comparing between respondents’ experiences. Discussion of results The results of the study revealed that the means of scores, regarding the agreement of hotel managers that creativity principles are implemented in their hotels, are high. The results proved that creativity was well valued in hotels and the general work climate and culture was promoting creativity. Although new ideas and knowledge are constantly generated and valued, more enhancements are required. On the other hand, creativity has to play a more important role in employee advancement in hotels, and hotel managers have to focus on bringing in more innovative service techniques. Moreover, creativity has to be valued as a tool for improving the hotel financial position. Moreover, managers stated that they face several internal barriers which hinder the proper implementation of creativity principles and make it complicated to grasp the perspective of employees in this context. On top of the barriers list were the high rates of labor turnover, the increase in employee workloads, and the lack of motivation. Managers clarified that the high rate of turnover is due to several reasons, precisely, the low level of salaries, which attract only a poor quality of staff or part-time employees, and alienate qualified employees who choose to work in highly paid jobs in other industries. This, in return, causes a decline in the level of labor and eventually a moderate level of hospitality service quality. As a result, hotel management in such a situation has no chance to improve concepts of innovation and creativity. In conclusion, the study findings are in agreement with Adams (2005) who stated that management must truly be committed to creativity and be willing to sacrifice short-term results for innovation. The most difficult task for most hotel managers was how to turn employees’ creative ideas into economic values (Morris, 2006). Many of the studies indicated that hotels employ useful practices to promote idea generation and creativity (employing an ambassador committee to present new ideas, the use of idea box in the staff cafeteria, open-door policy where employees could Table 2. Comparing managers’ responses regarding the implementation of creativity principles. Management types Education Chain Tourism Independent Experience Non-tourism <3 years 3–5 years >5 years CP M. S.D M. S.D P value M. S.D M. S.D P value M. S.D M. S.D M. S.D P value A.1 A.2 A.3 A.4 A.5 A.6 A.7 0.61 0.69 0.53 0.68 0.62 0.76 0.72 0.91 0.76 0.83 0.83 0.84 1.07 0.73 0.002* 0.001* 0.001* 0.001* 0.005* 0.018* 0.001* 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.9 1.0 1.0 0.77 0.80 0.82 0.86 0.68 0.85 0.77 0.008* 0.257 0.192 0.415 0.330 0.438 0.289 0.87 0.9 0.9 0.5 0.7 0.8 0.8 4.27 3.90 4.54 3.72 4.18 4.27 3.81 0.90 0.83 0.68 0.78 0.75 1.00 0.87 4.29 4.05 4.52 3.94 3.94 4.47 4.29 0.58 0.65 0.62 0.96 0.74 0.87 0.84 0.176 0.265 0.093 0.015 0.207 0.262 0.037 4.40 4.18 4.68 3.90 4.25 4.53 4.28 3.71 3.43 3.71 3.07 3.64 3.93 3.29 4.6 4.08 4.5 3.6 4.1 4.3 3.8 4.0 3.9 4.3 3.6 4.0 4.33 4.0 4.5 3.8 4.1 3.3 4.1 4.2 3.7 CP: creativity principles; S.D.: standard deviation. Downloaded from thr.sagepub.com at Sheffield Hallam University on June 30, 2014 XML Template (2014) [30.1.2014–3:44pm] //blrnas3/cenpro/ApplicationFiles/Journals/SAGE/3B2/THRJ/Vol00000/140003/APPFile/SG-THRJ140003.3d (THR) [1–9] [PREPRINTER stage] Kattara and El-Said 7 introduce new ideas directly to the manager, and giving incentives and thanks letters to creative employees). Moreover, hotel managers indicated that there are a number of reasons why creative ideas fail to become innovations in their properties. Sometimes, it is because the idea, which seems brilliant in concept, is flawed in application. Managers indicated that at some point between the identification of a promising idea and beginning to implement that idea, the idea may be killed and mentioned many reasons why creative ideas are killed; however, almost all of them have to do with the associated risk. Implementing a new idea is perceived as risky and people in the hotel do not wish to undertake that risk. Therefore, these hotel properties must design the workplace in a way that encourages creativity and idea generation. This conclusion is in line with results of a recent study conducted by Hon (2011) who indicated that organization environment plays a significant role in predicting employee creativity. Limitations of the study This study shows very promising results with respect to creativity awareness, but it represents an initial attempt to investigate the phenomenon. It is noteworthy to mention that several limitations were encountered in the current study. These included that the research was