What is my calling? An exploratory mixed-methods approach to conceptualizing hospitality career calling

Self Cite

Purpose Through the lens of professional identity (PID), this paper aims to examine what matters to women when reflecting on their professions in hospitality. The purpose of this examination is to understand to what extent these PIDs are shared among women in hospitality and to include women’s voices into the workforce. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach was used. The qualitative step included 24 in-depth interviews with female middle and senior managers in hotel management in the USA. The results of the interviews informed the design of a quantitative survey completed by 330 women hospitality professionals in managerial and non-managerial positions in the USA. Findings The qualitative analysis derived three super-ordinate and ten sub-themes. These themes were then quantitatively measured for validity and generalization. The mixing of qualitative and quantitative data indicated the relevance of work environment, social evaluation and perception of work and demonstrating professional competence as a woman in hospitality as significant drivers in establishing women’s hospitality PIDs. Originality/value This paper is the first to address women hospitality professionals through the lens of PID. By providing a different gender perspective on hospitality PID, this paper contributes to the expansion of diversity, equity and inclusion research and practices.

Section: Professional Identity Formation In Hospitalitycontrasting

confidence: 99%

What really matters: an exploratory sequential mixed-method study of women’s hospitality professional identities

Ponting

Lee

et al. 2023

Self Cite

“…The paper by Lee et al (2022) titled “What is my calling? An exploratory mixed-methods approach to conceptualizing hospitality career calling” provided important insights in advancing the hospitality workforce by exploring dimensions of calling.…”

Section: The Papers In This Special Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Guest editorial: The past, present and future of hospitality research

Guchait

Ann²

2022

“…Infamous for hazardous work environments, low wages and benefits, untraditional working hours and low demands for knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs), the hospitality industry has a notorious reputation for lower social class jobs that require few skills and poor career IJCHM 35,11 3844 paths, dissuading potential and future hospitality leaders (Ram, 2018). The industry's lack of sustainable career prospects contributes to an undesirable reputation for attracting and retaining current and future hospitality professionals (King et al, 2021;Lee et al, 2022). According to the social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent et al, 1994), different factors and mechanisms can influence career development so that academic and career interests, goals, behaviors and choices depend on situational, personal and social cognitive factors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The high inequality may make the social class background more salient for Gen Z’s cognition, emotion and behavior. In addition, the hospitality industry faces even more challenges, including labor shortages, rebuilding after the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, when Gen Z is getting into the workforce (Lee et al , 2022; Popa et al , 2023). Therefore, it is essential to understand how social class background shapes career choices for Gen Z.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioeconomic diversity in the hospitality industry: the relationship between social class background, family expectations and career outcomes

Lee

2023

Self Cite

Purpose This study aims to investigate socioeconomic diversity in the hospitality industry by examining the relationship between social class background, family expectations and career outcomes of Generation Z employees. The relationship was further tested by investigating job titles and perceived prestige. Design/methodology/approach Two studies were developed to test the research questions – first, the social prestige of hospitality jobs compared to other industries with similar skill sets. Second, a between-subjects experimental design was used to examine the moderating effect of job title on the relationship between social class background, family expectations and career decisions. Findings The findings of the first study confirm the negative perceptions of the hospitality industry. Study 2 demonstrated a negative relationship between social class background and intentions to choose hospitality through family expectations among Generation Z. The negative effect was attenuated when a manager position was offered. However, college students majoring in hospitality reported positive intentions to accept a job in the hospitality industry for both frontline and managerial positions. Research limitations/implications The findings emphasize the importance of extending organizational diversity beyond traditional demographics like race, gender and age by examining socioeconomic factors that influence career decisions among Generation Z employees. By considering social class background as a dimension of organizational diversity, the hospitality industry can cultivate a more inclusive culture and enhance recruitment and attraction efforts. Originality/value Examining the relationship between social class background and career decisions through the lens of social cognitive career theory provides insight into the social cognitive process of career development among Generation Z. The unique contribution of this study extends beyond observable dimensions of diversity to challenge the socioeconomic composition of the hospitality industry.