The Impact of Leaders’ Characteristics and their Behavior to the Employee Performance in the Hotel Industry in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study highlights the importance of leaders' characteristics and behavior as main aspects that could affect the employee performance of Hotel Industry in Sri Lanka. According to the preliminary survey, researcher identified that there are labor turnover and high level of absenteeism due to the employees' dissatisfaction and unsatisfactory working environment effect to decrease the employee performance level. There were three objectives of study, the key objective is "(i) to examine the leaders' characteristics and their behavior which determine the employee performance, and specific objectives are (ii) to identify the extent to which worker participation is obtained for making decisions, (iii) to provide a better set of suggestions to get the leadership styles in this industry smoothen". Construction of conceptual model using major variables such as leaders' characteristics, behavior and employee performance. Particularly, to collect the primary data researcher used personal interviews, and observations with two types of questionnaires. Altogether 105 managers and non-managers working in fourteen star hotels (two managers and four non-managers from each hotel) were selected for the survey. Conclusions were made from the study after carrying out detail scientific analyses of data using correlation and regression statistical tools and software, SPSS 2007 was used to analyze the data. The conclusions are that the leaders' characteristics and behavior are positively correlated with employee performance and implementing participative leadership style for hotels and considering worker participation in taking decisions. Based on the findings of the study number of recommendations were made to the management of hotels to get the performance improved in the hotels in Sri Lanka.