limited to the category of fivestar hotels in Egypt. Future research should explore other categories of hotels as well as other types of service contexts such as restaurants, motels, etc. Moreover, due to time restrictions, this research was conducted at a single time point. Suggestions for future researchers are to adopt a time crossing methodology for research design rather than a single time point. Findings of the research were, therefore, indicative rather than conclusive. Therefore, a lot of future studies are needed, in order to ensure the reliability of results. Recommendations and directions for future research This research can be used to derive many ideas for possible future researches. Further research attempts should aim at investigating the same questions but from other perspectives. Moreover, further research in this area may adopt the extension and testing of the seven principles introduced in this study within different types of organizations. Since this research collected data via a questionnaire survey and the data were from the same source, a common method variance is possible. Finally, a great effort should be made from the side of hotel managers such as; . They have to develop a vision for change and creativity through the integration of employees’ suggestions. An idea creation advisory board has to be created where professionals of the industry will be involved. . Human resources departments have to identify specific skills and behaviors essential for creativity and develop policies to recruit, promote, and reward employees with these attributes. . Hotel managers also have to develop training programs for improving employees’ problem-solving and creative thinking skills. Budget allocation for employees’ training and development programs, in order to enhance their creativity and develop them must also take place. . Hotel policies have to empower creativity through providing rewarding programs, to encourage employees who develop innovative ideas, and resources for creative ideas, and by allowing an open-door policy for employees to introduce new ideas directly to management. . Open communication and interaction between management and employees in order to have a clear and well-defined concept of the company vision and mission. . Recognize and praise employees when creative ideas are given regardless of success or not. . Everyone in the organization should know that constant feedback is important to ensure the successful implementation creative ideas. . Employees should be encouraged to be involved in the daily operation. Management should empower them to make decisions, allowing them to make mistakes during the planning process and the decision-making process, but also providing corrective measures to ensure such mistakes are not repeated in the future. References Adams K (2005) The sources of innovation and creativity. In: A paper commissioned by the National Center on Education and the Economy for the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. Washington: National Center on Education and the Economy. Amabile T (1997) Motivating creativity in organizations. California Management Review 40(1): 39–58. Amabile T, Barsade S, Mueller S, et al. (2005) Affect and creativity at work. Administrative Science Quarterly 50(3): 367–403. Amabile T (1988) A model of creativity and innovation in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior 10: 123–167. Amabile T and Gryskiewicz N (1989) The creative environment scales: work environment inventory. Creativity Research Journal 2(4): 231–254. Downloaded from thr.sagepub.com at Sheffield Hallam University on June 30, 2014 XML Template (2014) [30.1.2014–3:44pm] //blrnas3/cenpro/ApplicationFiles/Journals/SAGE/3B2/THRJ/Vol00000/140003/APPFile/SG-THRJ140003.3d (THR) [1–9] [PREPRINTER stage] 8 Tourism and Hospitality Research 0(0) Barnett W and McKendrick D (2004) Why are some organizations more competitive than others? Evidence from a changing global market. Administrative Science Quarterly 49(4): 535–571. Basadur M (1997) Organizational development interventions for enhancing creativity in the workplace. The Journal of Creative Behavior 31: 59–73. Boden M (1998) Creativity and artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence 103: 347–356. Brown J and Duguid P (2000) The Social Life of Information. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Carr D and Johansson H (1995) Best practices in re-engineering. NY: McGraw-Hill Inc. Chesbrough H (2003) Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating Profit Form Technology. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. Chang S, Gong Y and Shum C (2011) Promoting innovation in hospitality companies through human resource management practices. International Journal of Hospitality Management 30: 812–818. Cohen W and Levinthal D (1990) Absorptive capacity: A new perspective on learning and innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly 35: 128–152. Deci E and Ryan R (1987) The support of autonomy and control o f behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 53(6): 1024–1037. De Jonge J, Spoor E, Sonnentag S, et al. (2012) Take a break? Offjob recovery, job demands, and job resource as predictor of health, active learning, and creativity. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 21: 321–348. Drazin R, Glynn M and Kazanjian R (1999) Multilevel theorizing about creativity in organizations: A sense making perspective. Academy o f Management Review 24(2): 286–307. Dube L, Enz C, Renaghan L, et al. (2000) Managing for excellence. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly 41(5): 30–39. El-Said O (2013) Effects of creativity support and diversity management on employees perception of service quality in hotels. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality and Tourism 12(3): 291–312. Freeman C and Soete L (1997) The Economics of Industrial Innovation, 3rd ed. London: Pinter Inc. Gaspersz J (2005) Compete with creativity. Essay presented at the innovation lecture ‘‘Compete with creativity’’ of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. Available at: http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ministeries/eleni/organisatie/evenementen/innovationlecture (accessed 20 February 2012). Gautschi T (2001) Invest in creativity. Design News 56(2): 135. George J (2007) Creativity in organizations. Academy of Management Annals 1: 439–477. Goktan A (2005) The role of strategy in the innovation process: a stage approach. A published PhD Dissertation. Texas: University of North Texas. Hon A (2011) Enhancing employee creativity in the Chinese context: The mediating role of employee self-concordance. International Journal of Hospitality Management 30: 375–384. Hon A (2012) When competency-based pay relates to creative performance: the moderating role of employee psychological need. International Journal of Hospitality Management 31: 130–138. Jeston J and Nelis J (2006) Process innovation. In: A paper prepared and published by Business process Services Company. Sydney: Australia. Johnston R and Bate D (2003) The Power of Strategy Innovation: A New Way of Linking Creativity and Strategic Planning to Discover Great Business Opportunities. New York, NY: AMACOM. Kattara H, Weheba D and El–Said O (2008) The impact of employee behaviour on customers’ service quality perceptions and overall satisfaction. Tourism & Hospitality Research 8(4): 309–323. Kim W, Lee Y and Yoo Y (2006) Predictors of relationship quality and relationship outcomes in luxury restaurants. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research 30(2): 143–169. Kwong Y (2005) The application of menu engineering and design in Asian restaurants. International Journal of Hospitality Management 24: 91–106. Ladkin A and Wong C (2008) Exploring the relationship between employee creativity and job-related motivators in the Hong Kong hotel industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management 27: 426–437. Leonard D and Straus S (1999) Butting your company’s whole brain to work. In: Adams K ‘The Sources of Innovation and Creativity’, A paper commissioned by the National Center on Education and the Economy for the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. Washington: National Center on Education and the Economy. Lusch R, Vargo S and O’Brien M (2007) Competing through service: insights from service-dominant logic. Journal of Retailing 83(1): 5–18. Marja K and Tomic W (2010) A review of creativity within organizations from a psychological perspective. Journal of Management Development 29(4): 322–343. Mauzy J and Harriman A (2003) Building an inventive organization. In: Adams K (2005) The Sources of Innovation and Creativity. A Paper Commissioned by the National Center on Education and the Economy for the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. Washington: National Center on Education and the Economy. Monteiro P and Sousa F (2011) Understanding innovation in hospitality through the words of innovative managers. International Conference on Tourism and Management Studies, Book of Proceedings 1: 1–16. Morris L (2006) Permanent Innovation: The Definitive Guide to the Principles, Strategies, and Methods of Successful Innovators. New York: Ackoff Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Mumford M (2000) Managing creative people: Strategies and tactics for innovation. Human Resource Management Review 10(3): 313–351. Mumford M and Gustafson S (1988) Creativity syndrome: Integration, application, and innovation. Psychological Bulletin 103(1): 27–43. Oldham G and Cummings A (1996) Employability creativity: Personal and contextual factors at work. Academy of Management Journal 39: 607–634. Robinson R and Beesley L (2010) Linkages between creativity and intention to quit: An occupational study of chefs. Tourism Management 31: 765–776. Salter A and Laursen K (2005) The paradox of openness appropriability and the use of external sources of knowledge for innovation. In: A paper prepared for the all- academy symposium ‘Open Innovation: Empirical Research on Locating and Incorporating External Innovations’, Academy of Management Conference 2005, 5–10 August, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Tag-Eldeen A and E l–Said O (2011) Implementation of internal marketing on a sample of Egyptian five-star hotels. Anatolia 22(2): 153–167. Tsai C and Lu P (2012) Authentic dining experiences in ethnic theme restaurants. International Journal of Hospitality Management 31: 304–306. Scott C and Brown J (1999) Bridging epistemologies: The generative dance between organizational knowledge and Downloaded from thr.sagepub.com at Sheffield Hallam University on June 30, 2014 XML Template (2014) [30.1.2014–3:44pm] //blrnas3/cenpro/ApplicationFiles/Journals/SAGE/3B2/THRJ/Vol00000/140003/APPFile/SG-THRJ140003.3d (THR) [1–9] [PREPRINTER stage] Kattara and El-Said 9 organizational knowing. Journal of Organization Science 10: 381–400. Shalley C (1995) Effects of co-action, expected evaluation, and goal setting on creativity and productivity. Academy o f Management Journal 38(2): 483–504. Shalley C, Gilson L and Blum T (2000) Matching creativity requirements and the work environment: effects on satisfaction and intent to turnover. Academy of Management Journal 43: 215–224. Tidd J, Bessant K and Pavitt R (2000) Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons. Tiwari R and Buse S (2007) Barriers to Innovation in SMEs: Can the Internationalization of R&D Mitigate Their Effects? In: Proceedings of the first european conference on knowledge for growth: role and dynamics of corporate R&D, 8–9 October 2007. Seville: Spain. Weiss R (2001) How to foster creativity at work. Training and Development 55(2): 61–65. Welby I (2005) Re-think. In: Adams, K (2005) The Sources of Innovation and Creativity. A paper commissioned by the National Center on Education and the Economy for the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. Washington: National Center on Education and the Economy. Wong C and Ladkin A (2008) Exploring the relationship between employee creativity and job-related motivators in the Hong Kong hotel industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management 27: 426–437. Wong C and Pang L (2003) Barriers to creativity in the hotel industry; perspectives from supervisor and managerial employees. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 15(1): 29–37. Woodman R, Sawyer J and Griffin R (1993) Toward a theory of organizational creativity. Academy o f Management Review 18(2): 293–321. Zeng L, Proctor R and Salvendy G (2010) Creativity in ergonomic design: A supplemental value-adding source for product and service development. Human Factors 52(4): 503–525. Zhou J (2003) When the presence of creative co-workers is related t o creativity: Role of supervisor close monitoring, developmental feedback, and creative personality. Journal of Applied Psychology 88(3): 413–422. Author Biographies Dr Hanan S Kattara is a professor of hotel management at Alexandria University. She has a research and publications profile with both national and international focus. Her prime research area is in human resource management, applied to the hospitality and tourism sector. Particular work focuses on general hotel management, marketing, and hotel operations. She also has an excellent work experience with extensive practice knowledge and know-how. Professor Kattara has a relevant number of research publications in distinguished journals. She is actively involved in collaborative research networks and projects with outstanding international education and research institutions. Dr Osman Ahmed El-Said is a lecturer at the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Alexandria University, Egypt. He prepared his Master Degree in the area of employee behavior and customer satisfaction. The author also contributed in organizing various conferences, organized by the faculty of tourism and hotels. The author’s doctorate research covered issues related to innovation strategy implementation in the hotels sector. PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT :)